Director, Landscape Management and Training, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Posted by on February 04, 2013

Director, Landscape Management and Training, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
Posted on: January 17, 2013

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY:
Inspire * Transform * Build * Sustain

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has been a visionary non-profit organization headquartered in Philadelphia since its founding in 1827 whose mission is to motivate people to improve the quality of life and create a sense of community through horticulture. Among its many programs, PHS annually produces the PHS International Flower Show, the world’s largest and longest-running indoor flower show, attracting over 270,000 visitors and having more than a $61 million economic impact for the region. It also manages the acclaimed City Harvest program, which has donated more than 200,000 pounds of fresh produce since 2006 to 1,000 families each week of the growing season. PHS created the widely acclaimed Tree Tender and Garden Tender programs, enlisting a combined force of 6,000 people who have planted over 20,000 trees and established hundreds of gardens in the past two decades. PHS also leads the Plant One Million initiative, an ambitious program to plant a million trees in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. PHS’s design and care of iconic landscapes like the Azalea Garden, grounds of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rodin Museum, as well as Columbus Boulevard and Logan Square has gained it national recognition for horticultural design, care and sustainable practices.

POSITION SUMMARY:

To create, manage, and grow a resilient service based landscape management department that connects the PHS Roots to Re-entry Job Training Program, PHS workforce development, organic land care practices through progressive horticulture, and volunteer engagement. This position will aid in the creation of an operations team that will assist PHS and communities with horticultural techniques and maintenance while developing a pipeline of strategic leading landscapes for development as public green space.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

PHS Landscape Management

• Develop Philadelphia’s public landscapes to reflect cutting edge designs that inspire others to push the design and horticultural envelope
• Create vibrant seasonal interest and meticulous maintenance standards that showcase the horticultural excellence of PHS
• In coordination with the design team, develop a unifying themed plant palette to demonstrate the impact of innovatively designed civic spaces
• Maintain and create long term beneficial relationships with landowners across Philadelphia and its suburbs to grow the fee for service landscape business
• Expand and improve the PHS Organic Land Care best practices to continue our leadership to the trade and public
• Develop and grow a contingent of qualified contractors and vendors to support the innovation around landscape management practices.

PHS Roots to Re-Entry Workforce Development

• Continue to develop the Reentry to Workforce Partnership needed to effectively move individuals in need to meaningful green collar careers.
• Expand the number of program participants to offer a boon of qualified applicants to PHS and the industry
• Develop training modules based on specific employer and industry needs creating a direct link and conduit for entry level employment
• Strategic Planning around reducing recidivism through social development
• Develop and maintain partnerships around funding, program support services, and related industries.
• Create a buzz around successes in reentry initiatives making PHS a national model that can be replicated in other cities
• Create a pipeline to place a skilled workforce within the landscape and horticulture industries.
• Develop a strategic partnership with the PLNA and other nursery associations for employment and training opportunities
• Assist in the development of a PHS certification program around horticulture and landscape skills that is recognized by the industry
• Create opportunities for industry support and recognition around reentry success

PHS Social Enterprise

• Create a business plan around incubating social enterprise opportunities within PHS programs as a way to create revenue generators with funding options
• Address social needs through services and employment of individuals from disconnected communities by expanding city wide partnerships offering those services

Volunteer Engagement

• Create opportunities to engage and empower volunteers to clean, green, and beautify the communities we operate in as a revenue generator and sponsor benefit.
• Establish a mechanism for managing volunteers in the field around specific projects
• Create a mechanism for finding and executing “Random Acts of Greenness,” in our communities using volunteers and community partners

Organizational Duties

• Assist in the operational needs of all PHS business lines with a foundation in service excellence
• Assist in all other duties as assigned

http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ZjP6h6HF2ZMD/