Job Posting Title:

Director of Gardens and Collections

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Hiring Department:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

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Position Open To:

All Applicants

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Weekly Scheduled Hours:

40

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FLSA Status:

Exempt

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Earliest Start Date:

Sep 01, 2025

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Position Duration:

Expected to Continue

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Location:

JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER

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Job Details:

General Notes  

The University of Texas at Austin Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to inspiring the conservation of native plants through its public botanic garden and its education, research and outreach programs. Founded in 1982, the Wildflower Center is the state botanic garden, a community gem, and a national leader in the field of native plant education, sustainable landscapes, landscape restoration and research. It is home to the largest living collection of Texas native plants in the state, welcomes over 275,000 visitors annually, has 16,000 member households and reaches more than 2 million people annually through its native plant database. The Center is focused on improving landscapes, promoting biodiversity, and connecting people with nature.  

The Wildflower Center believes that the “environment is where we all meet,” as Lady Bird Johnson once wisely said. We are a community of people that care for each other, our land and our broader community.   

Benefits-eligible Wildflower Center staff members enjoy the robust health, paid time off, and retirement benefits of University of Texas at Austin employees. Wildflower Center staff get free parking, a free annual membership, discounts on Center classes and purchases made at the Shop & Gallery and the Wildflower Café, and access to featured events. An inspiring and beautiful work environment with outstanding coworkers awaits you.  

Purpose

The University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is one of the nation’s most important conservation gardens with a rich history and commitment to sustainability, native plants, and public education. We seek a Director of Gardens and Collections to honor the past and shape the future of the Center’s garden experiences, native plant horticulture and living collections  and foster continued leadership and increased innovation in these areas.

The Gardens and Collections Director will lead a talented team to create and foster inspiring gardens  that feature the Wildflower Center’s significant Texas native plant collections in formal and naturalistic gardens, as well as manage irrigation, greenhouses, growing facilities, water features, paths, and other elements of 9+ acres of cultivated gardens. The ideal candidate will bring their expertise in planting and garden design, ecological horticulture, collections management, resource conservation, and leadership to the Center.

Experience with native plants – particularly those of the prairie states and southwestern U.S. – is highly desirable, but the capacity to quickly build expertise with Texas plants and horticultural techniques will also be a key factor for success.  

The Wildflower Center is committed to sharing knowledge with the public about gardening with native plants, and the gardens director plays a key role in the educational process through presentations, tours, and media outreach.

This position works very closely with the Science and Conservation and Lands and Operations teams, and because the gardens and collections are core to our mission, cross-disciplinary collaboration across all teams is critical.

This is an exciting time to join the Wildflower Center as we prepare to implement a master plan built around creating inspiring new garden spaces and re-envisioning existing gardens with novel designs. We are looking for a creative, conservation-minded leader with a bold vision and demonstrated ability to manage complex projects to achieve beautiful, innovative, and resilient landscape.

Responsibilities

Provides vision for planting designs and expert guidance to team members in the design and maintenance of the gardens.

Oversees living botanical collections, including processes involved in accessioning, record keeping, and plant acquisition, with the broad goal of creating and maintaining a unique and valuable collection of native Texas flora. Oversees management of nursery operations responsible for cultivating native plants for gardens, arboretum, natural areas and conservation collections.

Plans, budgets, and manages projects for gardens and living collections.

Leads, develops and supports a dynamic team of staff, serving as mentor and building the next generation of conservation gardeners through professional development and hands-on training.

Represents the Wildflower Center and its mission to a variety of audiences, including donors, and participates in the national conversation related to native plants and horticulture.

Collaborates with the Center’s leadership team to forward its goals to enhance the garden experience, expand its reach, grow its plant conservation efforts, and lead in resource conservation.

Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications5+ years of garden leadership and team management experienceBachelor’s degree in horticulture, ecology, landscape architecture or related fieldDemonstrated creative vision for garden and landscape designDemonstrated use of ecological horticulture techniques as they relate to soil and water conservation, resource consumption and reduction, integrated pest management (IPM), supporting biodiversity, and adaptive managementExperience managing nursery operationsFamiliarity with key concepts and processes related to building and maintaining plant collections, rare plants and conservation horticultureDemonstrated experience creating unique and compelling garden displays and innovating in challenging environmental conditionsSkilled communicator with experience writing, being on camera, teaching classes, and making engaging presentations to the public

Preferred Qualifications

Deep knowledge of and experience working with plants native to the U.S.

Vision and creative drive

Demonstrated experience working across teams to achieve common goals

Passion for and experience teaching and sharing information with a variety of audiences

Experience with experimental gardens and introducing plants into the nursery trade

Driving Required 

This job requires a class “C” operator’s driver’s license. The applicant selected must provide a current three-year driving record from the current state of residence. If not currently a Texas resident, a Texas driver’s license must be obtained within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident. Employees who are required to have a CDL are subject to drug and alcohol testing (pre-employment, post-accident, reasonable suspicion, random, return-to-duty, and follow-up drug and alcohol testing). 

Salary Range

$85,000 + depending on qualifications

Working Conditions 

May work around standard office conditions.

Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation.

Will work outside in all kinds of weather, including extreme temperatures.

May require heavy lifting.

Work Shift 

Monday through Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm

An occasional evening or weekend day may be required for mission-related events.

Occasional travel may be required. 

Required Materials 

Resume/CV

3 work references with their contact information including email address; at least one reference should be from a supervisor. 

Letter of interest 

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. 

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above. 

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Employment Eligibility:

Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval.

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length.

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form.  You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States.  Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment.  Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

E-Verify Poster (English) [PDF]E-Verify Poster (Spanish) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (English) [PDF]Right To Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.