Manager of Lāwaʻi Gardens Horticulture

Lāwaʻi, Kauaʻi

The mission of the National Tropical Botanical Garden is to enrich life by perpetuating tropical plants, ecosystems, and cultural heritage. We do this by administering a network of five gardens and five preserves as well as programs that deliver our mission locally, regionally and internationally.  The two flagship gardens of NTBG are McBryde Garden and Allerton Garden which are both located in the Lāwa‘i Valley on the South Shore of Kaua‘i. Collectively these gardens are referred to as the “Lāwa‘i Gardens” (LG).

Allerton Garden is a historic garden created in the mid 1900s by two of the founders of NTBG – Robert and John Gregg Allerton. It is currently considered a masterwork of landscape art and architecture and is adjacent to a highly sensitive beach and marine environment that has been placed in the Lāwa‘i Kai Special Subzone. Since the death of John Allerton in 1986, Allerton Garden has been owned by the Allerton Garden Trust and is managed by NTBG via a Management Agreement.

McBryde Garden was the first garden established by NTBG when it broke ground in January 1970. It contains the majority of NTBG’s Living Collections representing irreplaceable plants from around the world assembled for their conservation and research value.

In addition, there is our Visitor Center garden, which is our gateway garden, and is intended to entice visitors to take a tour of one of our gardens in Lāwa‘i Valley.

The purpose of this position is to oversee the South Shore horticulture staff that work within the McBryde, Allerton and Visitor Center Gardens. The position’s primary responsibility is leading a team of diverse staff to care for plant health and display horticulture in all of the Lāwa‘i Gardens. It entails collaboration with NTBG Living Collections Curator and occasionally other departments within NTBG as needed. This is a “hands-on” physically demanding position that requires dynamic leadership skills.

Essential duties and responsibilities

• Oversee the horticulture and gardener staff to ensure the health; and research, conservation and aesthetic value of each of the collections and gardens.
• Oversee horticulture operations, to include outplanting, plant care, irrigation, pest management, mulching and fertilizer programs, purchasing programs, contractor oversight, maintenance programs and regulatory compliance.
• Support and leverage volunteer and intern programs to achieve horticultural objectives.
• Coordinate with the Director of Lāwa‘i Gardens all activities in all gardens that could impact the living collections.
• Coordinate work schedules and priorities with the McBryde and Allerton Garden foremen, horticulture technicians and gardeners.
• Ensure a safe working environment for all staff in accordance with garden safety protocols.
• Understands principles of integrated pest management and the importance of soil health in plant care. Able to perform diagnostics on plant health and insect control.
• Ensure the health and wellbeing of the rare and endangered Hawaiian plant collections for all Lāwa‘i gardens.
• Plan and implement fertilizer, compost and mulch schedules for all Lāwa‘i gardens. Knowledgeable in the uses of commercial and organic fertilizers.
• Coordinate all out plantings for McBryde, Allerton and Visitor Center gardens and ensure that all plantings support the strategic growth of the collections.
• Seek the council of specialists on best management practices to protect the health and integrity of the living collections.
• Maintain regular communication with the Curator of Living Collections to best ensure alignment with strategic living collections growth and maintenance objectives.
• Actively contribute to, and in some cases lead medium- to long-term garden planning efforts, including but not limited to section- and landscape-management plans.
• Represent NTBG at various community and professional forums.
• Adhere to all management practices outlined in Living Collections policy, including but not limited to ensuring that all plant identification tags, labels and signs are maintained and secured; keeping plant and tree provenance intact.

Education and/or Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Horticulture required. Botanical garden experience a plus.
• Comprehensive knowledge and skills in all aspects of landscape management. Must have a minimum of 5 years in managing and inspiring a team of multi-cultural gardening staff with diverse skills and backgrounds. Ability to communicate through formal training as well as practical application by working side by side with staff. Able to manage scientific and research collections as well as food crop plantings, ornamental plantings and turf grass.
• Must have appreciation for a scientific botanical research collection as well as food crop plantings, ornamental plantings and turf grass. Experience in working with federally listed endangered species a plus.
• Knowledgeable in herbicide and pesticide uses and applications. State certified pesticide applicator required within six months of hire.
• Valid Drivers License with clean driving record.

Additional Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and Google Docs and capable of producing reports and work schedules as needed.
• Must possess administrative skills and manage staff payroll.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the candidate to be physically fit and capable of lifting 50 pounds. It requires frequent talking, hearing, use of hands and fingers, extensive walking, reaching with hands and arms, and stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling. This position is required to stand, sit, climb or balance and taste and/or smell. Vision requirements are close, distance, color distinction and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

Occasional exposure to herbicides likely. Frequent exposure to variable weather in outdoor conditions including heat, rain and wind. Must be able to work outside for extended periods of time in a variety of weather conditions.

Travel

Occasional local & inter-island travel may be required. Minimal mainland travel may be required.

Salary Range: $70,000 – $77,000

This position is open until filled.

Review of first round of applicants begins August 3rd.

NTBG is an equal opportunity, equal access employer. A copy of NTBG’s Drug Free Workplace Policy can be found here.

Employment applications are accepted by email, mail, fax, or in person at the Garden’s national headquarters, unless otherwise indicated, at:

NTBG
Attn: Human Resources
3530 Papalina Road
Kalaheo, HI 96741
Fax (808) 332-9765
(808) 332-7324, Ext. 229

Applications may be submitted via email to careers@ntbg.org in PDF format. All jobs are posted or removed on a timely basis.