Nursery Specialist (3428) – Conservatory of Flowers - SF Recreation & Parks – (148107) - City and County of San Francisco

Application Open: June 18, 2024
Application Deadline: July 2, 2024
Compensation: $42.6125 - $51.8125/hour; $88,634 - $107,770/annually
Contact: Ian Talley at ian.talley@sfgov.org

Appointment Type: Permanent Civil Service Appointment. The appointee must participate and be successful in a Civil Service Examination process for this classification and be selected through an open competitive process in order to be considered for a permanent appointment.

Company Description
Amid a dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department stewards one of the premier urban park systems in America.  San Francisco recently became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park.  Considered by San Franciscans to be one of the City’s most popular and effective public agencies, our Department manages and maintains more than 225 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces in San Francisco, including two outside of city limits: Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. Our 4,100- acre system includes 25 recreation centers, 9 swimming pools, 5 golf courses and numerous athletic facilities, including sports courts, ball diamonds, soccer fields and gymnasiums. Included in the department’s responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the Palace of Fine Arts, and TPC Harding Park golf course.

More than 2,000 talented individuals are part of our team, from gardeners, foresters, and recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians, painters and more. Our core mission, as it has been throughout our history, is to provide opportunities for San Francisco residents and visitors alike to gather, play, learn, relax, and enjoy nature in the city.

About the Conservatory of Flowers
The Conservatory of Flowers is a historic landmark facility, located in Conservatory Valley in Golden Gate Park, that is dedicated to growing and displaying rare and unusual tropical plant collections (some 1,700 species). A Victorian confection of wood and glass, the Conservatory of Flowers, which opened in 1879, is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park and one of San Francisco’s most beloved landmarks. Learn more about the Conservatory of Flowers by clicking here.

Under supervision of the 3430 Chief Nursery Specialist, 0923 Manager II and ultimately the Deputy Director of Parks & Open Spaces, the Nursery Specialist is required to:

1. Install and maintain plant exhibits within a greenhouse and garden environment for public display and education.
2. Maintain tropical plant collections, horticultural exhibits of considerable value, exotic or rare species of plants, and flowering potted plants.
3. Implement pest control with Integrated Pest Management (IPM) principles which may require applying pesticides when necessary.
4. Fertilize plants; monitor and maintain proper ventilation, temperature, humidity and other factors affecting plant growth in a greenhouse; maintain clean and organized equipment and facilities.
5. Engage with the public, schools, and societies about the Conservatory and its plant collections.
6. Work closely with other botanical gardens, plant societies, and other institutions to increase collections and knowledge of  horticulture.
7. Keep detailed records about plants in the living inventory for incorporation into the plant records computer database; keep detailed plant propagation records; identify plants in the living collection; keep detailed plant culture and growth records; responsible for participating in plant inventories; maintain detailed records of plant propagation activities and production records; keep detailed IPM records.
8. Work weekends and holidays as assigned.

Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience in the propagation and culture of plants in a commercial or municipal nursery, greenhouse or conservatory

License and Certification:
Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license at the time of application; AND
Ability to maintain a current QAC (Qualified Applicator’s Certificate) or QAL (Qualified Applicator’s License) from the State of California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Incumbents who fail to obtain this certificate or license with a six (6) month time period from the date of appointment will be separated from employment.

Note: The above minimum qualifications are under review by the Civil Service Commission and may differ for subsequent job announcements posted for this classification.

Desirable Qualifications:

The stated desirable qualifications below may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring

• Demonstrated experience in the care and cultivation of tropical plants.
• Demonstrated experience in conservatory and glasshouse specific horticulture.
• Demonstrated experience with Integrated Pest Management including pest and disease monitoring and identification.
• Demonstrated experience with living collections development and planting designs to emphasize interpretive themes
• Demonstrated experience in management of greenhouse environment including climate monitoring, equipment monitoring and programming of control systems with platforms such as QCOM, MicroGrow, or similar platforms.
• Demonstrated experience with the design and development of aesthetic and educational plant displays.
• Experience with interpretation and guest engagement through tours, talks and supporting interpretive content development.
• Experience developing custom potting media and evaluating and managing plant nutritional needs.
• Experience with greenhouse safety requirements.
• Experience with data input and generating reports from plant record databases such as Iris-BG, BG-base or similar platforms.
• Experience in volunteer project planning and volunteer project management in a production nursery setting.
• Experience identifying and sourcing rare and unusual plant species, including communication and collaboration with other institutional collections and plant societies.

Verification of Education and Experience:
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications. 

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Procedure

Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire (Weight: 100%): Qualified candidates will be sent a Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire that must be completed by the set date. Candidates will be evaluated on their relative knowledge, skill and ability levels in job-related areas including, but not limited to, knowledge of: plant and ornamental horticulture; environmental control systems that affect growing conditions; basic integrated pest management practices, including monitoring pest and predator populations, changing cultural conditions, and applying pesticides as appropriate; and ability to: design horticultural displays and interior plant installations; identify a wide range of common horticulture plants of the San Francisco Bay Area region; and lead groups of employees and volunteers engaged in horticulture activities sufficient.

A passing score must be achieved on the Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. Candidate responses on the Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire cannot be changed once submitted. Candidates will be placed in rank order according to their final score on the Behavioral Consistency Questionnaire. 

Eligible List Duration: The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of twelve (12) months, and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/ASO-Level-Chart.pdf?documentID=21246. 

Certification Rule: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of 3 scores. Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Exam Type: Combined Promotive and Entrance

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams[required for Combined, Promotive, Entrance (CPE) Exams only]
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Race and Social Equity Statement
We believe that parks and open space in San Francisco provides the opportunity to model equitable access for all.  With this belief, San Francisco became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. The Recreation and Park Department’s goal is to close the gaps and improve equity and access to quality parks and open space, and recreation activities for historically marginalized communities.  

We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in its internal operations.  With a multi-disciplinary team of talented individuals - gardeners, recreation leaders, park rangers, custodians, craft shop personnel, park and recreation managers and more, the department is committed to doing its part to provide equitable access to parks and programs for all the communities we serve to enjoy, as well as foster a work environment where our differences are celebrated, and everyone has what they need to thrive regardless of their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@careers.sf.gov that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.