Gardens Educator/Extension Program Assistant, Department of Plant Sciences: UTIA

Utilizing the UT Gardens, Knoxville campus and its physical, online, and social media resources the Gardens Educator position will develop, implement, and evaluate experiential and observational environmental stewardship, gardening, and horticultural educational and outreach programs over a range of demographic audiences.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has shaped leaders, changemakers, and innovative thinkers since its founding in 1794. The university is home to more than 38,000 students and 10,000 statewide employees-the Volunteers-who uphold the university's tradition of lighting the way for others through leadership and service.

UT Knoxville offers over 900 programs of study across 14 degree-granting colleges and schools. As Tennessee's flagship land-grant university, its footprint spans the entire state. The university holds the highest Carnegie classification for research activity and has deep partnerships with industry leaders and the US Department of Energy's largest multidisciplinary laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Knoxville campus serves and recruits for UT Knoxville, including the Institute of Agriculture and the Space Institute, as well as the UT Institute of Public Service.

UT Knoxville considers its employees its number one asset. With values that focus on work-life balance, compensation, and innovation leadership, all Vols are supported to advance professionally. Employees have access to career development and coaching, continued education, and an extensive list of development and training possibilities. The Volunteer employee experience implements structures and practices to attract and retain top-tier talent, fostering a strong staff community and supporting a culture of involvement and engagement for everyone.

The university holds a strong commitment to its land-grant mission of learning and engagement, with a tradition of service and leadership that carries that Volunteer spirit throughout the state and around the world. It has been ranked nationally as "Best Employer for New Graduates," "One of America's Best Large Employers," and "Best Workplace for Women," and has been designated as "Best Place for Working Parents" by Forbes Magazine.

Apply today and join the Tennessee Volunteer community!

Required Qualifications:

• Education:

• High school diploma or GED

• Experience:

• At least three years of experience with planning and leading education programs for children and adults.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of education program development best practices.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills needed to work with a variety of audiences.

• Ability to work on weekends or evenings as needed.

• Ability to use electronic and in-person communication techniques.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without need now or in the future for sponsorship for employment-based visa status.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education:

• Bachelor's Degree

• Experience:

• Experience with leading horticulture/garden education programs.

• Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

• Knowledge of program evaluation and reporting methods preferred.

• Ability to work with media and press to communicate program offerings.

Work Location:

• Location: UT Gardens, Knoxville, TN
• Onsite

Compensation and Benefits:

• Find more information on the UT Market Range structure here
• Find more information on UT Benefits here

Application Instructions:

To express interest, please submit an application with the noted below attachments. To be assured of full consideration, completed applications with all requested materials should be submitted on or before October 23, 2026.

• Resume
• Cover Letter

About The College/Department/Division:

The Department of Plant Sciences, part of the Herbert College of Agriculture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, addresses agricultural and environmental challenges through teaching, research, and Extension. We offer programs in plant sciences and landscape design, conduct research in crop production, genetics, plant physiology, and sustainable agriculture, and support growers and industry partners across Tennessee.

• Development, implementation and evaluation of year-round garden education programs for children and youth at the UT Gardens. This includes creation and implementation of horticulture and environmental education for 10-12 weeks of week-long summer camps for children 6-12 years of age. The position will also be responsible for handling all school field trip requests with the goal of coordinating content with Knox County educational benchmarks. Other youth and children specialty programs may need to be developed for after school scout troops, home schools or other civic youth organizations.
• Use creative resources to recruit participants for these programs
• Development, implementation and evaluation of adult workshops, symposia, and/or lectures throughout the year conducted by the Garden Educator or coordinated by Garden Educator with guest speakers or topic specialists. Use creative resources to recruit participants for these programs.
• Recruit camp staff, volunteers, and interns, to assist in developing and running educational programming and provide appropriate training and oversite. Develop budgets and program fee structure to cover costs of educational programming.
• Familiarize themselves with all University policies regarding working with minors, registrations and enrollments, fee collections, and privacy policies so that the Gardens is compliant with all federal, state, local, and university law and policies.
• Develop digital media including social media content and outreach material and coordinate with other garden staff to maintain and grow an audience engaged with the UT Gardens, UT Plant Sciences department and UTIA. Join staff wide efforts in producing public facing special events like the Gardens Gala, plant sales, Tennessee Smart Yards, etc.
• Development, implementation and evaluation of year-round garden education programs for children and youth at the UT Gardens. This includes creation and implementation of horticulture and environmental education for 10-12 weeks of week-long summer camps for children 6-12 years of age. The position will also be responsible for handling all school field trip requests with the goal of coordinating content with Knox County educational benchmarks. Other youth and children specialty programs may need to be developed for after school scout troops, home schools or other civic youth organizations.
• Use creative resources to recruit participants for these programs
• Development, implementation and evaluation of adult workshops, symposia, and/or lectures throughout the year conducted by the Garden Educator or coordinated by Garden Educator with guest speakers or topic specialists. Use creative resources to recruit participants for these programs.
• Recruit camp staff, volunteers, and interns, to assist in developing and running educational programming and provide appropriate training and oversite. Develop budgets and program fee structure to cover costs of educational programming.
• Familiarize themselves with all University policies regarding working with minors, registrations and enrollments, fee collections, and privacy policies so that the Gardens is compliant with all federal, state, local, and university law and policies.
• Develop digital media including social media content and outreach material and coordinate with other garden staff to maintain and grow an audience engaged with the UT Gardens, UT Plant Sciences department and UTIA. Join staff wide efforts in producing public facing special events like the Gardens Gala, plant sales, Tennessee Smart Yards, etc.