Garden Coordinator

The Garden Coordinator is responsible for monitoring, maintaining, restoring, cultivating, caring, and management in mostly native open space/hybrid park landscapes, and developing the gardens and grounds located on the 15+ acre Fayette Environmental Education Center property that includes a pollinator garden, Japanese Garden, shade gardens, herb garden, craft garden, and future botanical garden, community garden, and food forest at the Southern Conservation Trust (SCT). 

Garden & Plant Care (60%)

• Design and construct public gardens at the direction of the Executive Director & Director of Nature Center.
• Maintain gardens and structures ensuring optimal visitor experience.
• Monitor tree and plant health throughout the gardens, rectifying issues in a timely manner.
• Identify and maintain accurate plant records and inventory.
• Maintain and manage small greenhouse and propagate plants for gardens.
• Developed a food production and donation program with the Director of Nature Center.
• Work with Volunteer Coordinator to schedule and train garden volunteers.
• Collaborate with the Park Team on projects and maintaining equipment and tool inventory for nature center property.
• Direct and perform spraying of herbicides and fertilizing as needed.
• Direct and perform restoration and management of open space natural areas and wildlife habitats including growing, seedling, transplanting, cultivating, or weed management
• Prepare, fertilize, amend, or condition soils for different types of plants or plant communities
• Prepare reports and maintain records of plant maintenance, weed management, and/or restoration activities
• Spraying and recording noxious and invasive weeds in both natural areas and traditional turf
• Manages minor construction and repairs in the garden
• Performs grounds maintenance as needed: clears brush; picks up and removes litter; empties garbage cans and changes trash liners
• Performs FEEC opening and closing procedures as needed
• Operates and maintains a variety of equipment, such as vehicles, mowers, tractors, aerators, hand and power tools, rakes, edgers, weed eaters, chainsaws, chippers, sprayers, etc
• Performs administrative tasks, such as ordering and purchasing supplies, preparing reports, writing up, monitoring gardens, completing fixed asset inventories, etc.
• Assists the Director of the Nature Center with budget preparation and implementation in regard to gardens

Education (30%)

• Assist the Environmental Education Program Manager with educational programs as needed
• Assist the Animal Care & Volunteer Coordinator as needed.

Other (10%)

• Support other SCT planting projects as needed.
• Identify funding needs in partnership with the Fundraising Manager and Director of FEEC.
• Provide general support for FEEC s during peak periods.
• Carries out any additional assignments required to fulfill the Mission of the Southern Conservation Trust

Required Qualifications:

• 3 years of experience in the cultivation and care of a wide variety of native plants OR horticultural/ecological restoration Licensures/Certifications.
• Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, botany or a related field required
• Valid Georgia driver’s license or ability to attain within 30 days.
• Must pass a background check.
• Maintain professional work standards and ethics.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact and communicate with a variety of public and private interests, partners, and donors.
• Able to perform moderately physically demanding work, that requires a lot of lifting (up to 50 pounds), cleaning, and constant motion
• Knowledge of horticulture and gardening, including pest and disease control, plant nutrition and physiology, plant collection curation and plant identification
• Must be able to work as a team member and with little or no direct supervision
• Must have ability and enthusiasm for physical work
• Other skills include: problem-solving, communication, flexibility and implementation during irregular/unscheduled events

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master Gardener experience
• Pesticide Application Certification
• Experience in the operation and maintenance of grounds equipment, especially those related to horticulture and agriculture, skid steer loaders, and tractors
• Teaching experience
• Experience working with the public

How to apply:

email resume to Angela@sctlandtrust.org