Position Summary

This position is responsible for assisting to manage the vision, conceptual design, and the look and feel of a living horticulture collection. Leads and supervises a horticulture team, which maintains a botanical collection of Florida Native species using sustainable and green practices. Works with other staff to create exhibits and programs which reflect the diversity of Florida’s ecosystems and provides appropriate and enriching habitats for the animals.

Essential Position Functions

• Implement TFA institutional botanical vision and goals
• Develop and maintain open and professional lines of communication with all departments that have a connection to horticultural services
• Actively participate in daily horticulture responsibilities
• Assist in supervising and coordinating with contracted landscapers, pond management, power washers, wholesale nurseries, and tree trimmers
• Maintain a botanical nursery necessary to support the collection
• Assist in creating an annual horticulture budget and set budget priorities based on the goals of the department
• Assist with supervisory roles, including but not limited to writing reviews, coaching team members to share work values and management goals, developing staff schedules.
• Establish and maintain horticulture and landscaped areas to always be safe and clean for our guests and staff.

Secondary Functions

• Establishes and develops horticulture related quality assurance guidelines
• Participates in team meetings with associate curators, biologists and other aquarium departments
• Represents the aquarium at selected meetings, conferences, and speaking engagements
• Conducts ongoing research projects that are relevant, goal-specific and in direct support of the aquarium’s Shared Purpose
• Establishes an expectation of excellence among the Horticulture team in the areas of guest service and satisfaction with an emphasis on creating naturalistic, immersive landscapes and guest experiences
• Provides staff with materials necessary to fulfill horticultural needs (i.e., reading material, safety equipment, maintenance supplies and other tools)
• Support TFA’s Shared Purpose by participating in a Conservation Day of Action shift on an annual basis
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Education Requirements and Technical Skills

• Minimum of five years’ experience working with a botanical collection; Florida species preferred
• Two years’ experience in management of paid and non-paid staff
• Four-year degree in horticulture or related science preferred, or equivalent experience
• Master Gardener or equivalent preferred
• Valid FL Driver’s License
• Experience in maintaining a conservatory-style (indoor, self-contained) botanical collection
• Advanced knowledge of moisture, temperature, humidity, light, ventilation, soil mixtures, container sizes and other growing requirements for a specialized collection
• Understands nutrient requirements of individual foliage plants and is able to provide fertilizer and trace elements for optimum growth
• Knowledge of common plant pests and disorders and is able to control them using approved techniques and safety precautions
• Ability to use, adjust, clean and service normal landscaping and conservatory tools and equipment, including irrigation systems
• Ability to operate and maintain power equipment such as mowers, sprayers, rototillers, trimmers, leaf blowers, etc.
• Knowledge of basic plant culture, including pruning, thinning, rotating and repotting
• Knowledge of general taxonomy of plants to include trees, shrubs, terrestrial herbaceous material, epiphytes, grasses and aquatic plants
• Knowledge and previous use of IPM (Integrative Pest Management)
• Knowledge and experience with practical application of organic growing methods and organic pest control solutions
• Experience in providing animals with non-toxic, edible plant material for browse and enrichment.

Competencies

• Customer Service Orientation — Listening and understanding the customer (both internal and external) and anticipating and evaluating the customer’s needs; making the customer’s satisfaction a high priority in all areas of responsibility.
• Teamwork — Supporting, facilitating, and participating in activities that promote team effectiveness; demonstrating sensitivity for the feelings and needs of team members and supporting team goals.
• Emotionally Intelligent - identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others; harness emotions to apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; regulating your own emotions and cheering up or calming down other people.
• Coordinating — Organizes and moves a group of individuals and/or activities toward a common goal
• Judgment — Deciding on and committing to an action on the examination of the facts at hand; finding creative solutions to situations and opportunities that arise; taking strategic risks when necessary.
• Communication (oral and written) — Effectively expressing ideas verbally and non-verbally and actively listening to individuals and groups; preparing and focusing presentations to the characteristics and needs of the audience; expressing ideas clearly and concisely in written form, through memoranda, letters, reports, and other documents.
• Professional/Technical Knowledge— Remains current on developments in the field within and outside the organization; maintains proficiencies
• Information Gathering and Monitoring — Effectively collects relevant data using questioning or research techniques to monitor and manage projects and people

Typical Physical Requirements

• Sitting (2 hours per day)
• Standing (2 hours per day)
• Walking (4 hours per day)
• Bending/Stooping — Frequently
• Squatting — Frequently
• Crawling — Occasionally
• Reaching above shoulders — Frequently
• Crouching — Frequently
• Kneeling — Frequently
• Balancing — Occasionally
• Pushing/Pulling — Frequently
• Carrying (up to 60 lbs.) — Occasionally
• Lifting (up to 60 lbs.) — Occasionally
• Working near moving machinery — Frequently
• Exposure to marked changes in temperature and humidity
• Exposure to dust, fumes and gases
• Typing on a computer keyboard
• Coping with demands (stresses) that are associated with the job and/or the work environment so that acceptable levels of performance and overall contribution are maintained
• Operating machinery
• Ability to travel (car) as needed — locally and/or nationally
• Ability to maintain daily contact with a living collection of plants and animals
• Daily contact with a living collection of plants and animals in a central Florida climate
• Flexibility in working weekends and evenings
• Flexibility in working holidays
• Available for on-call emergencies