Director of Horticulture Services

City of New York•Rego Park, NY

7d•Onsite

About The Position

NYC Parks is the steward of nearly 30,000 acres of land, 14 percent of New York City, including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. The Division of Environment and Planning aims to protect, restore, and expand New York City's green spaces and natural areas to maximize their benefits for environmental and community health and resilience. The Natural Resources Group within Environment and Planning supports all Divisions in the agency to create beautiful, high-performing vegetated spaces. This position is ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT FULL-TIME ANNUALLY PAID PARKS EMPLOYEES. Applicants must be current permanent Parks employees serving in the Administrative Horticulturist civil service title, on leave from the title, or permanent Parks employees in or on leave from a comparable title (e.g., Administrative Park & Recreation Manager or Administrative Community Relations Specialist). Parks employees who took and passed the Administrative Horticulturist Civil Service Examination (Exam No. 6005) or are reachable on a comparable civil service list or qualify for a comparable title are also eligible. Applicants should indicate the exam number and their list number or comparable title on their resume.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with major study in horticulture, arboriculture, or landscape architecture and four years of full-time, paid experience in horticultural work of which two (2) years must have been in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive capacity.
OR A satisfactory equivalent.
However, all candidates must have at least a high school diploma or evidence of having passed an examination for a high school equivalency diploma and one year of supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive experience as described above.

Nice To Haves

Current permanent Parks employees serving in the Administrative Horticulturist civil service title
On leave from the Administrative Horticulturist civil service title
Permanent Parks employees in or on leave from a comparable title (e.g. Administrative Park & Recreation Manager or Administrative Community Relations Specialist)
Parks employees who took and passed the Administrative Horticulturist Civil Service Examination (Exam No. 6005)
Parks employees who are reachable on a comparable civil service list or qualify for a comparable title

Responsibilities

Under the direction of Natural Resources Group (NRG) leadership, and in close collaboration with the Director of Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECaN), with latitude for independent judgment and decision-making to; develop, promulgate and uphold standards and protocols for the care and preservation of horticultural areas citywide including development and communication of a vision, goals, policies, standard operating procedures and performance measurement systems.
Oversee management of the staff and operations at Citywide Nursery in Van Cortlandt Park which produces plants for agency horticulture projects.
Develop processes for continued and increased alignment between the Citywide Nursery, PECaN, borough horticulture, forestry, capital projects, including identifying opportunities for efficiency improvements, resource sharing, enhanced biodiversity, and strategic coordination among all horticultural programs across NYC Parks.
Convene a Horticulture Managers working group, in collaboration with Maintenance & Operations, to generate motivation, provide guidance, coordinate activities, develop policies, and ensure standard application of best practices for ecologically-sound horticulture and pesticide use and tracking.
Research and share information on new materials, methods and policies relating to plant care including recommendations of appropriate plant palettes, integrated pest management, and horticulture technologies and methodologies.
Plan and coordinate field training, professional development classes and recognition programs within the agency and in collaboration with other institutions.
Perform horticulture tasks including development of and consultation for special projects and emerging initiatives that advance agency-wide horticultural priorities, promote biodiversity and climate resilience, and enhance the quality and stewardship of planted landscapes across the agency.
Provide regular updates on the status of various projects and programs and ensure that projects advance in a timely manner.
Prepare briefings, reports, analyses, evaluations and correspondence, working with NRG Communications staff as needed.
Represent agency at relevant committees, boards, and working groups.
Liaise with other City and State agencies regarding pesticide rules, regulations, and reporting.