Mt. Cuba Center is seeking highly qualified instructors to teach classes at our botanical garden in Hockessin, DE. Classes can fall under one or more of the following categories: gardening, horticulture, landscape design, plant conservation, art, or wellness. Instructors with expertise in one of these specific fields and who teach with an ecological perspective are invited to apply online. These are contract positions.

The Seasonal Grounds Maintenance Assistant support the Grounds Team in the overall maintenance of Mt. Cuba Center’s landscape, including woody and herbaceous plantings, lawns, woods, garden features, paths and roadways.

What You’ll Do:

•  Assist in maintaining the health and look of turf through mowing, fertilizing, watering, weed-eating, aerating, and applying compost and compost tea
•  Assist in maintaining woody and herbaceous plantings through planting, weeding, pruning, mulching, and other horticultural activities
•  Assist in maintaining roads, pathways, and parking areas through surface maintenance, renovations, and leaf, debris, and snow removal
•  Support the Horticulture Department teams by assisting with the maintenance of trees, shrubs, and plants through pruning, planting, transplanting, fertilizing, watering, and weeding
•  Assist the Grounds team in making regular repairs to maintain the fences, walls, garden furniture, drains, catch-basins, bridges, curbing, patios, terraces, courtyards, and other hardscape features
•  Perform regular repair and servicing activities to maintain the good condition of tools and equipment

Qualifications:

• Ability to safely and effectively operate and maintain a wide range of hand tools, power tools, vehicles and small and large engine equipment
• Ability and willingness to work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
• Ability to learn and adapt to various software and technology programs to complete work duties
• Self-motivated, organized, attentive to details, and the ability to manage time and effectively function without close supervision
•  Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends, holidays and special events as needed

Physical Requirements:

•  Requires strenuous physical work; Frequent standing, bending, twisting, stooping, climbing, lifting, pushing, or pulling of objects over 50 pounds.

Please note this is a part time, seasonal position working under 1,000 hours between the months of March and December.

Having trouble applying? Please email careers@mtcubacenter.org for help.

Internships are Mt. Cuba Center’s greatest investment in the future. Our goal is to inspire students who have an appreciation for the beauty and value of native plants and a desire to protect the environments that sustain them to become future public garden leaders.

We offer two types of internship programs:

Our Summer Intern program runs for 12 weeks and is designed for individuals who have completed at least their junior year of college in programs in natural resources, horticulture or plant sciences.

A One Year Intern program for college graduates with a degree in horticulture, forestry, ecology, environmental studies, associated plant fields, or museum studies to become Botanical Gardening Professionals.

The Manager of Horticultural Research is responsible for the planning and implementation of horticultural research programs relating to plant evaluation and introductions. This position oversees the Trial Garden at Mt. Cuba Center and writes publications based on Trial Garden results. This position is a key industry influencer and works to develop and maintain cooperative relationships with the nursery industry and other research professionals.

Essential Functions:

Manage Horticultural Research Programs

• Oversee trial gardens programs and research nursery area and manage resources to complete projects (inclusive of purchasing, resource acquisition, and budgetary planning)
• Collaborate with multiple departments to oversee the acquisition, production, accessioning, labeling, and record keeping of research plant
• Support the Living Collections Policy by maintaining accurate records about plants under research and observation; Make recommendations to curator and horticulture staff regarding evaluated plants that should be permanently added to the living collections
• Design and execute research programs focused on the horticultural and ecological value of plants of the Eastern U.S., from cultivated and wild-collected origin; Conduct plant evaluation, selection, and introduction activities in support of research programs; Assist external research partners in their research at Mt. Cuba Center

Act as Industry Influencer 

• Create publications targeted for the gardening, nursery and scientific communities; Write articles in professional journals, trade publications, and non-technical publications; Produce research reports, web content, etc. as appropriate to report on Mt. Cuba Center activities and horticultural research
• Manage and execute the introduction of new cultivars with the horticulture industry; Maintain professional relationships with nurseries and manage plant trial agreements to effectively bring new cultivars to market.
• Grow Mt. Cuba Center’s presence in the horticulture and nursery industry through outreach presentations and workshops;Represent MCC in professional organizations and at professional and community meetings and events

Lead Guest and Organizational Programs related to Horticultural Research

• Provide knowledge and guidance to support guest and organizational initiatives related to profession
• Lead, guide, and train employees, interns, and/or volunteers performing related work

Staff Leadership

•  Recruit, lead, motivate and develop employees who can successfully collaborate with all internal and external constituencies to help achieve the core objectives, inclusive of making all personnel action decisions

Program & Project Administration

• Lead the planning and execution of department initiatives and budget in alignment with Mt. Cuba Center’s mission and goals, including effective policy and procedural development
• Work cooperatively with the management team on adopting and implementing organization-wide systems, and help guide and execute the strategic goals of the institution to support Mt. Cuba Center’s mission

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture, botany, or a related plant science degree program and 5 years’ experience in horticulture is required
• Exceptional verbal, presentation and public speaking communication skills
• Proficient in horticultural evaluation and research principles
• Exceptional writing skills in a variety of mediums, including formal research writing and reporting, trade publication writing, website copy, and journalist writing
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and ability to learn and adapt to various software and technology programs to complete work duties
• Demonstrated ability in organizing, managing and motivating others
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong professional relationships and persuasively communicate with Mt. Cuba Center staff and the public
• Self-motivated, organized, attentive to details, and the ability to manage time and effectively function without close supervision
• Ability and willingness to work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends, holidays and special events as needed
•  Requires moderate physical work; Frequent standing, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, reaching, carrying, lifting, pushing, or pulling of objects up to 30 pounds

Having trouble applying? Please email careers@mtcubacenter.org for help.