Work Location: LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, Baton Rouge, LA

Position Description: The LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens is seeking a Senior Landscape Manager to be a key team member in the gardens. This position is hands-on, working in the gardens alongside staff and students to maintain the gardens to the highest horticultural standards. This position oversees an assistant landscape manager, student interns and landscape contractors. The successful candidate in this role will be an experienced landscape horticulturist in outdoor botanical displays, and with the knowledge and ability to serve as a role model in best horticultural practices. The candidate should be adept at using best management practices for the planting and maintenance of landscape beds and lawns of all specialty gardens and historic Windrush Gardens. The ability to conduct simple design and installation of seasonal color beds is extremely important. This position will also work closely with the Event Coordinator to ensure that garden spaces are maintained for an exceptional guest experience. This position reports to the Director of the Botanic Gardens.

Landscape Tasks

• Maintains the plant collections by performing timely planting, weeding, herbicide application, mulching, pruning, fertilizing, irrigating, leaf raking, and other plant cultural practices with minimal supervision in order to maintain aesthetics and provide proper horticultural care.
• Maintains specialty garden areas consisting of the Children’s Garden, Pollinator Garden, Herb Garden, Tropical Garden, Rose Garden and event gardens.
• Demonstrates familiarity with the identification and maintenance of a broad range of trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous perennials, annuals, and turf grass; has the basic knowledge to provide proper horticultural care in a timely and efficient manner.
• Demonstrates ability to decide a course of action relative to soils and fertilization. Is up to date on accepted practices relative to soil care, pruning and planting in order to implement best management practices.
• Demonstrates familiarity with the common diseases, insects, weeds, and cultural problems of landscapes and turf in the mid-South region to make proper decisions for disease and insect control and overall plant health.
• Maintains Louisiana pesticide applicator certification for ornamentals and turf to legally and safely apply pesticides or organic control materials.
• Assists with special function set-up and tear-down to prepare the facilities in a timely manner for public events.
• With proper training, safely and proficiently uses grounds power equipment consisting of tractor, loader, trucks, lawn mower, string trimmer, turf aerator, pesticide sprayers and pruners.
• Demonstrate ability to install and maintain irrigation systems.
• Accessioning of plant collections using GIS mapping and software.

Skills and Abilities

• Builds successful working relationships with coworkers and supervisors. Projects a positive image of the landscape services department. Communicates readily and works effectively as a member of a team.
• Works successfully with coworkers, interns, students, and volunteers to accomplish the workload of the department efficiently and effectively.
• Adapts to new work situations, people, ideas, procedures, and organizational structures, in order to be successful in a constantly changing work environment.
• Exhibits maturity, reliability, composure, and stability under pressure to handle on-the-job stresses and challenges.
• Understands and abides by a high standard of professional ethics to ensure the integrity of the organization.

Qualification Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree and one to two years of gardening/horticulture experience.
• Ability to work occasional scheduled weekends.
• Physical dexterity to perform the job and ability to work outside year-round are necessary.
• Ability to frequently lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds and possess the physical strength to perform groundskeeping/gardening operations.

Salary and Benefits: Salary will be commensurate with education and experience. The LSU AgCenter has an attractive benefits package with a wide variety of benefit options. Current benefits offered include retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc.), Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some child care and medical expenses), university holidays (14 per year, typically includes a week off at Christmas), generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System. Specific benefits depend on job category, percent effort and length of employment.

Date Available: Upon completion of the selection process.

Application Deadline: December 13, 2023 or until a suitable candidate is identified.

Application Procedure: Apply online at LSU AgCenter Careers or through Workday for internal applicants) by attaching cover letter with resume, official university transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. Paper, faxed or e-mailed application materials will not be accepted, except that in lieu of attaching the reference letters online, they may be sent directly to:

Jeff Kuehny
Director
Botanic Gardens
4560 Essen Lane
Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Telephone: 225-763-3990
Fax: 225-763-3993
Email: jkuehny@agcenter.lsu.edu
Web site: AgCenter website

The LSU Agricultural Center is a statewide campus of the LSU System and provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer