Vice President, Horticulture

Missouri Botanical Garden; St. Louis (MO); In loco; USD 180.000 - 280.000; Tempo pieno

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The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis invites a transformative leader to serve as Vice President of Horticulture.

This role oversees landscapes, gardens, and displays, ensuring horticultural excellence, design innovation, and sustainable practice while advancing the Garden’s mission and enriching the visitor experience. You will lead a high-performing team, foster collaboration across divisions, and shape a long-term horticulture vision that elevates collections, displays, and public

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POSITION: Vice President of Horticulture

REPORTS TO: President and Director

LOCATION: St. Louis, Missouri

MISSION

To discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life.

About Missouri Botanical Garden

For more than 165 years, the Missouri Botanical Garden has stood at the intersection of horticulture, science, conservation, education, and public engagement. Founded in 1859 by philanthropist Henry Shaw, the Garden is one of the nation's oldest botanical gardens in continuous operation and is widely regarded as one of the premier botanical institutions in the world. Guided by its mission "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life," the Garden has evolved from a visionary civic gift into a globally recognized center for plant science, conservation, and horticultural excellence.

Today, the Garden's work spans from its historic headquarters in St. Louis to more than 35 countries around the world. Its scientists describe approximately 200 new plant species annually, steward one of the world's largest herbarium collections, and lead conservation initiatives that protect some of the planet's most threatened plant species and ecosystems. At the same time, the Garden remains a beloved cultural institution that welcomes more than one million visitors each year through immersive gardens, world‑class displays, educational programming, community engagement, and signature events.

The Garden's 79-acre campus showcases nearly 60,000 plantings representing more than 17,000 taxa. Iconic features such as the Climatron®, Linnean House, Japanese Garden, Doris I. Schnuck Children's Garden, and William T. Kemper Center for Home Gardening reflect a tradition of excellence that blends horticultural beauty with scientific discovery and public learning. Beyond the main campus, the Garden extends its mission through Shaw Nature Reserve, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, and the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, creating a network of landscapes and programs that connect people to plants throughout the region.

Under the leadership of the President and Director, the Garden is embarking on an ambitious new chapter. Its emerging strategic framework is centered around a bold vision: a world where people and plants flourish together. Priorities focused on botanical discovery, conservation, visitor engagement, organizational excellence, and storytelling are helping shape the institution's future while building on its historic strengths. Horticulture sits at the center of this vision, serving as the most visible expression of the Garden's mission and one of its greatest opportunities for impact.

The Missouri Botanical Garden welcomes more than one million visitors annually and reaches hundreds of thousands more through education, outreach, conservation, research, and community engagement programs. The organization is supported by a talented staff, more than 1,600 volunteers, and has over 53,000 member households. With operations spanning its main Garden campus, Shaw Nature Reserve, the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House, and the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, the Garden is widely recognized as one of the world's premier botanical institutions.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Vice President of Horticulture will join the Garden at a particularly meaningful moment. A new strategic plan is helping define how the institution will deepen its impact over the coming decade, with priorities focused on collections, conservation, visitor engagement, botanical leadership, and organizational excellence. Horticulture sits at the center of nearly every one of these aspirations.

The Garden now seeks an exceptional Vice President of Horticulture to help lead this next era. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of one of the world's great botanical gardens, to build upon an extraordinary horticultural legacy, and to create experiences that connect people more deeply with plants, place, and purpose.

The Garden has a dedicated and highly skilled horticulture team whose technical expertise, passion for plants, commitment to collections, and pride in their work are widely recognized throughout the institution. The horticulture staff is one of the Garden's greatest strengths, exemplifying a depth of knowledge, creativity, and professionalism that supports the overall organization.

At the same time, there is a substantial opportunity ahead. With a strong desire for deeper integration across divisions, greater cohesion, enhanced communication, and a holistic horticultural vision, the organization is eager to strengthen connections between horticulture, conservation, research, education, sustainability, and visitor experience. The Garden has prioritized the importance of elevating its beauty and sense of place while maintaining its global leadership in science and conservation.

• Shape a compelling horticultural vision aligned with institutional strategy.
• Elevate the Garden's landscapes, collections, displays, and visitor experiences.
• Build greater connectivity across disciplines and teams.
• Strengthen organizational systems and operational effectiveness.
• Inspire and develop an already talented and dedicated staff.
• Help define what horticultural excellence looks like for one of the world's premier botanical institutions.

This role offers a rare combination of institutional impact, global influence, and visible public engagement.

Position Summary

The Vice President of Horticulture (VP of Horticulture) provides leadership for the development, maintenance, and enhancement of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s landscapes, gardens, and displays. The VP of Horticulture ensures that horticultural excellence, design innovation, and sustainable practices advance the Garden’s mission and enrich the visitor experience. The role oversees the design and management of the gardens, including the development of new displays and the stewardship of cultural landscapes. The VP of Horticulture leads the creation of world‑class horticultural displays that inspire visitors, celebrate plant diversity, and reinforces the Garden’s leadership in horticultural display, botanical education, and public engagement.

The successful candidate leads a high performing team and fosters a collaborative, people‑first culture that values creativity, inclusion, and professional growth. Through strategic planning, resource management, and staff development, the role ensures operational excellence and alignment with institutional priorities. In partnership with peers across divisions, the VP of Horticulture contributes to long‑term visioning and initiatives that position the Missouri Botanical Garden as a leader in horticultural innovation, beauty, and impact.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Division Leadership & Vision

• Develop and implement a long‑term horticulture strategy for gardens, conservatories, and displays aligned with the President’s vision, the Garden’s mission, strategic plan, and institutional goals.
• Foster cross‑divisional collaboration and a culture of creativity, innovation, and excellence.
• Collaborate across mission areas to advance shared goals.
• Partner closely with the President, leadership team, and Horticulture Mission Council.

Garden Designs and Displays