Help lead nursery operations through plant propagation, student mentorship, public engagement and more! Apply to be the Assistant Nursery Manager on behalf of the Arboretum and Public Garden, where you can be part of a dynamic, collaborative team committed to "inspiring human potential to help people and environments thrive." UC Davis career employees receive extremely competitive health and retirement benefits including:

• Three weeks vacation at start, holidays and paid sick leave
• One of our state's best pension benefits and a retirement savings program
• An impressive selection of medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Plus, much more...

APPLY BY JULY 2 

WHY WORK with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden?

EXPLORE UC Davis' Competitive HEALTH and RETIREMENT Benefits

Full Position Description

Job summary

Under general supervision of the Nursery Manager, the Assistant Nursery Manager works collaboratively with Arboretum and Public Garden staff, academics, students, and community members to leverage nursery operations in support of organizational goals and lead the nursery production of plants for the Arboretum and Public Garden living museum collections and public plant sales. The position will support the nursery component of the Living Landscape Adaptation Plan for climate change, which will include propagation of a broad diversity of climate-ready ornamental and native plants, trees, and edibles. The position will be responsible for propagation, production, inventory management, plant labeling and signing, exhibit development, nursery collection documentation and sales event management to support increasing plant sale revenue and member and donor cultivation and stewardship. The position will lead, train, and engage community volunteers and mentor Learning by Leading student apprentices and interns. The position will lead the phytosanitary improvement initiative, upgrading facilities and practices to align with best management practices. This position will manage improvements and maintenance of several nursery production facilities.

Department Overview

The goals of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden (APG), a living museum, are to create a more visitor-friendly campus, transition to a campus landscape adapted to our changing climate, make the academic programs of UC Davis visible to campus visitors, build environmental leadership in students and community partners, and leverage campus financial and human resources. Key programs of the APG include the UC Davis GATEways Project, the Living Landscape Adaptation Plan, and the Learning by Leading Program. The GATEways Project transforms the campus into physical and programmatic portals for the public to engage in the riches of UC Davis. The Living Landscape Adaptation Plan charts a course for sustaining a thriving campus landscape that supports the health and wellbeing of the campus community in the face of significant climate change disruptions. The Learning by Leading Program builds environmental leadership skills with students through hands-on, real-world projects and programs involving mentorship by staff, faculty and community members. The Arboretum Teaching Nursery and Arboretum Headquarters Nursery together serve as critical support facilities for living collections and as engagement hubs for disseminating cutting edge information about sustainable horticulture.

Essential Responsibilities

25% -Manage Plant Acquisition and Propagation In Support of Strategic Initiatives

• Support the acquisition, propagation and production of plant specimens to meet organizational fundraising goals, living collection development targets, and support strategic initiatives, including:
  • Retail plant sale fundraising events – Partner with Nursery Manager to select and grow around 800 varieties of plants for promotion and display with a total annual production of approximately 100,000 plants and $400K of sales volume. Identify new species and varieties of heat and drought tolerant plants and/or those with strong habitat value that have a high likelihood of thriving in regional gardens. Build off the success of the Arboretum All-Star program to develop new lines of climate-appropriate plant selections.
  • Arboretum collections and GATEway Gardens – Collaborate with APG horticulturists and academic partners on the acquisition and specialty propagation of unique and unusual varieties for their teaching, research, and conservation value in plant collections and academic engagement gardens.
  • UC Davis Living Landscape Adaptation Plan – Collaborate with Arboretum and Public Garden (APG) leaders and campus landscape architects to acquire and grow a diversity of heat and drought tolerant trees and plants to support the transformation of the campus landscape and plant collections to adapt to future climate conditions.
• Assist in leading the inventory management of over 100,000 plants annually, including propagation records and purchasing record management. Lead effort to upgrade inventory system for efficiency, accuracy and technological relevance. Prepare and maintain nursery collection documentation, including accession records, nomenclature checking, and horticultural descriptions. Lead accurate labelling of plants in the nursery and troubleshoot label production.
• Partner with Nursery Manager to help develop and manage the plant propagation calendar. Lead the propagation of nursery plants using various methods and material types. Supervise propagation work by students and volunteers to ensure quality and quantity standards for plant records and horticultural production are met.
• Evaluate plants on their methods of propagation, pest and disease susceptibility, drought and heat tolerance, and suitability for new ornamental horticulture introductions.
• In partnership with the Nursery Manager, track budgets and expenses, and record purchases.

