Gardener Naturalist
Walkabout Outdoor is a NE Minneapolis based landscape and garden design-build firm that creates diverse and beautiful landscapes that enliven local ecology and strengthen people's connection to their home environment and surrounding community. Our ecologically-informed design, installation and care of naturalistic landscapes and prairie-style gardens is distinguished by our passionate team who creates and executes to the highest standards, which manifest as spectacular art that inherently supports our wider community’s collective interests.
We offer numerous distinct seasonal services in landscape and garden design, hardscape installation, and horticulture and are seeking generous, compassionate, professional, motivated, and detail-oriented outdoor enthusiasts to join our team. If you are inspired to create and inspire others through nature and art, you are an ideal candidate for one of employment openings for the 2023 season. Our weekly schedule runs full-time Monday–Friday, April - December, with opportunities to work overtime, weekends or year-round if desired. All positions are eligible for employee benefits including paid-time off, health insurance, 401k, continuing education stipend, outdoor apparel, rare & native plants, drinks & snacks, and staff outings.
We are hiring for both entry-level and skilled positions, but prioritize candidates who have demonstrated a professional or personal commitment to the health and wonder of our natural world. All candidates must have demonstrated interest in ecology, gardening, landscaping, stone masonry, environmentalism or eco-tourism and be highly effective communicators, generous and creative collaborators, diligent and curious in service, and proactive, organized and independent in work ethic.
At Walkabout, we value education as a means to innovate our design, influence through diversity, and inspire our community. We provide continuous & collaborative paid training, plus a generous education stipend to individuals who are passionate about cultivating mutually beneficial relationships to our surrounding environment and world through residential and commercial landscapes.
A full list of job descriptions, qualifications and compensation can be found on our website: ------------/employment
Gardener Naturalist
Walkabout Outdoor is a NE Minneapolis based landscape and garden design-build firm that creates diverse and beautiful landscapes that enliven local ecology and strengthen people's connection to their home environment and surrounding community. Our ecologically-informed design, installation and care of naturalistic landscapes and prairie-style gardens is distinguished by our passionate team who creates and executes to the highest standards, which manifest as spectacular art that inherently supports our wider community’s collective interests.
Job Description:
Walkabout's Naturalist Gardeners are responsible for the installation and care of our naturalistic and ecologically-informed gardens that enhance our artisan stonescapes, and embellish our urban environment to which residential and commercial landscapes are a large part. Our Gardeners are trained to be savvy horticulturalists in addition to astute Naturalists so they may understand how ecological dynamics positively benefit stakeholders of the garden environment; including the clients who provide the land, the species that depend on our urban landscape, and the wider community and world all of whose interconnectedness is strengthened through increasing diversity of indigenous species. Our Gardener Naturalists are trained in the identification of flora and fauna, as well as in indicators of the health of the environment, and methods to enhance desirable ecologies.
Each day begins at our office and shop located in NE Minneapolis. Team meetings are the cornerstone of our operations and each morning Gardener Naturalists review projects with Crew Leads and Management staff integrating and reflecting on collective values & interests, client & team expectations, budgets & timelines, environmental factors & worksite conditions, and individual proficiencies & interests. Through collaboration, opportunities & expectations for the day are identified. Gardener Naturalists are then responsible for assembling, tracking and loading necessary tools, supplies, & equipment for the day's tasks, report to site in company vehicles, follow through on expectations collectively set in the morning meeting and demonstrate responsible time-management and professional knowledge in the field, then finally report on their day through written, spoken and photo documentation including detailed written notes on our CRM platform that connects clients & managers to the garden environment to which our work benefits.
Gardener Naturalists are responsible for the care and installation of hundreds of native and ornamental species, and also the curation of their communities including the removal of invasives. Of special interest are inclusion of species that will positively benefit their environments through compatible growth habits and site preferences, desirable aesthetic qualities, or enhancements to the beauty and diversity of the environment where it has previously been degraded. When necessary, Naturalist Gardeners engage clients and fellow staff in learning and understanding nature’s elements and interconnectedness, make necessary recommendations for additional garden care, and propose garden or ecological enhancements as they are able.
Gardener Naturalists are expected to actively learn and enhance their personal understanding of the natural world and garden environment where they lack understanding or are interested. Gardener Naturalists are expected to report to work eager to serve their plant, animal and people communities who provide the landscapes which they work and benefit from. Gardener Naturalists report to our Garden Installation & Maintenance Manager, or General Manager. Career development opportunities in leadership, design, and management are offered to highly motivated candidates that exude energetic motivation and a creative passion to benefit ecological diversity.
