[Position Filled] Director of Horticulture

The Director of Horticulture’s scope of work ranges from creating a long-term horticultural strategy for the Conservancy that applies sector-leading practices in the unique context of the City of Charleston to the oversight of the daily operations of a professional staff augmented by interns and volunteers. In addition to ornamental gardens and plantings in City parks, the Conservancy also operates a series of community gardens which provide community members with gardening opportunities and serve as venues for environmental education programs.

The position’s responsibilities include:

Strategic and Foundational Planning   10%

• Developing a comprehensive horticultural strategy and organizational philosophy that incorporates best practices and reflects Charleston’s unique history and horticultural heritage. This will include working closely with key members of the Conservancy’s horticulture team and City Parks Department to align Conservancy’s work with City priorities.
• Establishing and implementing aesthetic and horticultural standards to maintain, upgrade and enhance the gardens and cultivated spaces under Conservancy care.

Park-based Horticulture   25%

• Leading design, development, and installation of horticulture components of new projects and spaces.
• Collaborating with others in managing, engaging and deploying volunteers to support the Conservancy’s horticulture program.
• Managing and leading a team of 4-5 professional staff, 6-7 fellows and interns, and numerous volunteers in developing and maintaining those spaces under Conservancy care.

Education and Community Engagement  10%

• Serving as a public educator and an ambassador for the Conservancy across a wide variety of public settings.
• Developing horticulture and education partnerships with like-minded organizations; and incorporating public education into Conservancy programs as appropriate 

Leading the Horticulture Fellowship Program    50%

• Managing development, roll-out and operation of the program, which will recruit and train annually a class of 6 Fellows from varying backgrounds for an immersive year of working in parks, gardens, and public spaces around Charleston with the goal of placing them in a career-oriented job upon completion of the program.
• Supporting a Program Advisory Board collaboratively with Executive Director
• Cultivating industry partnerships to support the program.

Administration and Management    5%

• Annual planning, budgeting and assessment.
• Staff management and related HR functions.
• Serving on the Conservancy’s senior leadership team; and collaborating with and supporting an engaged Board of Directors

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES 

• Strong program management experience including fostering workforce development or job training with the ability to build strategic partnerships to accomplish training for the program
• Experience with public/private partnerships and demonstrated ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships with government and school-based partners
• Community engagement experience that demonstrates building trust with community members and includes principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Background in public horticulture either in a park or public garden setting
• This position requires demonstrated leadership ability with progressively significant experience working in public gardens or parks or related experience.

For more information about Charleston Parks Conservancy, please visit www.charlestonparksconservancy.org

Charleston Parks Conservancy makes recruitment, employment, promotional and all other Human Resource decisions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or veteran status in accordance with federal and state laws regarding equal employment opportunities. The organization is committed to creating and maintaining a workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.

How to apply:

Charleston Parks Conservancy has partnered with CSR to assist with this hire. All applications must be accompanied by a compelling cover letter and resume to be considered for this role. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the successful candidate has been selected.

To apply, visit: https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?t=director+horticulture&jk=6e750997ecec33b5&_ga=2.161123837.1981384876.1643124245-285550655.1622638801