Nursery Manager

Nursery Manager

The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation division of Central Forestry, Horticulture and Natural Resources, oversees citywide forestry, horticulture and conservation initiatives, policy, standards and performance measures. The division oversees the Greenbelt Native Plant Center in Staten Island and the Citywide Nursery in the Bronx. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. www.nyc.gov/parks.

Major Responsibilities
•    Under the direction of the Director, with considerable latitude for independent judgment and decision, manage the day to day operations of the Greenbelt Native Plant Center (GNPC), including, seed collection and banking, plant propagation, nursery production, and foundation and bulk seek development.
•    Plan and manage short and long term production schedules.  Plan and coordinate purchasing of all GNPC production materials, equipment and supplies and liaison with vendors.
•    Oversee all aspects of plant maintenance, health and vigor, disease and weed control and watering.
•    Oversee all aspects of maintenance, repair and improvements to the physical plant of the nursery, greenhouses, containerized nursery yard, irrigation systems, headhouses, seed bank, coolers, boilers, and related equipment and vehicles, such as tractors and implements.  Interact with Borough and Agency Technical Services staff on necessary repairs and upgrades.
•    Effectively manage a diverse workforce, build strong teamwork ethic; motivate workforce to meet production and quality assurance goals.
•    Work closely with the Director and Deputy Director to formulate and implement operational policies; personnel and budgetary planning, new needs assessments and requests.
•    Develop strategies, methodologies and systems, in close consultation with the Director, to improve and expand the mission of the Nursery.
•    With the Director work to find new and novel uses of local native plants for sustainability, green infrastructure and horticultural initiatives.

Qualification Requirements 
1.    A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with major study in horticulture, arboriculture or landscape architecture and four years of full-time, paid experience in horticultural work of which two (2) years must have been in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial or executive capacity; or
2.    A satisfactory equivalent.  However, all candidates must have at least a high school diploma or evidence of having passed an examination for a high school equivalency diploma and one year of supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial or executive experience as described above. 

Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service.  New York City residency required for all other candidates.

PREFERRED SKILLS/QUALIFICATIONS
1.    Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, biological, environmental sciences or related field.  
2.    Strong taxonomic skills, including course work in plant taxonomy and plant identification.
3.    5 years’ experience in managing nursery, greenhouse and bulk seed production and seed banking operations. 
4.    Working knowledge of theory and practices of plant propagation, nursery container and crop production and seed banking.
5.    Strong interpersonal, problem solving and communication skills.
6.    Familiarity with local flora of New York City region and associate plant community types.
7.    Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel and Access.
8.    Valid New York State driver license.

Salary: $85,000 - $95,000 plus excellent benefits

Apply by 06/28/19

For external applicants, please apply through www.nyc.gov/careers
1)    Go to www.nyc.gov/careers/search
2)    Search for Job ID#:  395262

For details about NYC Parks: www.nyc.gov/parks