Make a difference in the community you live in! As a Community Builder—an employee with the City of Gainesville— you will have a direct hand in building and improving your community and making a visible impact on the lives of your neighbors. Working for local government is more than a job, it’s a chance to contribute to community success and to help enhance the Gainesville way of life.

Horticulturist Senior 6384
Salary Range: $52,000.00 - $81,604.02
Closing Date: 12/08/2025

SUMMARY
This is a highly responsible para-professional, technical, and supervisory position developing, implementing, and maintaining the City of Gainesville Tree Planting Programs. The single position allocated to this classification reports to and performs work under the supervision of the City Arborist. Work in this class is distinguished from other classes by its extensive technical knowledge in arboriculture, and excellence in communicating with the general public.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Tracks and evaluates horticultural work crew performance; performs directly related work as required.
• The principal function of an employee in this class is to ensure all appropriate actions are taken for the care and maintenance of City of Gainesville trees and tree planting projects.
• The nature of the work performed requires that an employee in this class establishes and maintains effective working relationships with other City employees, outside contractors, volunteers and the public.
• Prepare the work schedules of assigned work crews.
• Inspects urban forestry projects to make certain that quality maintenance is being performed according to the prescribed schedule and departmental guidelines.
• Provides training and technical guidance to personnel in the proper procedures for various types of vegetation maintenance.
• Ensures work crews are operating with all standard safety precautions and operating procedures.
• Maintains thorough and accurate records of all job activities and prepares statistical and narrative reports on job status as necessary and requested.
• Coordinates internal and intra-Departmental activities relating to ongoing and/or special Horticultural projects and maintenance.
• Monitors the portion of the budget relating to the expenditure of funds within assigned area.
• Orders equipment and materials for assigned projects.
• Provides information and collects information from neighborhood and community groups on current projects and develops ideas for future projects.
• Provides needed information and demonstrations concerning how to perform certain work tasks to new employees in the same or similar class of positions.
• Keeps immediate supervisor and designated others fully and accurately informed concerning work progress, including present and potential work problems and suggestions for new or improved ways of addressing such problems.
• Responds to citizens' questions and comments in a courteous and timely manner.
• Communicates and coordinates regularly with appropriate others to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of interdepartmental operations and activities.
• Plans, organizes, manages and directs the functions associated with the introduction and maintenance of young trees in the City of Gainesville rights-of-way, roadway medians, stormwater basins and parks that may include oversight of contractual services. Develop planting plans that achieve the goals of providing shade and beauty while avoiding future infrastructure damage.
• Supervises assigned employees.
• Recruits, trains and supervise volunteers, principally citizen Tree Sponsors who provide aftercare for fifty percent of the trees planted annually. Maintains tree nursery and production.
• Assists with plans for Arbor Day celebrations in Gainesville.
• Answers questions from the public regarding the care of newly planted trees.
• Speak to groups interested in the renewal of the urban forest.
• Responsible for assuring the requirements of the American National Standard for Tree Care Operations, ANSI A300-1995, are followed with respect to the pruning of young trees.
• Assures all trees planted on public rights-of-way are of the grade specified by the City standards or better, according to the Florida Nursery grades of the Florida Department of Agriculture Division of Consumer Services.
• Drives a pick-up truck with a pull-behind water tank.
• Uses mechanical tree spade to transplant large trees.
• Sprays non-restricted use pesticides and herbicides as needed.
• Responsible for ensuring the staking and up lighting of small trees in the aftermath of widespread emergencies (e.g., hurricanes).
• Attends work on a continuous and regular basis.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in Botany, Plant Identification, Plant Physiology, Plant Pathology, or Horticulture; Associate degrees from an accredited college or university with major course work in Horticulture; and Certified Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture.

CERTIFICATIONS OR LICENSES
Licenses
A valid United States Driver License is required at the time of appointment. Valid Florida Driver License is required within thirty (30) days of starting date.

Certifications
Certified Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture is required within six (6) months of appointment.