Campus Pride Jobs

The St. George Village Botanical Garden is seeking an Arborist who will be an important member of the horticulture team, with a focus on tree care and arboretum establishment. Under the overall guidance of the Director of Horticulture, the Arborist will use sound arboriculture principles to plant, establish, train, and prune trees, and will work closely with the Garden staff team for general work coordination and daily assignments. The ideal candidate is an energetic horticulturist/forester with both academic and hands-on experience in arboriculture. The successful candidate will work throughout the entirety of the 16 acre Garden. This multi-faceted position will also involve assisting with training groundskeepers, working with contractors and volunteers; supervising arboricultural vendors; and participating in educational programs and initiatives, including lectures, presentations, and articles. Main Job Responsibilities: Work hands-on in cultivated gardens and steward natural ecosystems. Tasks may include: planting, pruning, training, mulching, weeding, watering, staking, and transplanting trees and shrubs, mowing, fertilizing, and removal of invasive plant species. Pruning will include structural pruning, removal of dead branches, training and maintenance of espaliered trees and shrubs, training and fixing structural problems, eliminating girdling roots, and removal of trees. Tree climbing may be required. Communicate with the Director of Horticulture to schedule plantings and structural pruning of trees. Operate equipment and tools to efficiently accomplish work, including but not limited to trucks, mowers, pruners, loppers, weed eaters, chippers, chain-saws, blowers, air-spade, etc. Identify and control pests and diseases using pesticides and herbicides, using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach. Ensure proper training of horticultural staff and volunteers in woody plant planting and pruning for day-to-day work, both through hands-on work and classroom instruction. Participate in plant documentation through plant labeling tasks and notification of additions or removals of plants in the garden, and notify need plantings and removals to the plants records manager. Support other members of the Horticulture department in a variety of garden projects. Support volunteer coordination for horticulture tasks. Assist in garden education programs, including giving garden tours and talks, and writing articles for various media. Other duties as assigned. Qualifications and Experience Requirements: Bachelors degree in horticulture, forestry, ecology, plant science, or a related field; 5 years of hands-on experience in the arboriculture industry may substitute for degree. Broad horticulture and arboriculture knowledge, acquired through hands-on as well as theoretical experience working with woody plants, both angiosperms and gymnosperms, including proper planting and transplanting procedures, pruning for correcting structural defects, root management of containerized plants, etc. ISA certified arborist. Ability and willingness to perform hands-on gardening work in all types of weather typical in the US Virgin Islands Experience and confidence in operating horticulture equipment and machines. Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including evenings, weekends, holidays, storm clean-up, and special events, as needed. Basic use of Microsoft products, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook. A valid driver's license. Position subject to passing a criminal background check. This position requires outdoor physical work (80 %) in hot tropical climates, including frequent standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping, crouching, reaching, carrying, lifting, pushing, or pulling of objects up to 80 pounds, often working alone. It also requires office work on a computer, sitting for extended periods of time (20 %). Ideal Candidates will also po sess: ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ). ISA Tree Worker Climber Specialist certification. Supervisory experience in tree climbing work. Previous experience in teaching and/or training adults, giving presentations and preparing training and educational materials.