Beltline Arboretum Senior Lead (Horticulturist)

Atlanta Beltline Arboretum Senior Lead (Horticulturist)

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Employment Classification: Non-exempt
Reports To: Beltline Arboretum Manager
Apply by: January 31, 2025
Anticipated Start Date: February 2025
Salary: Starting at $18.50/hour
Benefits: Offered after probationary period (Paid Time Off - PTO, Medical/Dental/Vision w/ monthly company contribution, paid holidays - including your birthday, 403(b) immediate eligibility with company match after 1 year, sponsorship for ISA Arborist exam)

Trees Atlanta is a nationally recognized non-profit community group dedicated to protecting and improving Atlanta’s urban forest by planting, conserving, and educating. Founded in 1985, Trees Atlanta works tirelessly to address Atlanta’s tree loss, protect its forests, and create new greenspace. Empowered by its wonderful community of volunteers, Trees Atlanta serves the metro Atlanta area, and has grown to become one of Atlanta’s most widely known and supported non-profit organizations.

The Atlanta Beltline is a sustainable redevelopment project connecting a network of public parks, multi-use trails, and light-rail transit along a main paved trail artery that reuses a historic 22-mile railroad corridor. The system circles downtown Atlanta and connects 45 neighborhoods directly to each other, which successfully incentivizes pedestrian movement over vehicles as Atlantans live, work, and play. With over 2 million trail users a year, the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum is an unprecedented opportunity to educate the public about ecological restoration, utilizing native plants, and how urban ecology can reconnect fragmented communities. The Arboretum serves as a component of Atlanta’s urban forest and acts as an ecological corridor and learning landscape providing a place for education, community science, and scientific research.

You will have the opportunity to:

• Work with other like-minded individuals in an environmental non-profit setting
• Work on one of the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment programs in the United States
• Lead groups of volunteers (including large sponsored group projects) on weekday and weekend maintenance projects (1-2 weekend projects a month expected) in the Arboretum
• Implement detailed maintenance and planting plans in designated, cultivated spaces of the Atlanta Beltline Arboretum (pocket parks along the trail such as stumpery garden, longleaf pine savanna, and bog, butterfly garden, etc.), as directed by Beltline Arboretum Manager
• Assist in leading educational efforts in the Arboretum, as requested by Trees Atlanta’s education program through youth service-learning trips
• Liaise with the public as a responsible ambassador to communicate Trees Atlanta’s mission
• Drive Trees Atlanta vehicles including trucks, trailers, and gators; and use a variety of hand and power tools including but not limited to, pruning saws, shovels, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers, and string trimmers
• Perform other duties as requested

What you’ll need:

• At least 1-2 years of related horticulture experience
• Interest and passion for trees, native plants, and urban ecology
• Demonstrated volunteer coordination experience
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, a positive attitude, public speaking ability, and the desire to work with diverse communities and individuals
• Excellent organizational skills, drive, and attention to detail, with proven ability to work independently and with a team

Physical Requirements:

• Scheduled work week Tuesday - Monday (this position requires Saturday work each month)
• At least 21 years old with a 3-year clear driving history (required to drive company vehicles)
• Ability to conduct repetitive, moderate to strenuous physical activity in the field and lift up to 50 pounds
• Willing and able to work outdoors in all weather conditions at all times of year. The majority of work for this position is performed outside

To Apply

Please submit an employment application at treesatlanta.org/careers. Applicants must upload a resume and questionnaire responses to complete and submit the application.

Background Verification Disclaimer

• All final candidates will be required to pass both a criminal background check and drug screening; adverse results could impact hiring (Trees Atlanta is a participant in the Federal Drug-Free Workplace program ).
• Final candidates applying for positions that require driving company-owned vehicles will also have to pass a Motor Vehicle Report review to determine eligibility. Eligible drivers must also pass a DOT physical.
• All new hires will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States of America. Trees Atlanta complies with regulations set by the Department of Homeland Security. Trees Atlanta is a registered E-Verify employer.

Salary : $19