Museum Interpreter - Horticulture/Ornamental Gardens

Old Sturbridge Village (OSV) is seeking a full-time interpreter to join our horticulture team! As a living history site dedicated to 19th century rural New England, gardens and their produce provide an invaluable tool to engage and educate our guests. This position will manage the daily operation of the program, plants, and exhibits related to ornamental gardening at the museum.

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Public Programming, this position will serve as a frontline costumed educator and manager, mentoring staff, volunteers, interns, and fellows regarding the horticulture programs.

Old Sturbridge Village is committed to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. We are passionate about developing and maintaining an inclusive, equitable and accessible working and learning environment for all visitors, staff and OSV community members. We believe every member on our team enriches our diversity by exposing us to different ways of understanding and engaging the world around us.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities of a Horticultural Interpreter

Include the following but are not limited to:

• Provide support to Coordinator for the day-to-day operation and overall maintenance of the village’s ornamental gardens: Towne, Fitch, and household dooryard gardens. Duties includes a wide variety of gardening tasks such as planting, managing pests, watering gardens, removing weeds, harvesting, and over-wintering tender plants. This includes communicating garden needs to other gardens staff, volunteers, and interns. This position will also manage and assist with garden planning, seed saving, and other horticultural tasks in all museums gardens throughout the year as assigned by the manager.
• Assist manager in the mentoring of staff, volunteers, and junior & college interns by providing content training, hand-skills development, and act as a main point of contact for questions or issues pertaining to the museum gardens.
• In collaboration with the Educational Department plan and deliver educational programing for Old Sturbridge Academy, Discovery Adventures, Home School groups and Scout groups.
• Make connections between Village gardens and the interpretative mission of the museum. Work closely with household staff to support this relationship, the use of plant material in household demonstrations, and interpretation of each space. This includes working with household & performance staff to maintain the aesthetic of the Towne Garden Space.
• Develop engaging educational programs to suit a wide variety of visitors. Work with colleagues (staff, volunteer, interns, and fellows) in the development, training, implementation and review of programs and experiences that meet the diverse needs of OSV audiences.
• Be cross-trained to provide historical interpretation in one to two exhibits outside of horticulture based on museum need, skill, and interest. These areas could include a Household, a Farm or a Trade Shop. Work assignments vary upon season.
• Maintain safety, good order, and cleanliness of all workspace spaces, share responsibility with all staff for the clean and neat appearance of the entire museum.
• Understand, identify and appropriately respond to the multiple learning styles of a diverse audience that includes students, families, and other life-long learners. Actively engage these audiences using a range of interpretation techniques including hands-on, participation, tours, immersion, demonstration, recreation, orientation, role-playing, performance, lecture and other techniques.
• Work towards mastery of the information and skills necessary to teach specific aspects of the museum to visitors.
• Preserve the artifacts, reproductions, and buildings in the Village by caring for them properly.
• The full-time benefited position requires five days per week unrestricted availability with weekend & holiday work.
• Working evening programs such as Christmas by Candlelight, Phantoms by Firelight (Halloween) or other evening shifts as needed.
• Participate in special event programs and other special activities; work with Communications to promote all museum activities. Where appropriate, take a major role in special programs requiring specialized skills in teaching, facilitation, interpretation, or performance.
• Participate in various projects or tasks assigned by directors, and coordinators.
• Safeguard visitors and staff by being alert to foreseeable health and safety hazards.
• Understand and observe all Village policies.

Skills & Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Excellent face-to-face communication skills, with the ability to communicate ideas and information clearly both verbally and in written format.
• Ability to independently develop own work plan and priorities, using established procedures to assure timely completion of assigned work in conformance with departmental policies and practices; problems lacking clear precedent are reviewed with supervisor prior to taking action.
• Be honest, reliable, and demonstrate a passionate commitment to the interpretation/education field.
• Attention to detail, organization, quality of guest experience and customer service.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions and working in front of a fire in a kitchen.
• The employee may frequently be required to lift and/or move up to 30 pounds and occasionally lift and/or team lift up to 75 pounds.
• Strive to build and maintain productive and respectful relationships with all team members and guests.
• Must be a team player and flexible to assist in other divisions when the need arises.
• Effective problem solver – anticipating, preventing and managing issues as they arise.
• Must be an effective listener and be able to understand and clarify concerns and issues.
• Must be able to work varied shifts and hours including weekends, nights, early mornings and holidays.

Education and/or Experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• One to two years horticultural-related experience
• One year experience working with the public in a museum, educational institution or public garden
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of audiences

Individuals in this position are subject to a Criminal Conviction Record check upon hire and every other year thereafter.

Interested candidates should send their cover letter and resume to jobs@osv.org.

Old Sturbridge is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Old Sturbridge Village to provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or membership in the uniformed services.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: From $18.36 per hour

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Every weekend

Ability to Commute:

• Sturbridge, MA 01566 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $18