Community Landscape Specialist - St Louis, United States - Missouri Botanical Garden

Description

Summary: This is a collaborative position between Shaw Nature Reserve's Native Horticulture Team (65%) and the Sustainability Division's Natural Environments Team (35%). Promotes appreciation of native plants and their horticultural by providing guidance and assessment of community landscaping projects. Under the supervision of the Native Plant Initiative Coordinator (Shaw Nature Reserve), assists with assigned outreach activities including consultations, presentations, and workdays. Serves as a positive representative of the Native Plant Initiative to promote native plant horticulture. This role will also work under the supervision of the Natural Environment Program Manager (Sustainability) to support the Deer Creek Watershed Alliance Rainscaping Cost-Share Program and the MSD Rainscaping Small Grants Program.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Serves as a representative for the Native Plant Initiative, a strategic partnership between Shaw Nature Reserve and the Missouri Department of Conservation, advancing shared objectives to build capacity for native plant horticultural practices in the Saint Louis region.
• Serves as an active member of the SNR Horticulture Team (~65% of time allocation) through information sharing and collaborations while continuing to hone native plant horticultural knowledge by developing a deep understanding of horticultural practices in the Whitmire Wildflower Garden.
• Serves as an active member of the Sustainability Division Team as well (~35% of time allocation), acting as a conduit for strong collaboration between SNR and Sustainability.
• Collaborates with community partners (municipalities, businesses, non-profits, agencies, and others) to advance knowledge of native plant horticulture; Performs outreach including tabling at community events, attending community meetings, presentations, conducting workdays, and participation in regional native plant events.
• Engages with diverse partners to foster and build community relationships that support the Native Plant Initiative and Rainscaping Programs.
• Collects and documents information on native plant landscape projects through site visits, meetings, and other approaches.
• Provides technical consultation on projects to advance the design, installation, and maintenance of native plant gardens and plant-based Rainscaping techniques.
• Assists with meeting deliverables of the Native Plant Initiative, including new project onboarding, site visit reports, and drafting landscape recommendations and management plans, and follows up with on-going and past projects and relationships by collecting and documenting pertinent information.
• Guides volunteer workdays and performs horticultural work including site preparation, planting, weeding, mulching, watering, and pruning.
• Reviews landscape designs in applications to rainscaping grant programs by applying knowledge of native and invasive species, familiarity with native plant growth habit and performance, and some background with rainscaping practices to offer constructive feedback of landscape deigns.
• Completes quality assurance procedures and possible maintenance visits for newly installed and established rainscapes, including coordinating with landowners on when to visit, comparing drawn landscape designs with real projects, photographing projects, communicating recommendations directly with the landowner where appropriate, and writing up feedback and recommendations.
• Assists Native Plant Initiative Coordinator and Natural Environment Program Manager with preparation of reporting documents.
• Ensures that all applicable safety standards are followed (i.e., inform employees of safety rules and safe working practices and routinely monitors to enforce them. Adapts or modifies work methods to reduce hazards. Reports accidents and injuries.
• Follows and adheres to established policies and procedures, including but not limited to the Employee Handbook, Garden Safety Guidelines and Department Policies.
• Behaves and communicates in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork and cooperation, within our division and throughout the Garden, with co-workers, supervisors/managers, volunteers, visitors and employees.
• Meets expected attendance guidelines.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities: This position does not have direct staff reports; may supervise and mentor volunteers with the SNR Native Plant Horticulture Program or at project workdays as needed.

Competencies:

• Communication: Combines listening skills, verbal and written communication skills and visitor relation skills.
• Collaboration: Incorporates teamwork, mutual respect, active engagement, cooperation and visitor focus.
• Accountability: Initiative to take ownership of responsibilities, the ability to prioritize and the working knowledge and skills to take action.
• Problem Solving: Blends problem solving skills, judgement and decision making skills along with creativity and resourcefulness.
• Stewardship: Merges the practical application of the Garden values and support for a positive organizational climate.

