Jobs Title:
Director of Horticulture | Tyler Arboretum | Media, Pa.

Post Date
8/5/2024

Expiration Date
11/3/2024

Details:
The Director of Horticulture is a unique and exciting role to lead Tyler Arboretum in the maintenance, development, and horticultural conservation of the 650-acre Arboretum located in the heart of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Tyler Arboretum’s mission is to conserve our historic landscapes and connect people to the natural world. The Arboretum is unusually wealthy in natural areas, with extensive forests, meadows, the only two state-classified unimpaired streams in Delaware County, 17 miles of hiking trails, and the Pink Hill Serpentine Barrens, a globally rare ecosystem with populations of over 20 endangered, threatened, and near threatened species. Tyler Arboretum is a vital resource for the region, providing nature-based programming and educating members and other visitors about the natural world. Tyler is host to over 60,000 visits annually, including students from the local school districts, universities that use Tyler as a research destination, and many residents from throughout metropolitan Philadelphia who use Tyler as a sanctuary and recreational landscape.

The Director of Horticulture is responsible for leading a department of 7 employees and over 25 regular volunteers in the management and development of the living horticultural collections, as well as the preservation and management of natural areas. This position leads the Arboretum’s efforts to enhance the horticultural collections while integrating Tyler’s ecological and historical elements and aligning the Arboretum to best practices within the burgeoning field of Ecological Horticulture. This is a multi-faceted position by nature; the ideal applicant will have experience coordinating contractors in the field and managing complex projects with specific ecological and horticultural outcomes in mind.

Responsibilities

Departmental Leadership:
- Provide leadership and long-term vision for the Arboretum as a whole, and to the Horticulture Department and its activities.
- Participate in strategic planning sessions, long-range planning sessions, and event planning meetings.
- Lead weekly departmental meetings to assign tasks, manage projects, and check ongoing activities of the horticultural staff. Check and sign timesheets, PTO requests, interviewing and hiring, and recruitment efforts of staff, interns, and volunteer crew.
- Assign supervision and tasks to manage scout, school, corporate, and other groups coming to the Arboretum to volunteer.

Senior Organizational Leadership:
- Work closely with Executive Director and senior staff, including the Director of Development, Director of Education, and Director of Site Services to plan the logistics and execution of all Arboretum activities.
- Attend senior staff meetings on a weekly basis to discuss priorities, implementation of action plans, and troubleshoot issues related to events, security, horticulture, and maintenance.
- In conjunction with the administration staff, initiate and consult on seasonal activities related to the care and administration of the Arboretum, including but not limited to: deer control and the relationship with the Deer Professionals of Southeast Pennsylvania, weekend duty scheduling, front-gate programming, and project management.

Board Interaction:
- Prepare a bi-monthly board report to update the board on the status of the Horticulture Department, maintenance issues, and special projects.
- Attend board meetings if requested by the Board or the Executive Director.

Horticulture Leadership and partnerships:
- Provide knowledge and insight to staff, visitors, and other constituents on the collections of woody and herbaceous plant collections of the Arboretum.
- Represent Tyler to the wider horticultural and environmental community.
- Supervise the Plant Recorder; manage and update plant records to continue the impressive historic legacy of plant records at the Arboretum.
- Stay connected with diverse constituents, including representatives of Ridley Creek State Park, other local arboretums, key volunteers, service contractors, and outside consultants.
- Coordinate larger landscape maintenance and restoration projects with external partners; manage budgets and deliverables accordingly.

Special Events Support:
- Actively participate in events planning to ensure appropriate departmental participation and manage horticultural staffing support services such as set-up for special events and other fund- raising activities.
- Oversee Tyler’s Annual Plant Sale, a flagship horticultural event for the community.

Financial Responsibility:
- Develop and implement annual departmental budgets and perform staff reviews with the Chief of Staff and Executive Director.
- Review and approve all invoices related to the horticultural collections, large projects, and maintenance of buildings. Manage bid processes for large projects, grant-funded projects, and new initiatives.

Natural Lands Management:
- Manage and supervise staff to ensure maintenance of meadows, lawns, specialty gardens, plant collections, trails, and natural areas.
- Manage and supervise conservation activities related to horticulture collections and areas of ecological significance. This includes a state-funded meadow restoration project and maintenance of Tyler’s serpentine barren, pollinator initiatives such as bee and butterfly houses, overseeing prescribed fire and goat grazing, and consulting on Tyler’s role as an Important Bird Area.
- Serve as a member and thought leader for the Horticulture and Land Management board committees. Report to Executive Director and Board of Trustees on research and initiatives related to those two committees.

Maintenance Support:
- Supervise the care and maintenance of all grounds equipment; jump in and assist junior staff when needed on grounds care.
- Manage contracts with outside contractors when needed for cleaning, maintenance, and repair of the infrastructure and stewardship of the natural areas of the Arboretum.

Qualifications:
- Bachelors in horticulture, ecology or related field with a graduate degree preferred;
- 6-10 years experience in public gardens, horticulture, or managing similar properties;
- Excellent organizational and people skills;
- Knowledge of woody and herbaceous plant material, Pennsylvania Pesticide Applicator’s license with knowledge of best practices, and valid driver’s license are required.

Comments:
How to apply

Please send resume and cover letter to Mike Skuja, Executive Director, at mskuja@tylerarboretum.org. Please include in your cover letter your experience (or interest) in ecological horticulture as well as staff management experience, experience in oversight of major projects and overall leadership philosophy.

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

Employer:
Tyler Arboretum
Contact:
Katy Carpenter

Address:
Tyler Arboretum
515 Painter Road
Media, PA 19063


Email:
kcarpenter@tylerarboretum.org

Website:
https://tylerarboretum.org/