Conservatory Gardener and Exhibit Technician

About Us

At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law.

The Huntington

Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences.

The Culture

Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do – from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond.  Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. 

At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity.

• Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture.

• Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community.

• Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community.

• Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection.

• Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles.

Job Description

About the Role

Reporting to the Associate Director of Botanical Collections, Conservation and Research, the Conservatory Gardener and Exhibit Technician is a horticulture-based position that cultivates plants in the Conservatory and Tropical Collections. S/he/they will provide living material and assistance to support interpretive exhibits, programs, and classes. This individual will work with other gardeners, nursery assistants, and volunteers in maintaining facilities, exhibits, collections, and programs.

S/he/they will demonstrate a background of working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds, using a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible approach.

This is a limited-term, part-time position to provide additional support.

Essential Duties

• Cultivates, propagates, waters, and fertilizes plants

• Supports and troubleshoots exhibits in public conservatory spaces

• Helps organize and provide supplies including potting mix, pots, tools, labels, etc.

• Calculates formulas and measures for fertilizers

• Cleans, organizes, and evaluates work areas as needed

• Maintains assigned areas of the Conservatory and support greenhouses in an orderly manner

• Monitors and reports regularly on greenhouse climate conditions

• Monitors plant health, including plant pests and development of controls

• Maintains a working knowledge of key species in the Conservatory

• Works in collaboration with the Curator of Tropical Collections, Curator of Orchid Collections and Conservatory Technician in exhibit set-up and maintenance, as well as providing plants for programs, labs, and exhibits

• May perform other duties as assigned.

Candidate Requirements and Experience

Knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Some coursework in horticulture and greenhouse practices required

• Ability to work safely with equipment and chemicals required

• Ability to communicate effectively and amicably with staff, volunteers, and visitors required

• Ability to perform physical duties required, including lifting, digging, carrying, etc.

• Ability to perform careful, thoughtful work required

• Ability to prioritize tasks and work schedule required

• Effective written and oral communication skills required

• undefined

Preferred Experience: 

• Two years’ experience with nursery practices and indoor horticulture preferred

• Successful completion of two-year college horticulture program preferred

• Knowledge of scientific names of plants, botany and horticulture preferred 

Working Conditions  

• The work is typically performed outdoors, in a greenhouse setting.

• The employee may need to stand, walk, or occasionally reach, stoop, kneel, or crouch.

• Occasional lifting of supplies or plant materials may be required, typically up to 30 lbs.

• While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. 

Compensation & Benefits

We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including:

• Pay Rate: $19.25-$20.00/hr.

• Medical, Dental, Vision 

• Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants

• Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions

• Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds

The Application Process

Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment. 

You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the “My Experience” section of the application.