25% -  Manage Nursery Operations

• Lead and supervise phytosanitary best management practices. Ensure that the nursery continues to improve according to latest research and evidence. Train and supervise people with varying levels of knowledge and experience with phytosanitary principles on daily nursery operations.
• Manage the day-to-day operations of the Arboretum Headquarters Nursery facility. Manage various nursery facility operations including but not limited to maintenance, repair, and light construction of shade structures, greenhouses, and irrigation. Lead greenhouse and production facility improvement initiatives to increase production outcomes and demonstrate industry best practices.
• Monitor and adjust irrigation of nursery to provide an optimal growing environment for plants. Select, train and monitor student employees to assure proper irrigation of all nursery plant collections.
• Operate tractor to facilitate material deliveries and infrastructure improvements.
• Perform and supervise others in horticultural tasks as required, including propagation, up-potting, pruning, and weeding. Monitor for pests and weeds and treat as needed, following principles of Integrated Pest Management.
• Safely manage nursery chemicals, such as fertilizers, hormones, and disinfectants. Participate in annual chemical inventory, and train others in the safe handling of chemicals and other hazardous materials.
• Partner with the Nursery Manager to lead nursery operations and facility maintenance at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery.
• As needed, support university faculty, scholars and students in coordinating and conducting research in the nursery.

20% -  Support Plant Sales, Fundraising, and Public Engagement

• In partnership with the Nursery Manager and the Plant Sale Planning Team, provide leadership for plant sales, which serve as signature events for education, outreach, fundraising, and community-building:
  • Prepare nursery signage and exhibits to support community outreach, education and engagement in sustainable horticulture and plant selection. Ensure the accuracy of nomenclature and regional horticultural information for plant labels and plant information signage.
  • Perform the timely development and cataloging of visitor-friendly sales inventory lists. Rapidly update the inventory between plant sales.
  • Explore and develop technological tools to improve both in-person and online plant sales, including the use of AirTable, Shopify, IrisBG, and other software.
  • Research new point-of-sales and inventory management systems, seeking better methods for aligning with accession database management and museum records standards.
  • Coordinate with the Nursery Manager to prepare the nursery facility for sales events by overseeing the plant layouts, labeling, inventory, and visitor-friendly signage. Supervise the set up and clean up for all plant sales.
  • Provide excellent customer service at public and private plant sale events. Train volunteers to assist customers in selecting plants for purchase during the sales.
• Serve as a representative of the Arboretum and Public Garden to the general public, university and community stakeholders, national partners.
• Conduct and participate in public engagement and lifelong learning activities in sustainable horticulture such as leading community tours, workshops, and “learn and shop” events.
• Participate in a team approach to fundraising. Support efforts to identify giving opportunities and steward donors for nursery operations, including for volunteer and student programs.
• As needed, write grants related to nursery production and other nursery-related projects. Oversee awarded projects, including budgets, timelines, grant deliverables and writing interim and final reports.

25% -  Lead Student Internship and Community Volunteer Programs

• Develop innovative learning and leadership experiences for UC Davis students in the realm of nursery management, horticulture, and climate adaptation. Recruit, train, and supervise student employees and Learning by Leading student interns.
• Develop leveraged systems for engaging students and volunteers in meaningful and productive work to support nursery records, propagation, and production needs. Provide specialized training in plant propagation and container plant care.
• Supervise weekly teams of community volunteers. Collaborate with the Nursery Manager on planning and overseeing weekly tasks for volunteers. Coordinate volunteer communication, scheduling, and training.
• Assist with trainings, events and program development in support of organization-wide volunteer program and Learning by Leading program goals. Invest in each participant’s success, sense of belonging, and cultural competency.
• Develop opportunities for students to interact as public ambassadors for UC Davis and the Learning by Leading Program. Coordinate with faculty supervisors in setting student goals and reviewing accomplishments as appropriate. Document student work, including organizing end-of-quarter evaluations, reflections and testimonials.

