Nursery Gardener

City of New York • New York, NY

1d • $50,448 - $58,015 • Onsite

About The Position

This vacancy is only open to 1) current permanent Parks employees serving in the Gardener civil service title or 2) on leave from the title. 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 manages over 10,000 acres of natural areas across the five boroughs, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and has secured tens of millions of dollars in grants from state, federal and private sources over the past decades to fund the restoration and management across these ecosystems. Environment and Planning is committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

Requirements

• One year of full-time experience in gardening work, including experience in each of the following planting, cultivating and caring for trees, plants shrubs and lawns; or
• A certificate from a horticulture or botanic program containing college-level courses, such as programs offered by the New York Botanical Garden, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, etc.; or
• A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to 1 above. Thirty semester credits from an accredited college, at least fifteen of which must be in horticulture, agriculture, agronomy, plant pathology, botany, landscape design or architecture, entomology, forestry, floriculture, plant production and/or crop management, may be substituted for the one year of the work experience described in 1 above.
• To be appointed or assigned to Gardener - Assignment Level II, after meeting the qualification requirements for Gardener - Assignment Level I, candidates must have one additional year of satisfactory, full time experience in gardening work, including experience in each of the following areas: propagating, planting, cultivating, and caring for trees, plants, shrubs and lawns.
• To be appointed or assigned to Gardener - Assignment Level II, candidates must have a Commercial Pesticide Applicator - Category 3A License issued by the New York State Department of Environmental conservation. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.
• A motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York. This license must be maintained for the duration of employment.

Responsibilities

• Under supervision, assist with all aspects of indoor and outdoor plant production: weeding, watering, fertilizing; moving and pulling plant stock to fulfill orders; transplanting nursery and greenhouse starter material, preparing soil mixes and potting operations.
• Work as a team to perform landscape management and nursery yard maintenance involving identifying and controlling invasive species, removing debris and trash, weed whacking, mowing lawn areas, maintaining hoop houses, planting beds and irrigation systems.
• Maintain clean and organized workspaces; assist in and perform tasks involved in the operation, inventory and care of hand tools, consumable supplies and equipment.
• Work with the Seed Team to prepare, maintain, harvest and clean seed from seed increase plots at multiple locations, including NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECaN) 3808 Victory Blvd, Staten Island PECaN, Floyd Bennett Field and Fresh Kills.
• As needed, provide assistance with wild seed collections, off-site visits to natural areas, identifying species, determining seed maturity, and following all seed collection protocols.
• Enter seed and plant production data into data forms, spreadsheets or web-based databases in a timely manner.
• As needed, supervise and train interns, volunteers and other staff in nursery tasks; assist with the planning and preparation of public and private events; interact with staff and visitors in a courteous and professional manner.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed