Horticulturalist

Horticulturalist

Discovery Place Nature - Charlotte, NC

Overview

Position Type: Full Time Job Shift: Week days and weekends Education Level: 4 Year Degree Travel Percentage: Up to 25% Category: Nonprofit - Social Services

Description

At Discovery Place, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we fuel your passion for science and the natural world by delivering awe-inspiring exhibits and educational programs. Our immersive experiences captivate, challenge, and empower audiences of all ages, sparking a spirit of discovery and lifelong learning. We hope to forge a future where science catalyzes, creating boundless opportunities, fostering hope, solving complex problems and driving positive change across the globe.

We're looking for driven, talented individuals who share our passion for making an impact and having fun while doing it.

Discovery Place brings science, nature, and design together to create transformative experiences that enable our community to understand, enjoy, and apply science to their lives. Through multiple museums, in-school programs, and community outreach initiatives, Discovery Place serves more than 700,000 people annually across the Carolinas. Founded in 1946, Discovery Place is shaping a future where people embrace science to create opportunities, build hope, solve problems, and bring positive change for our world.

Position Summary

The Horticulturalist supports the care, maintenance, and development of living plant collections and natural landscapes throughout Discovery Place Inc.'s (DPI) growing list of locations. This role ensures that indoor and outdoor areas – including forested environments, trails, habitat zones, and exhibit landscapes – are maintained to high horticultural and aesthetic standards, while supporting safe public access and mission-driven programming.

Working under the leadership of the Sr. Director of Collections (SDC), the Horticulturalist contributes to both day-to-day operations and long-term stewardship of DPI's natural assets, helping translate ecological and environmental integrity into engaging visitor experiences.

The scope of this role will evolve over time, with an initial focus on site readiness, plant establishment, and foundational landscape care, and expanding to full operations and exhibit support as CMN approaches opening.

Under the guidance of the SDC, this position will closely coordinate with other departments, community partners, and relevant contractors/subcontractors to ensure that environmental impacts are synchronized with all stakeholders. Most notably, our Facilities team will be a regular partner for the Horticulturalist role.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Horticulture & Landscape Care

• Maintain planted areas, gardens, forest edges, and exhibit landscapes, including planting, pruning, mulching, watering, and soil management.
• Monitor plant health and implement appropriate treatments for pests, disease, and environmental stressors.
• Manage invasive species and support ecological balance across the sites.
• Support seasonal planting and landscape enhancements aligned with exhibit and program needs.

Living Collections & Sites Stewardship

• Assist in the care of trees and plant systems across the DPI sites, including coordination with certified arborists as needed.
• Support implementation of tree protection, planting, and restoration practices consistent with project and environmental standards.
• Maintain records related to plant care, plant inventories, and maintenance schedules.
• Participate in long-term landscape planning and habitat development.
• Assisting the SDC to establish, maintain, and plan for future collections of living and non-living plant species, specimens, and artifacts.
• Participate in plant-related conservation and research initiatives as directed by the SDC.
• Stay informed about current events, techniques, and innovations within the horticultural field.

Operations & Safety

• Ensure planted spaces are safe, clean, and accessible for staff and visitors.
• Support coordination with facilities and operations teams to maintain trails, grounds, and public-facing spaces.
• Operate and maintain horticulture tools and equipment safely and effectively

Assist with setup and maintenance of outdoor exhibits and program areas.

Program Support & Engagement

• Collaborate with education and exhibit teams to support programs using outdoor environments, indoor planted exhibits, and laboratory applications that involve plants.
• Provide basic interpretation or support for public-facing activities as needed.
• Contribute to creating visually engaging and mission-aligned outdoor spaces.

Other Functions and Work Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned to support the overall success of the DPI sites.

Qualifications

Qualifications

• 4 year degree in biology, botany, or a related field, or a 2 year specialized degree in Horticulture with 5 years experience in the field.
• Familiarity with native plants and southeastern U.S. growing conditions.
• Experience with public gardens, parks, or museum environments is preferred.
• Working knowledge of plant care, pest management, basic arboriculture principles, basic landscaping principles, and comprehensive environmental sustainability practices within the horticultural field.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong attention to detail and pride in maintaining high-quality planted environments.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Comfortable working outdoors in a variety of weather conditions.
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Interest in Discovery Place's mission and using nature to support learning

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work outdoors for extended periods in varying weather conditions.
• Ability to lift up to 60 lbs and perform physical labor including bending, lifting, and carrying.
• Ability to operate basic landscaping tools and equipment.
• Ability to lawfully drive a company vehicle.

Discovery Place Guiding Values:

Science Leads Us

We are "learn-it-all's." If we don't know the answer to something, we ask questions, conduct research, create hypotheses, and experiment. We know science is powerful and it can be used to create opportunities, build hope, solve problems, and bring positive change in our world.

Integrity Guides Us

We bring our best selves to work each day and treat each other with respect, communicate honestly and openly, and hold each other accountable for living our values. As employees of Discovery Place, we're committed to living our values, however, we know none of us are perfect. When we see a teammate drift away from our values, we provide grace and a gentle reminder and keep moving forward - together.

Equity Drives Us

Diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion are part of our DNA. All teammates and departments are treated equitably and held to the same standards. We find more value working together to leverage diverse knowledge and experience; we know the group is always smarter than the individual.

Innovation Energizes Us

We always have our eye on the future and seek to make a bigger impact on our community. We're consistently innovating. Have a light bulb moment? Share it! No matter your role, everyone is encouraged to innovate. We learn from our failures and celebrate our successes. After all, that is what science is all about.

Employees of Discovery Place should uphold the mission, vision and values of the organization. We strive to provide exceptional service through four core values: uncommon courtesy, the pursuit of personal excellence, teamwork and inclusion. We value the diversity of opinions and intellectual thought and encourage an environment where employees can share ideas openly.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities of this job. Other duties may be assigned. This job description may be changed to include new responsibilities and tasks or change existing ones as management deems necessary.