Nursery Director
Required Qualifications:
This position is for an experienced professional, is under the direct supervision of Desert Survivors’ Executive Director, and it is salaried and full-time. Not only will this person demonstrate a high level of knowledge about native plants and understand the management of a thriving retail nursery, but they must also wholeheartedly support the Desert Survivors mission.
Preferred Qualifications:
Practical experience or specialty training in all the following: propagation, chemical handling, irrigation, and pest management. A deep understanding of our bioregion and sustainability best practice. Experience working with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Exceptional teamwork and communication skillsThis position is for an experienced professional, is under the direct supervision of Desert Survivors’Executive Director, and it is salaried and full-time. Not only will this person demonstrate a high level of knowledge about native plants and understand the management of a thriving retail nursery, but they must also wholeheartedly support the Desert Survivors mission..
Details:
Practical experience or specialty training in all the following: propagation, chemical handling, irrigation, and pest management. A deep understanding of our bioregion and sustainability best practice. Experience working with adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Exceptional teamwork and communication skills.
Desert Survivors aims to be a fully accessible, fully integrated, supported employment program that operates a native plant nursery. All nursery staff are expected to work alongside their supported co-workers and are trained accordingly.
Specialized Duties:
- Supervise all plant propagation efforts, including providing direction, demonstration, and support to all employees engaged in propagation tasks.
- Manage the number of plants cultivated for each species being grown at the nursery to maximize the use of existing space, meet retail demands, and facilitate job training.
- Maintain the Desert Survivors plant database and update annually.
Primary Duties:
- Train and supervise all nursery employees.
- This includes hiring, corrective action, and termination. It is essential that there are multiple employees trained on every task to ensure coverage if someone is unavailable.
- Ensure that all nursery staff follow Desert Survivors policies and procedures.
- Perform winter cold stratification of seeds.
- Oversee all production tasks, including directing up-potting and plant separation.
- Manage the nursery irrigation systems, making necessary adjustments throughout the year.
- Work in partnership with program directors to ensure ALL employees at Desert Survivors are being utilized for their talents, to optimize learning and teaching opportunities.
- Supervise the maintenance of essential mother plants needed for propagation.
- Organize necessary seasonal on-site seed collection.
- Purchase and inventory all necessary supplies and materials for nursery. All purchases must receive advanced approval from the Executive Director.
- Direct the preparation for three annual sales. This includes ordering necessary plants for resale and retail supplements. It also includes coordinating with program directors on task assignments.
- Instruct staff on the use of all fertilization and pesticide applications on-site.
- Provide customer service direction for retail staff, and deal with any customers who have a problem or refer unresolved issues to the Executive Director.
Secondary Duties:
- Work in partnership with program directors to complete all necessary winterization tasks.
- In conjunction with program directors, ensure structural integrity of all nursery infrastructure is maintained.
- Write or delegate bi-annual newsletter articles about featured plants.
- Attending monthly management meetings.
- Lead monthly nursery staff meetings.
- Conduct all annual nursery staff evaluations.
- Maintains required training, CPR/ First Aid, Article IX, Prevention & Support, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation and current fingerprint clearance card.
- ALWAYS carry a radio for communication.
Most importantly, treat all personnel at Desert Survivors with respect, courtesy and understanding. Disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated from any employee and should be reported to the management team and Executive Director.