Pollinator, Bird Garden, and Natural Lands Assistant

Skills and Abilities:

• Passion for learning sustainable, biodiverse, and ecosystem-based horticultural practices and plant culture, maintenance, and identification.

• Willingness to collaborate on all tasks required for maintaining the highest standards of botanical garden and arboretum management.

• A team-player who maintains positive engagements with the public and their colleagues.

• Ability to stand, kneel, walk for extended periods of time.

• Comfort with using hand tools and power equipment.

• Can both take direction as motivated and be able to work independently at times.

• Ability to work and be exposed to daily variants in weather and temperatures.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 Suite Software (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, etc.) combined with the ability to document and share relevant information internally.

Qualifications:

Typically requires the equivalent of an associate's degree in a directly related field, OR completion of high school plus 2 years of directly related work experience OR an equivalent combination of work experience and education.

Preference will be given to candidates with introductory experience in the seasonal and long-term care for diverse plantings of trees, shrubs, vines, perennials, grasses, and bulbs who can explain how this opportunity will help them reach their career goals.Academic coursework in horticulture, forestry, landscape contracting, landscape architecture, agriculture, plant science, or related fields is an asset.

This position also includes an educational component featuring on-campus professional development sessions and off-site field trips focusing on organization, groups and programs which pertain to public horticulture, sustainable landscape management, natural land preservation, education, public space, and community outreach.

Application and Requirements:

While the exact onsite work schedule will be determined with the successful candidate, they must be able to begin shift work as early as 7:00 A.M. M-F as well as be able to work occasionally on weekends with prior notification.

Applicants may work up to 40 hours per week. This role will be split into two phases, Phase 1 will run for 21 weeks. After which, there is a mandatory 10-week break before resuming the final 21 weeks in phase 2.

This job requires that you operate a motor vehicle as a part of your job duties. A valid US
driver's license and successful completion of a motor vehicle records check will be required
in addition to standard background checks.

Applicants must include both 1) a cover letter that directly addresses how this opportunity will further their career goals in sustainable landscape management AND 2) their current resume or CV to comprise a complete application package.

The Pennsylvania State University's Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is comprehensive and The Arboretum's two current strategic goals, growing our capacity and being more welcoming, both stem from Penn State Outreach's foundational focus that inclusion, equity, and diversity are advanced in our workplaces, and with the audiences whom we support, through fostering belonging, open discourse, mutual respect, genuine care, equal opportunity, and different perspectives.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Penn State is located on the ancestral lands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Shawnee, Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe Nations. Penn State's land grant was funded by the sale of land expropriated from 112 tribal nations in 50 land cessions across 16 states.