Horticulturist - City of Reno, NV : Job Details

Horticulturist

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Class Title

Horticulturist

Class Code

9311

Salary

$87,235.20 - $105,955.20 Annually

+ Definition

+ Benefits

Classification Description Summary

Under general direction, supervises, assigns, reviews, and participates in the work of staff responsible for the production, transplanting, and maintenance of vegetation in the greenhouse and for the propagation, care, and upkeep of the City's rose garden; oversees and participates in the design, installation, and maintenance of City landscaped areas, flower beds, and hanging baskets; ensures work quality and adherence to established policies and procedures; and performs the more technical and complex tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility.

Essential Functions

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

Plan, prioritize, assign, supervise, review, and participate in the work of staff responsible for the production, transplanting, and maintenance of vegetation in the greenhouse, for the propagation, care, and upkeep of the City's rose garden, and for the installation and maintenance of City landscaped areas, flower beds, and hanging baskets.

Establish schedules and methods for providing horticultural maintenance services; identify resource needs; review needs with appropriate management staff; allocate resources accordingly.

Participate in the development of goals and objectives as well as policies and procedures; make recommendations for changes and improvements to existing standards, policies, and procedures; participate in the implementation of approved policies and procedures; monitor work activities to ensure compliance with established policies and procedures.

Participate in the selection, motivation, and evaluation of maintenance staff; provide or coordinate staff training; work with employees to correct deficiencies; implement discipline procedures.

Participate in the preparation and administration of department budget for assigned area; submit budget recommendations; monitor expenditures.

Perform the most technical and complex tasks of the work unit including conducting and participating in various special projects such as re-mapping the rose garden or re-designing the greenhouse.

Design, install, and maintain City landscaped areas and flower beds including plant selection and placement; develop and implement planting schedules.

Oversee and participate in preparing flower beds for planting; evaluate and maintain soil fertility; select appropriate size, color and texture of plants for planting; perform weed, disease and pest control functions.

Identify and eradicate pests and diseases; select proper types of chemicals and appropriate application techniques.

Oversee the operations of the City greenhouse including production, transplanting and maintenance of vegetation; order plants, supplies and materials.

Assist staff in identifying landscaping problems and in identifying and abating plant diseases and pests; recommend corrective action.

Oversee and participate in maintaining the City's rose garden; select and order rose plants, fertilizers, insecticides and any other supplies or needed materials; prune roses according to seasonal schedules.

Develop and maintain a rose garden donor program and volunteer program; recruit, train, and coordinate volunteers for various horticultural projects.

Provide educational programs for the public including rose pruning demonstrations and serving as guest speaker at various special events.

Maintain records concerning operations and programs; prepare reports on operations and activities.

Attend and participate in professional group meetings; maintain awareness of new trends and developments in the field of horticultural; incorporate new developments as appropriate into programs.

Perform related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to successfully perform the assigned duties.

Knowledge of:

Operations, services, and activities of a horticulture program.

Modern and complex principles and practices of horticulture and landscape design.

Methods and techniques of plant propagation.

Principles of water, soil and fertility management.

Principles and practices of weed control, disease identification and abatement.

Various materials, tools and equipment used in performing horticultural functions.

Safety procedures used in the application of various pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals.

Principles of supervision, training, and performance evaluation.

Basic principles and practices of municipal budget preparation and administration.

Principles and procedures of record keeping.

Principles of business letter writing and report preparation.

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations.

Ability to:

Coordinate and direct horticultural programs.

Supervise, organize, and review the work of assigned staff involved in the installation and maintenance of City landscaped areas, flower beds, and hanging baskets.

Select, train, and evaluate staff.

Recommend and implement goals, objectives, policies and procedures for assigned area.

Understand the organization and operation of the City and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.

Understand, interpret, and apply general and specific administrative and departmental policies and procedures as well as applicable federal, state, and local policies, laws, and regulations.

Prepare clear and concise reports.

Participate in the preparation and administration of assigned budgets.

Design, install, and maintain City landscaped areas and flower beds.

Oversee the operations of the City greenhouse.

Select appropriate size, color and texture of plants for planting.

Identify and safely eradicate plant diseases and harmful pests.

Safely and accurately apply appropriate chemicals to diseased plants.

Maintain the City's rose garden.

Maintain working knowledge of current and emerging technology related to assigned area.

Plan and organize work to meet changing priorities and deadlines.

Effectively represent the City to outside individuals and agencies to accomplish the goals and objectives of the unit.

Work cooperatively with other departments, City officials, and outside agencies.

Respond tactfully, clearly, concisely, and appropriately to inquiries from the public, City staff, or other agencies on sensitive issues in area of responsibility.

Work in a team based environment to achieve common goals.

Coordinate multiple projects and complex tasks simultaneously.

Meet the physical requirements to safely and effectively perform the assigned duties.

Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Education and Experience Guidelines - Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education/Training:

A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in horticulture or a related field.

Experience:

Four years of increasingly responsible horticultural maintenance or landscape design experience including one year of administrative and/or lead supervisory experience.

License or Certificate:

Possession of an appropriate, valid driver's license.

Possession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid pesticide application certificate.

Supplemental Information

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment: Work is performed in various settings that include a standard office, greenhouse, and outdoor field environment; travel from site to site; exposure to noise, dust, grease, smoke, fumes, gases, potentially hazardous chemicals, potentially poisonous animals/insects, and all types of weather and temperature conditions; work in or around water; work and/or walk on various types of surfaces including slippery or uneven surfaces and rough terrain.

Physical: Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in a field and office environment; to walk, stand, and sit for prolonged periods of time; to frequently stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, crawl, climb, reach, twist, grasp, and make repetitive hand movement in the performance of daily duties; to lift, carry, push, and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate assigned equipment and vehicles; ability to distinguish color; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

Other Requirements

RAPG Pro

R28

Last Update: 9/2018

JD 11/2018

Please use this Health and Welfare Benefit Link ( to learn more about the City of Reno's great employee benefit plans and wellness programs.

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