Qualifications:
Field Qualifications:
- Passionate interest in plants and the garden communities they support
- Ability to distinguish between native and non-native plant species and identify a minimum of 50 native, ornamental or invasive species that thrive in Minnesota's gardens
- Shows keen interest in becoming botanically fluent
- Some understanding of seasonal, ecological and bloom successions
- Can identify, or is eagerly interested to learn, common garden residents & pests, and their relationships to the garden environment in which they live or visit
- Some understanding of site conditions including soil compositions, water runoff & absorption, light exposure, & plant communities
- Some knowledge of traditional and modern garden styles and designs
- Can accurately and consistently throughout the day document completed and need-to-complete garden tasks, species in bloom, birds & insects
- Proactively learns unknown species, their growth habits, site preferences and relationships to other flora and fauna
- Collaborates with others, generously shares knowledge, shows eager interest to learn & engage with our community
- Creative, proactive and experimentally controlled in offering garden enhancement recommendations and implementing them
- Knows how to use garden and small engine tools safely
- Knowledge of irrigation systems and arboriculture a plus
- Can stay focused, engaged and mindful through the completion of repetitive tasks
- Can meet deadlines and is willing to work hard to do so when necessary
Professional Qualifications:
- Keen and acute observer
- Detailed and consistent note-taker
- Accurately tracks inventory, time, milage, client requests, and other resources & requests daily
- Notices what needs to get done in the field, shop and office and is proactive in follow through
- Has smart phone with photo capabilities
- Possesses a valid Driver's License & clean driving record, and can drive company vehicles safely within the five county area
- Follows safety protocol, adheres to company expectations, and is courteous, interested and professional around clients and staff members always
- Maintains good physical fitness. Can lift 50 lbs, and withstand sun, insect, and environmental exposure easily during working hours
- Willingness to teach & engage clients and other staff members through the sharing of knowledge
- Uses growing base of environmental knowledge and client preferences to help prioritize the work day for themselves and others
- Happily adheres to direction given by supervisory and management staff
- Arrives on time, prepared and dressed professionally
- Smiles easily, evokes laughter, enjoys a good time, and values a joyful life
Schedule & Compensation:
- Our weekly schedule runs full-time, 4 or 5 10 hr days per week, Monday–Friday, April - December with opportunities to work overtime, weekends, or year-round. Candidates who are eagerly willing and physically able to work overtime or weekends are eligible for increased pay rates.
- All positions are eligible for employee benefits including paid-time off, health insurance, 401k, continuing education stipend, outdoor apparel, rare & native plants, drinks & snacks, and staff outings.
- $18-20/hr option for 40 or 50 hrs/wk (50 hrs includes 10 hrs overtime) without relevant professional experience
-$18-23/hr option for 40 or 50 hrs/wk (50 hrs includes 10 hrs overtime) with at 1-3 yrs professional gardening experience
Professional references are requested
Walkabout Outdoor is a NE Minneapolis based landscape and garden design-build firm that creates diverse and beautiful landscapes that enliven local ecology and strengthen people's connection to their home environment and surrounding community. Our ecologically-informed design, installation and care of naturalistic landscapes and prairie-style gardens is distinguished by our passionate team who creates and executes to the highest standards, which manifest as spectacular art that inherently supports our wider community’s collective interests.
We offer numerous distinct seasonal services in landscape and garden design, hardscape installation, and horticulture and are seeking generous, compassionate, professional, motivated, and detail-oriented outdoor enthusiasts to join our team. If you are inspired to create and inspire others through nature and art, you are an ideal candidate for one of employment openings for the 2023 season. Our weekly schedule runs full-time Monday–Friday, April - December, with opportunities to work overtime, weekends or year-round if desired. All positions are eligible for employee benefits including paid-time off, health insurance, 401k, continuing education stipend, outdoor apparel, rare & native plants, drinks & snacks, and staff outings.
We are hiring for both entry-level and skilled positions, but prioritize candidates who have demonstrated a professional or personal commitment to the health and wonder of our natural world. All candidates must have demonstrated interest in ecology, gardening, landscaping, stone masonry, environmentalism or eco-tourism and be highly effective communicators, generous and creative collaborators, diligent and curious in service, and proactive, organized and independent in work ethic.
At Walkabout, we value education as a means to innovate our design, influence through diversity, and inspire our community. We provide continuous & collaborative paid training, plus a generous education stipend to individuals who are passionate about cultivating mutually beneficial relationships to our surrounding environment and world through residential and commercial landscapes.
A full list of job descriptions, qualifications and compensation can be found on our website: ------------/employment
Gardener Naturalist
Walkabout Outdoor is a NE Minneapolis based landscape and garden design-build firm that creates diverse and beautiful landscapes that enliven local ecology and strengthen people's connection to their home environment and surrounding community. Our ecologically-informed design, installation and care of naturalistic landscapes and prairie-style gardens is distinguished by our passionate team who creates and executes to the highest standards, which manifest as spectacular art that inherently supports our wider community’s collective interests.
