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Botany Garden and Greenhouse Supervisor

University of Wisconsin Madison
$23.13 HOURLY
paid time off
United States, Wisconsin, Madison
21 North Park Street (Show on map)
May 14, 2025
Job Summary:

The Department of Botany is seeking a Greenhouse Supervisor to guide and direct the day-to-day activities of student employees and volunteers in the cultivation and maintenance of Botany Garden and Greenhouse plants and facilities. The Botany Garden and Greenhouse living botanical collections are among the largest and most diverse university plant collections in the U.S., with 2300 taxa in 220 plant families, spread across 8000 sq. ft of greenhouses and a 1.3-acre garden. The Botany Garden and Greenhouse's primary program objectives are student-focused and include providing plant materials for teaching in the botanical sciences, facilitating research utilizing collection plants and BGG facilities, and enabling public access to the collections.

Key responsibilities include supervision, scheduling, training and day-to-day guidance of student hourly workers and volunteers. The Greenhouse Supervisor plans plant production schedules, cares for plants in the greenhouse and gardens, coordinates and implements the integrated pest management program, and provides expert horticultural consultation and training to student and faculty researchers.

The Department of Botany, within the College of Letters and Science, provides an exciting research, teaching, and service environment with broad expertise ranging from the cell, organism, and species levels to the dynamics of plant communities and ecosystems. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is ranked among the top research universities in the nation and Madison is the state capital with a large base for educational research and government activities as well as university-industry interactions. The progressive and vibrant City of Madison, with its outstanding intellectual, cultural and year-round recreational activities, consistently ranks as having among the highest quality of life in the country.


Responsibilities:
Guides and directs the day-to-day activities of employees assigned to plant, cultivate, and harvest greenery in a greenhouse environment to ensure the greenhouse is well sustained.

  • 30% Schedules greenhouse operational work plans and assigns duties to staff
  • 15% Maintains the health of existing plants and landscape using a variety of vehicles and equipment
  • 10% Assists with the selection, installation, maintenance, and propagation of new plantings and designs
  • 5% Assists with lawn construction and landscaping projects including soil grading, seeding, and sodding
  • 25% Identifies and acts to remedy plant diseases and insect damage
  • 10% Provides horticultural guidance to undergraduate and graduate researchers
  • 5% Interacts with greenhouse and garden visitors to answer botanical and horticultural questions as well as assist with locating plants. Assists in providing educational tours.


Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion


Education:

Required
Bachelor's Degree
Horticulture, Botany, or related field


Qualifications:

Required Qualifications:
- 2 years minimum experience in horticultural care of diverse plant groups in a greenhouse and garden setting
- 2 years minimum experience planning and scheduling plant production
- 2 years minimum experience leading employees and volunteers
- 2 years minimum experience coordinating and implementing an Integrated Pest Management program
- 2 years minimum experience growing research plants in a greenhouse environment
- Wisconsin State Pesticide Applicator Certification (or ability to acquire within 6 months of the start of employment)
- Willing to work evenings (up to once per week for pesticide application) and occasional weekends and holidays

Preferred Qualifications:
- 2 years minimum experience working directly with faculty, instructors and students in a higher education setting
- 2 years minimum experience guiding and directing college student employees and volunteers


Work Schedule:

The typical schedule will be 8 hours per day, 5 days per week (M-F). Some variation may be necessary to accommodate greenhouse activities (e.g., after hours pesticide application once per week) as well as occasional weekends and holidays.


Work Type:

Full Time: 100%

It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.


Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable


Salary:

Minimum $23.13 HOURLY
Depending on Qualifications
The typical starting salary for this position is $23.13 - $28.85 per hour ($48,107 - $60,000 annually) depending on qualifications and experience. Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays and paid time off; competitive insurance and saving accounts; and retirement benefits.


How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Now" button to start the application process.

Applications must be submitted by 11:55 pm on the deadline date. To apply, please upload a cover letter and resume. Your cover letter and resume should address how your skills, knowledge, and abilities are transferrable to this role. Additional materials submitted other than your cover letter and resume will not be considered.

Selected applicants will receive an invitation to participate in interviews in late May. Once final applicants are identified, they will be asked to provide names and contact information for at least three professional references, including a current or former supervisor.

For questions on the position, contact: Julie Olson at jkolson2@wisc.edu


Contact:

Gabe Skiff
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.


Official Title:

Greenhouse Supervisor(FP004)


Department(s):

A48-COL OF LETTERS & SCIENCE/BOTANY/BOTANY


Employment Class:

University Staff-Ongoing


Job Number:

314091-CP


The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, click here

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Division Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.
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