5% -  Miscellaneous

• Attend meetings and professional development trainings.

Qualifications

Education                

• Graduation from college with specialization in horticulture, plant science, or a related field and one year of experience in specialty nursery work; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Work Experience

Minimum Work Experience                     

• Experience managing spreadsheets and database systems for inventory management.
• Education in and experience with applied best practices in horticultural science and sustainable horticulture, particularly as they relate to propagation of a diversity of plants by seeds, division, and cuttings; nursery production; and irrigation management.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with plumbing, operating hand tools, power tools and tractors, and fixing daily issues of nursery facilities.
• Experience operating in an entrepreneurial role that required creatively growing revenue streams.
• Experience mentoring/fostering leadership in university students. Experience in developing programs that allow students to take on successively greater leadership roles as their abilities grow.
• Experience and skill using databases (IrisBG, AirTable, and Shopify), mobile apps, and thermal label printers for tracking plant inventory, labeling, and supporting point-of-sale purchases.
• Experience in designing, planning and delivering public programs to diverse audiences.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Minimum Knowledge, Skills and Abilities                    

• Knowledge, skill, and experience to identify and grow a wide range of heat and drought tolerant ornamental plants suitable for California's Central Valley, including California native plants. Strong familiarity with scientific and common names of horticultural plants as well as standard plant nomenclature and horticultural references.
• Knowledge of irrigation methods and principles and experience maintaining and adjusting automatic irrigation systems. Knowledge of pest, disease, and weed identification and experience monitoring for pests in a nursery setting.
• Leadership skills to recruit, manage, teach and motivate volunteers and students.
• Interpersonal skills to interact and communicate effectively and professionally both orally and in writing with administration, staff, visitors, volunteers, students, and customers using tact, diplomacy, and good judgment during all interactions in the performance of a wide variety of programs and support functions.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Basic construction and facility maintenance skills.

Work Environment

Physical Demands

• Occasional (Up to 3 hours daily): bending, stooping, squatting, kneeling, climbing, reaching and lifting/pushing up to 50pounds
• Frequent (3 to 6 hours daily): standing, walking, sitting,  keyboard use, and lifting up to 25 pounds

Environmental Demands

• Occasional exposure to (Up to 3 hours daily): Chemicals, dust, gases, fumes, loud noise, uneven surfaces, and the operation of motor vehicles
• Frequent exposure to (3 to 6 hours daily): extreme temperatures and marked changes in humidity or temperature.
• Continuous (6 to 8 hours daily):

Mental Demands

• Occasional (Up to 3 hours daily):  sustained attention and concentration; complex problems solving and reasoning; communication skills, numerical skills; constant interaction.
• Frequent (3 to 6 hours daily):  customer contact
• Continuous (6 to 8 hours daily): Multiple concurrent tasks, ability to organize and prioritize.

Special Requirements

• Valid California driver's license
• Work flexible schedule including evenings and weekends to meet operational needs.
• Work outdoors more than 50% of the time, including in very hot, very cold and wet weather
• UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco free campus effective January 1, 2014. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes) will be strictly prohibited on any UC Davis owned or leased property, indoors and outdoors, including parking lots and residential space.
• Background Check: This position is a critical position and subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background investigation including criminal history and identity checks.
• Principles of Community: UC Davis is a diverse community comprised of individuals having many perspectives and identities. We come from a multitude of backgrounds and experiences, with distinct needs and goals. We recognize that to create an inclusive and intellectually vibrant community, we must understand and value both our individual differences and our common ground. The UC Davis Principles of Community is an aspirational statement that embodies this commitment and reflects the ideals we seek to uphold.

APPLY BY JULY 2

WHY WORK with the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden?

EXPLORE UC Davis' Competitive HEALTH and RETIREMENT Benefits