Classification: Exempt

Organization Description:

Naples Botanical Garden is a 170-acre world-class paradise, featuring the flora and cultures of the tropics and sub- tropics including Brazil, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Florida. The Garden's mission is to connect people and plants through display, education, conservation, and applied science. The Garden has beautifully restored native habitats, cultivated gardens, walking trails, and public programming that offer education and enjoyment for people of all ages. Naples Botanical Garden is a 501(c)3 organization.

Position Summary: The Nursery Operations Manager oversees all production of plants in the Garden’s nurseries and off-site nursery operations. With the opening of the Garden’s Evenstad Horticulture Campus, the role will need to develop and implement all new growing protocols, working closely with Collections experts across the Garden as well as Horticulture Director, Horticulture Maintenance Director, and Facilities Director.  

The Nursery Operations Manager will maintain all of Garden’s grow spaces and greenhouses, schedule and maintain all collection, rotational plants, finishing dates, and programmatic plantings, and direct Greenhouse Lead of what propagations needed to schedule for Greenhouse operations. Direct nursery team to maintain collections within the nursery and backup collections for the Garden based on Collections Policy and overseen by direction from Garden Leadership.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities: In this role, the Nursery Operations Manager will manage the grow operations for both Horticulture and Conservation teams, including overseeing and training nursery staff, ordering materials or coordinating orders with Horticulture Admin and track budget priorities for the Team. Collaborate with IPM to track pest control and fertilization schedules and respond to Naples Botanical Garden staff requests. The Nursery Operations Manager will also be required to grow and maintain trees, shrubs, flowers and all collection plants. Ultimate destination for plant material will be the Naples Botanical Garden, Collier County projects, and partnerships with partners throughout the Caribbean. To ensure success, the Nursery Operations Manager should be organized, have excellent managerial skills, and a passion for horticulture, and should be able to maintain a healthy nursery ecosystem and ensure the success of the Evenstad Horticulture Campus.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Develop and continuously improve procedure and practices
• Oversee Nursery Team:
• Greenhouse & Nursery Lead
• Nursery Orchids and Epiphytes Associate
• Nursery Associates
• Greenhouse Associate
• Assist hands on in the daily functions of the nursery. 
• Track and delegate FMX work orders for operations, maintenance, and production schedule.
• Maintain FMX requests for nursery.
• Opening the nursery in the morning and closing at the end of the business day.
• Training and overseeing nursery staff.
• Monitoring nursery stock including soil, fertilizers, and pots.
• Growing plants, trees, and shrubs from seed or seedlings and stepping up to appropriately sized containers. Preparing plants for their final use.
• Monitoring watering times, soil conditions, and plant positions.
• Monitoring weather conditions and paying special attention to hot or cold temperatures.
• Wadsworth controller training and daily monitoring of pedestal system.
• Monitor greenhouse operation system and adjust as needed, including remotely during non-work hours.
• Monitoring the following systems: Irrigation controls, Fertigation controls, IPM Spray logs, etc.
• Greenhouse management of maintenance.
• Stay up to date on all restrictions. Maintain records of restrictions on plants and pest restrictions.
• Production calendar for grow schedule.
• IrisBG training for record keeping of inventory. Ability to learn and use.
• Cross department planning
• Oversee nursery budget and staffing.
• Cuttings and air layering as directed by Hort Leadership 
• Coordinate Volunteer activities with Volunteer Coordinator and Scheduling with Volunteers.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• 10+ Years' experience working in plant nursery operations.
• Excellent managerial and communication skills. Bilingual is a plus.
• Detailed knowledge of plant production, soil, fertilizers, and growing techniques.
• Florida or tropical plant knowledge required.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work with cross-functional teams.
• Must have a driver’s license.
• A pre-employment background check required.

Benefits:

• Medical
• Vision
• Dental
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Plan
• Long -Short Term Disability
• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Garden Perks

Naples Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The Garden has a long-standing policy of employment and advancement based solely upon qualifications to perform the essential elements of a position without regard to age, creed, gender, national origin or ancestry, race, color, religion, veteran status, pregnancy, marital status, HIV status, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, handicap or mental or physical disability.