Supervisory Interdisciplinary Horticulturist/Landscape Architect

Smithsonian Institution; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Smithsonian Gardens, part of the Smithsonian Institution, is seeking a qualified candidate for a landscape/horticulture leadership role. This position oversees garden programs, landscape planning, and maintenance, coordinating with multiple teams and partners to align priorities and resources.

Qualified applicants should have a horticulture or landscape architecture background, with demonstrated experience in managing complex garden projects and collaborating across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Degree in horticulture or related plant science with at least 30 semester hours in basic plant sciences, including 16 in horticultural subjects.
• Or combination of education and experience substituting for the degree.
• Transcripts may be required; provide official transcript if selected.

Responsibilities

• Lead or manage horticulture or landscape programs and oversee technical aspects of garden or landscape planning, improvement, and maintenance projects.
• Collaborate with teams and partners to resolve competing work priorities and resource needs.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Landscape planning

Team collaboration

Education

Horticulture degree

Landscape architecture degree

Job description

The Smithsonian Institution (SI) is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Smithsonian Gardens, Facilities Management. Smithsonian Gardens is responsible for managing public gardens, living plant collections, greenhouse and nursery operations, and landscape assets.

Basic Qualification Requirements:

More than one selection may be made from this announcement.

Basic Education Requirements for Horticulture Series 0437:

• 1. Degree: horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post harvest handling of horticultural crops.
• OR
• 2. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included course work as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Evaluation of Education: Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences.

Basic Education Requirements for Landscape Architecture Series 0807:

• 1.Degree: Bachelor's or higher degree in landscape architecture or landscape design.
• or
• 2. Combination of education and experience: For each year short of graduation, the applicant must have had 1 year of experience under professional leadership and guidance of such character and diversity as to be a satisfactory substitute for the required education. This experience must have included original landscape design.

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, however if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify you must provide an official transcript before you begin work.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the specialized experience and/or education requirements listed below:

GS-14 Experience:

You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-13 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as leading or managing horticulture or landscape programs & overseeing the technical aspects of garden or landscape planning, improvement, and maintenance projects; and working with other teams and partners to resolve competing work priorities and resource needs.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.