Nursery Operations Specialist

Administrative Horticulturist - 1007C

The Division of Environment and Planning aims to protect, restore, and expand New York City's green spaces and natural areas to maximize their benefits for environmental and community health and resilience. The Natural Resources Group within Environment and Planning manages over 1,000 acres of natural areas across the five boroughs, including forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and has secured tens of millions of dollars in grants from state, federal and private sources over the past decades to fund the restoration and management across these ecosystems. The Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECaN) produces native plant material that supports restoration, conservation, and urban forestry efforts by producing regionally appropriate plant material and seed for projects across NYC.

Major Responsibilities:

• Under supervision of the Deputy Director, with latitude for independent initiative and judgment, coordinate daily operations of PECaN's plant production, conservation, and engagement programs.
• Perform responsible administrative, operational, and program coordination work to help the nursery operate efficiently and collaborate across multiple teams and projects.
• Supervise seasonal staff, workforce program participants, and interns in the planning and execution of horticultural work in the nursery environment.
• Work collaboratively across these and other groups on nursery or field activities including plant handling, staging, inventory checks, and other program support tasks.
• Perform scheduling, project tracking, purchasing coordination, logistics, and general office organization tasks across PECaN's technical programs, in support of other management staff.
• Develop and maintain internal documentation, reports, and operational tools to support project management, program tracking, and office workflows.
• Identify opportunities to improve these operational systems and help implement solutions that improve efficiency and program effectiveness.
• Support planning and coordination of plant and seed distribution activities, including assisting with plant order coordination and communicating availability of plant material to internal and external partners.
• Serve as liaison with other divisions of Parks, including Human Resources and ITT. Assist with staff scheduling, attendance, timekeeping, training tracking, onboarding and maintaining personnel documentation.
• Support grant development, reporting, and fundraising efforts by preparing grant applications, supporting documentation, and project budgets. Coordinate funder and donor communications and track funding opportunities and project deliverables.
• Coordinate meetings, workshops, volunteer events, and site visits related to PECaN's horticultural programs. Support the nursery's external communications including formatting program materials, preparing presentations and informational handouts, and assisting with press, social media, and outreach content.
• Work collaboratively with staff, interns, volunteers, and partner organizations.

Work Location: Plant Ecology Center and Nursery, Staten Island

Minimum Qualifications:

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with major study in horticulture, arboriculture, or landscape architecture and four years of full-time, paid experience in horticultural work of which two (2) years must have been in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive capacity; or
• A satisfactory equivalent. However, all candidates must have at least a high school diploma or evidence of having passed an examination for a high school equivalency diploma and one year of supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive experience as described above.

Preferred Skills:

• Preference will be given to applicants who are permanent Administrative Horticulturist or applicants who take and pass the Administrative Horticulturist Civil Service Examination (Exam No. 6005). The filing period began April 1, 2026 and ends on April 21, 2026. For details, visit www.nyc.gov/dcas and click on "Exam Schedules".
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and timelines.
• Experience supporting program operations, personnel coordination or project management in a complex team environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing reports, outreach materials or presentations.
• Experience with spreadsheets, data tracking systems or developing tools to manage workflows and program information.
• Experience supporting grant writing, fundraising or partnership development.
• Interest or experience in environmental programs, horticulture, conservation, urban forestry or related fields.

This position is also open to qualified persons with a disability who are eligible for the 55-a Program. Please indicate at the top of your resume and cover letter that you would like to be considered for the position through the 55-a Program.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education's website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement Residency in New York City, Nassau, Orange, Rockland, Suffolk, Putnam or Westchester counties required for employees with over two years of city service. New York City residency required within 90 days of hiring for all other candidates.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.