Garden Overview

Mission

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden’s mission is connecting people to plants by inspiring communities to explore and conserve nature.

Vision

We are a Virginia garden of international significance leading in horticultural and educational excellence. We cultivate experiences that enhance each person’s relationship with the natural world.

Values

Responsibility, Innovation, Integrity, Hospitality and Inspiration

Founded in 1984, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a nonprofit garden located in Richmond, Virginia’s Lakeside neighborhood. The Garden encompasses 82 acres, four lakes, 5,500 unique taxa of plants within 15 distinct outdoor gardens, 11 major buildings including a conservatory and greenhouse, plus an 80-acre branch site, the Lewis Ginter Nature Reserve. Annually, Lewis Ginter engages over 17,000 students in innovative and exciting educational programs. This cadre of identified learners is just a fraction of the more than 400,000 annual visitors to the Garden. In recent years, the Garden has been honored with inclusion in several top ten lists for botanical gardens in North America.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, or national origin in the hiring, retention, or promotion of employees. We support the diversity and inclusion policy adopted by The American Public Gardens Association: to create an equitable, diverse and inclusive culture where the contributions of all community members are valued, respected, and appreciated.

Job Description

The Adult Learning Coordinator supports the production and implementation of an innovative year-round schedule of programs, including in-person and virtual classes, workshops, certificate programs, and symposia. They provide excellent customer service while facilitating registration and external communication. This role leads marketing efforts for Adult Learning; creating materials, generating email communication, and liaising with the Marketing team. Detail-oriented, this position maintains a high level of accuracy in multiple software systems.

We are committed to elevating diverse backgrounds and experiences that are not well represented on our team. We value the opportunity to work with individuals from different cultures and understand that like diverse ecosystems, diverse workplaces are needed for success. We encourage candidates from underrepresented identities and experiences to apply.

Responsibilities

Coordinates and executes implementation of the year-round calendar of Adult Learning programs, including on-site and off-site programs as well as virtual offerings:

• Supports planning and logistics using multiple software systems including Tessitura, TNew and WordPress, WordFly and Momentus Elite.
• Responsible for maintaining supplies inventory, ordering materials, processing purchase orders, and tracking expenses.
• Creates directional signage, runs class rosters, ensures correct room setup, and troubleshoots issues.
• Liaises with Facility Events/Operations/Catering teams to communicate class support needs.
• Generates reports on Adult Learning attendance numbers and other data, as requested.
• Administers the certificate programs, including new student enrollments, attendance tracking, and correspondence with certificate students; oversees volunteer support for data entry.

Collaborates with the Marketing and Advancement teams to promote Adult Learning initiatives:

• Develops marketing materials in Canva to promote Adult Learning initiatives, including seasonal course catalogs and certificate program materials.
• Supports list maintenance and the creation of bi-weekly e-newsletters to the Adult Learning marketing list.
• Creates monthly social media content.

Facilitates communication with students, instructors, and allied plant organizations:

• Facilitates pre- and post-class communication with instructors and students, including the creation and disbursement of class surveys.
• Responsible for registration and student communication including monitoring of the Registrar email account and Contact Us inquiries.
• Processes student refunds, transfers, credits to account, and batch refunds in Tessitura.
• Develops contractual instructor agreements.
• Develops and executes the memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with allied plant organizations to coordinate calendar dates, facility rentals, and logistical plans for meetings.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong interpersonal, written, analytical and verbal communication skills are required; communicates effectively with diverse ages, backgrounds and all abilities.
• Personable, diplomatic, adaptable, and solution-oriented.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Technical proficiency with computers, databases, Microsoft software programs, and social media platforms; comfort with learning new systems and digital tools.
• Ability to productively switch between multiple tasks/types of work within a single day.
• Ability to handle day-to-day operations while also planning months ahead.
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment.
• Must be willing and able to work a Tuesday-Saturday schedule plus occasional evenings and holidays.

Each employee of Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

• Must comply with provisions of the current Employee Handbook, all published personnel policies and the requirements of their individual job descriptions.
• Must conduct herself or himself and perform all duties in a manner consistent with a public garden serving multigenerational and multicultural individuals and families, and in accordance with directed practices and procedures.
• Must be aware of surroundings and vigilant to threats to the safety of visitors, volunteers, and staff or to the security of their property, ensuring that all concerns are reported promptly.
• Must report all mishaps, injuries, and incidents immediately and ultimately in writing to supervisor(s) and to Human Resources.
• Must ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations.
• Must perform other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Physical Demands / Working Conditions

• Able to move between working at a computer for extended period of time to moving between classroom and event spaces in the 80 acre Garden property.
• Able to lift 15-20 pounds as needed.
• The position requires familiarity with all public areas of the 82-acre Garden property.
• Note: Duties described above, other duties and physical demands have been identified as essential functions as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in field relevant to the role; comparable professional experience will be considered.
• Prior experience in a customer service role.
• Prior database experience with Tessitura, TNew, WordFly and WordPress preferred.
• Prior experience in a botanical garden, museum, or cultural institution is preferred.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to hr@lewisginter.org.