Job Description:
Walkabout's Naturalist Gardeners are responsible for the installation and care of our naturalistic and ecologically-informed gardens that enhance our artisan stonescapes, and embellish our urban environment to which residential and commercial landscapes are a large part. Our Gardeners are trained to be savvy horticulturalists in addition to astute Naturalists so they may understand how ecological dynamics positively benefit stakeholders of the garden environment; including the clients who provide the land, the species that depend on our urban landscape, and the wider community and world all of whose interconnectedness is strengthened through increasing diversity of indigenous species. Our Gardener Naturalists are trained in the identification of flora and fauna, as well as in indicators of the health of the environment, and methods to enhance desirable ecologies.
Each day begins at our office and shop located in NE Minneapolis. Team meetings are the cornerstone of our operations and each morning Gardener Naturalists review projects with Crew Leads and Management staff integrating and reflecting on collective values & interests, client & team expectations, budgets & timelines, environmental factors & worksite conditions, and individual proficiencies & interests. Through collaboration, opportunities & expectations for the day are identified. Gardener Naturalists are then responsible for assembling, tracking and loading necessary tools, supplies, & equipment for the day's tasks, report to site in company vehicles, follow through on expectations collectively set in the morning meeting and demonstrate responsible time-management and professional knowledge in the field, then finally report on their day through written, spoken and photo documentation including detailed written notes on our CRM platform that connects clients & managers to the garden environment to which our work benefits.
Gardener Naturalists are responsible for the care and installation of hundreds of native and ornamental species, and also the curation of their communities including the removal of invasives. Of special interest are inclusion of species that will positively benefit their environments through compatible growth habits and site preferences, desirable aesthetic qualities, or enhancements to the beauty and diversity of the environment where it has previously been degraded. When necessary, Naturalist Gardeners engage clients and fellow staff in learning and understanding nature’s elements and interconnectedness, make necessary recommendations for additional garden care, and propose garden or ecological enhancements as they are able.
Gardener Naturalists are expected to actively learn and enhance their personal understanding of the natural world and garden environment where they lack understanding or are interested. Gardener Naturalists are expected to report to work eager to serve their plant, animal and people communities who provide the landscapes which they work and benefit from. Gardener Naturalists report to our Garden Installation & Maintenance Manager, or General Manager. Career development opportunities in leadership, design, and management are offered to highly motivated candidates that exude energetic motivation and a creative passion to benefit ecological diversity.
Qualifications:
Field Qualifications:
- Passionate interest in plants and the garden communities they support
- Ability to distinguish between native and non-native plant species and identify a minimum of 50 native, ornamental or invasive species that thrive in Minnesota's gardens
- Shows keen interest in becoming botanically fluent
- Some understanding of seasonal, ecological and bloom successions
- Can identify, or is eagerly interested to learn, common garden residents & pests, and their relationships to the garden environment in which they live or visit
- Some understanding of site conditions including soil compositions, water runoff & absorption, light exposure, & plant communities
- Some knowledge of traditional and modern garden styles and designs
- Can accurately and consistently throughout the day document completed and need-to-complete garden tasks, species in bloom, birds & insects
- Proactively learns unknown species, their growth habits, site preferences and relationships to other flora and fauna
- Collaborates with others, generously shares knowledge, shows eager interest to learn & engage with our community
- Creative, proactive and experimentally controlled in offering garden enhancement recommendations and implementing them
- Knows how to use garden and small engine tools safely
- Knowledge of irrigation systems and arboriculture a plus
- Can stay focused, engaged and mindful through the completion of repetitive tasks
- Can meet deadlines and is willing to work hard to do so when necessary
Professional Qualifications:
- Keen and acute observer
- Detailed and consistent note-taker
- Accurately tracks inventory, time, milage, client requests, and other resources & requests daily
- Notices what needs to get done in the field, shop and office and is proactive in follow through
- Has smart phone with photo capabilities
- Possesses a valid Driver's License & clean driving record, and can drive company vehicles safely within the five county area
- Follows safety protocol, adheres to company expectations, and is courteous, interested and professional around clients and staff members always
- Maintains good physical fitness. Can lift 50 lbs, and withstand sun, insect, and environmental exposure easily during working hours
- Willingness to teach & engage clients and other staff members through the sharing of knowledge
- Uses growing base of environmental knowledge and client preferences to help prioritize the work day for themselves and others
- Happily adheres to direction given by supervisory and management staff
- Arrives on time, prepared and dressed professionally
- Smiles easily, evokes laughter, enjoys a good time, and values a joyful life
Schedule & Compensation:
- Our weekly schedule runs full-time, 4 or 5 10 hr days per week, Monday–Friday, April - December with opportunities to work overtime, weekends, or year-round. Candidates who are eagerly willing and physically able to work overtime or weekends are eligible for increased pay rates.
- All positions are eligible for employee benefits including paid-time off, health insurance, 401k, continuing education stipend, outdoor apparel, rare & native plants, drinks & snacks, and staff outings.
- $18-20/hr option for 40 or 50 hrs/wk (50 hrs includes 10 hrs overtime) without relevant professional experience
-$18-23/hr option for 40 or 50 hrs/wk (50 hrs includes 10 hrs overtime) with at 1-3 yrs professional gardening experience
Professional references are requested