Qualifications/Experience:

• Minimum 1-3 years of relevant horticulture work experience with strong native and invasive plant identification skills.
• Strong interest in horticultural conservation and science; knowledge and experience with native plants, native plant communities, and native plant horticulture in the Midwestern US preferred.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills; exceptional ability to communicate effectively at all levels; must enjoy and feel comfortable interacting and working with the public, in a safe and friendly manner answering questions.
• Possesses a strong desire to continue developing their knowledge of native plant horticulture and sharing knowledge, expertise, and passion with landscape professionals and the public.
• Excellent public speaking skills; confident interacting with diverse audiences.
• Strong initiative and organizational skills; proven track record of taking ownership of projects; ability to organize multiple project components at once.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively among divisions and with internal team members and external organizations.
• Excellent working knowledge of safe operation and use of landscaping equipment and herbicides.
• Must be a self-starter, creative, flexible, and able to effectively multi-task.
• Scheduling flexibility that allows occasional evenings and weekends is required.
• The Garden is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our employees, volunteers and guests. All staff are strongly encouraged to receive all vaccinations as recommended by your healthcare provider prior to hire date. The Garden reserves the right to require future proof of current vaccination status, based on local health department guidelines. When international travel is necessary for Garden business, staff must be able to obtain required travel clearances, driving permits, and vaccinations for all countries where travel is required.
• The requirements and duties listed are representative and not exhaustive of the knowledge, skill, and/or abilities required.

Education:

• Some college coursework in Horticulture, Ecology, or related fields, with an Associate's Degree or other relevant certification (e.g., Certificate of Proficiency in Horticulture) strongly preferred.
• An equivalent combination of experience, skills, and education may be considered.

Language Skills:

• Ability to communicate effectively in English (oral and written).
• Ability to convey technical horticultural concepts to a general audience, both verbally and in writing.
• Communicates effectively with donors, strategic partners, and representatives of agencies, foundations, and other organizations.
• Excellent public speaking skills.

Computer Skills:

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (i.e., Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher).
• Ability to use e-mail to effectively communicate with colleagues, strategic partners, and other diverse collaborators and constituencies.
• Strong Internet research skills.

Mathematical Skills:

• Requires ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication and division; calculate percentages and decimals; etc.
• Ability to understand and assist in developing project budgets.

Other Skills and Abilities:

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to manage several significant projects at once.
• Excellent organizational, time management and interpersonal skills.
• Scheduling flexibility that allows working weekends and holidays as needed.
• Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; is tactful and treats others with respect; values departmental teamwork.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license and clean insurable driving record (prior to employment).

Physical Demands:

• Ability to utilize computer keyboard (typing); operating standard office equipment (computers, copiers and printers); or request accommodations.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 30 lbs.
• Ability to wear Garden-issued Personal Protective Equipment.

Work Environment:

• Work will primarily be performed at project locations in St. Louis City and St. Louis County, with workspace available at both Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO and the Garden's Commerce Bank Education Center in St. Louis. The position will also work one day per week, on average, with the Native Horticulture Team on site at Shaw Nature Reserve in Gray Summit, MO.
• Ability to work in a shared, open office setting with occasional distractions, including office locations at Shaw Nature Reserve and the Sustainability division at the Garden's main campus in St. Louis.
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions (i.e., in temperatures over 100F as well as temperatures below 0F, in rain, snow and other inclement weather conditions as needed).
• Comfortable working in immediate proximity to the public, in a safe and friendly manner, across the entire St. Louis Region.
• Responsible to provide own transportation for off-site consultations, meetings, rainscaping landowner site visits and outreach activities of 100/year on average.
• Frequent off-site travel to meetings required.

Contacts with Individuals/Organizations inside/outside the Garden:

• Frequently works with representatives from the public, green industry, professional organizations, colleges and universities, municipalities, corporate partners, agencies, and other strategic partners.
• Participants in tours, classes, workshops, seminars, and landscape consultations
• Garden Employees, Volunteers, Donors, Visitors

Supervisor: Coordinator, Native Plant Initiative (Shaw Nature Reserve)