Horticulturalist

Title: Horticulturalist

Position Type: Staff Full-Time

Days Per Week: Monday - Friday

Hours Per Week: 40

VP Area: Finance and Administration

Department: Facilities Management

Location: Elon Campus

Position Summary

Horticulturalists are responsible for the health and appearance of the campus botanical gardens and landscape. The primary responsibilities include litter control, planting and maintaining annual floral display beds, perennial and shrub gardens, mulch beds, pruning, weed control and landscape renovation. Horticulturist may be assigned overall responsibility for the maintenance of certain gardens, tasks or projects. They may assist with designing display beds, expansion and improvement of gardens and acquisition of plants as assigned by the landscape supervisor.

Benefits of Working at Elon

As an Elon University employee, you’ll join an internationally acclaimed university with a commitment to fostering a thriving community. Ranked among the most innovative, creative and best-run universities in the nation, Elon’s personal approach to education extends to employees, whose growth, professional development and success is a hallmark of our training and advancement opportunities.

Elon University’s home is the charming town of Elon, North Carolina, a small, friendly community located a short distance from the beach and the mountains, and among the vibrant cities of Greensboro, Raleigh and Durham. In addition to the beautiful canopy of historic oak trees iconic to our campus, you’ll find boundless opportunities for family-friendly recreation, cultural events and outdoor activities. Hiking, water sports, fine dining and entertainment are just a few of the many happenings in the Elon area, making the region one of the nation’s premier travel destinations.

Employees at Elon enjoy a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes:

28 annual days off, including holidays and vacation.

Immediate tuition remission for undergraduate courses

Tuition remission for approved graduate-level courses after 12 months of employment.

Retirement plan with an 8 percent contribution from the university.

Immediate eligibility for health, dental and vision insurance, along with free acute care and lab services at our onsite Health & Wellness Clinic.

Free use of campus fitness facilities.

Free admission to musical and theater performances, guest speakers, religious and ethnic observances, recitals, art exhibitions, entertainment and our Division I Phoenix athletics.

Eligibility for tuition remission at Elon for spouses, qualifying domestic partners and dependents begins at two years of service. After two years of employment, eligibility begins for participation in the Tuition Exchange, a national scholarship exchange program that enables dependents to enroll in nationally recognized partner colleges and universities.

Elon values and celebrates the diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and perspectives of our community members. As an equal opportunity employer, Elon’s principles of diversity extend to race and gender identity, age, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, religion, and other aspects of one’s identity. At Elon, our employees respect human differences, passion for lifelong learning, emphasis on personal integrity and an ethic of service.

Minimum Required Education and Experience

High school diploma or GED with Other of experience

Preferred Education and Experience

Associate degree, or vocational or technical school degree in Horticulture or related field.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
This position has no formal supervisory responsibilities. However, the Horticulturalist will take the lead on projects, when working on the projects, they will prioritize tasks and delegate those tasks associated with the project to assigned staff.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Must have the ability to read, analyze and interpret professional journals and technical literature. Verbal skills required to effectively communicate work assignments and interacting with landscape contractors.

MATHMATICS SKILLS
Must be able to understand basic arithmetic calculations in order to calculate areas, calibrate application equipment and apply fertilizers and pesticides accurately. Able to perform accurate materials and cost estimates for projects.

REASONING ABILITY
Must be able to perform detailed visual observation of plants and gardens and ascertain information, while working in the field, to determine if there is a general decline in the health of plant material and determine what corrective measures must be taken.

OTHER SKILLS REQUIRED
Demonstrate the ability to operate equipment common to the trade.
Able to identify the majority of landscape plants on the Elon Campus and demonstrate a thorough knowledge of their cultural requirements.

Required Other Training, Certifications, or Licensing

Must possess a valid NC Driver’s license and be insurable by the University carrier.
A NC Pesticide License is required, or must be obtained within six months of employment.
A NC Plant Professional Certification is required, or must be obtained within six months of employment.

A four-year bachelors degree in Horticulture plus a minimum of six (6) years work experience in horticulture or related field, including at least one year of that experience as a Gardener at Elon University;

or

A two-year associated degree in Horticulture (or related field) plus eight (8) years' work experience in horticulture is required with at least one year of experience as a Gardener at Elon University.

Job Duties

• A Horticulturist is responsible for maintaining the health and appearance of all the campus landscape plants and gardens within their assigned area. Horticulturalist may be assigned a specific garden space or spaces of the Botanical Garden of Campus. This shall include, but is not limited to, diagnosing plant health issues or improper growing conditions, understanding and following appropriate IPM practices to determine and perform pesticide applications, perform: weed control and removal, fertilization, watering, pruning, removal of plant material, and litter pickup responsibilities.
• Horticulturalists are assigned a number of tasks according to the time of year and additional responsibilities delegated by the manager. Tasks range from landscape renovation, fertility program, ground repair, pressure washing, and mulching.
• Horticulturist may lead the installation or maintenance of annual and perennial flower beds, as well as plant replacements.  They will document the plant materials in their assigned zone areas and generate a list of replacement plants annually.   They will suggest alternative plant replacements where necessary.
• Perform scheduled maintenance activities to include but not limited to the support of special events, projects, conferences, and other activities hosted on the campus of Elon University.
• Inclusive Community Building Community is foundational to Elon and a shared responsibility within our residential campus. All who work at Elon should demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with Elon’s foundational commitment to relationships, mentoring and collaboration in a close-knit residential community. We embrace the shared responsibility to foster inclusive excellence within a strong residential community. Accordingly, employees are expected to join together and build connections in activities that foster an active and engaged campus environment and engage in professional development to support the shared responsibility of enriching diversity, equity, and inclusion through meaningful relationships and mentoring at Elon. Employees are encouraged to, for example, attend or participate in campus activities such as College Coffee, Numen Lumen, campus cultural events, athletic events, continuing education, professional development opportunities and trainings, employee resource groups and other university-sponsored activities to demonstrate an active commitment to the Elon community.

Special Instructions to Applicants: The position is part of the Elon Emergency Response team and is required to be available to assist with preparation, throughout, and after inclement weather events. This is not limited to only inclement weather events, but all University emergency events. There is assigned evenings and weekend work from time to time.