Plant Records Assistant

Gardens of Golden Gate Park•San Francisco, CA

18h•$30 - $38•Onsite

About The Position

The mission of Gardens of Golden Gate Park is to connect people to plants, the planet, and each other. Gardens of Golden Gate Park is a public/private partnership between the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department (RPD) and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (SFBGS) to jointly operate the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. A Lease & Management Agreement between RPD and SFBGS, approved by both the Recreation & Park Commission and the Board of Supervisors, sets the terms of the partnership. The agreement is a cooperative management agreement that outlines the roles and responsibilities for each partner. Key areas of responsibility for SFBGS include volunteer engagement, education, visitor experience, philanthropy, membership, marketing, and other functions. RPD is responsible for horticulture and facility management and maintenance, master planning and capital improvements conducted with SFBGS, and other functions. Together, RPD and SFBGS collaborate on collections management within the Gardens. The Conservatory of Flowers is a national, state, and local landmark and a place of exceptional beauty. Built in 1879, the Conservatory was the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park and remains an internationally renowned icon, displaying and cultivating unusual plants to heighten awareness of the pressing need to preserve threatened rainforest environments. The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America. This garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden and was originally created as an exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. San Francisco Botanical Garden opened in 1940 and is a 55-acre living museum within Golden Gate Park, showcasing 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. San Francisco’s oceanic climate with cool dry summers, mild wet winters, and presence of fog allows the Garden to grow a diverse array of species from around the world. POSITION SUMMARY The Plant Records Assistant plays a vital role in elevating the accuracy, visibility, and impact of the Gardens of Golden Gate Park’s world class living collections. Reporting to the Associate Curator, this role documents a diverse plant collection, producing the data, maps, labels, and content that inform horticultural and conservation planning, interpretation, and activates visitor engagement. Operating at the crossroads of horticulture, collections management, digital tools, and education, this role collaborates across departments, supports volunteers and interns, and keeps collections data accurate and up to date. This position upholds the Gardens’ mission, values, and Living Collections Policies, helping connect staff, volunteers, researchers, and the public with the depth and breadth of the Gardens’ living collections in a dynamic indoor/outdoor environment.

Requirements

Minimum one year of experience in plant collections management, botanical records, field research, or related horticultural documentation.
Excellent database management skills and aptitude for learning new systems.
Proficiency with digital mapping tools; familiarity with ArcGIS preferred.
Strong plant identification skills with the ability and enthusiasm for learning new taxa rapidly.
Working knowledge of curatorial and conservation best practices.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with great attention to detail.
Ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and adapt in a dynamic setting.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with professionalism, discretion, and attention to detail.
Ability to work both collaboratively and independently with minimal supervision.
Professionalism, discretion and sound judgment when handling sensitive data.
High level of professionalism and a genuine interest in learning about and supporting the Gardens.
Ability to work outdoors in various weather conditions, inside a tropical conservatory, and indoors in a shared office setting.
Must be able to engage in a range of physical motions including standing or sitting at a desk or computer, walking on uneven surfaces, crouching, bending, squatting, kneeling, digging, climbing stairs and a ladder, working with arms outstretched or overhead.
Lift and/or move up to 10 pounds regularly and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
Ability to use and maintain necessary tools and equipment safely and effectively.
Willingness to work/engage with diverse staff, volunteers and the public.
An onsite presence is required Monday – Friday with occasional work on weekends, evenings and holidays.

Nice To Haves

Experience using IrisBG and ArcGIS, and Field Maps.
Experience working within a botanic garden or similar environment.
Horticulture knowledge to assess basic plant health.
Bachelor of Science degree in botany, plant biology, horticulture or related field (or equivalent experience).
Experience with plants from the Mediterranean climate zone, cloud forests, tropics and other collections held within the Gardens.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud/Illustrator.
Experience supervising or leading volunteers, interns or other staff.

Responsibilities

Maintain plant records in IrisBG and ArcGIS, ensuring accuracy of plant accessions records and maps. Input data, verify and update locations, nomenclature, status and health.
Perform field data collection and inventories. Monitor, map and label collections. Reconcile catalogued records of plants with current living collection.
Organize and reference historic records and maps to support accurate documentation and accessibility of data.
Fabricate and install labels, tags, and signs. Maintain associated supplies and equipment, coordinate necessary purchases, maintenance and repairs for laser engraver, embosser and plastic label printer.
Identify plants across a wide range of plant families and document observations on health and overall condition.
Assist with evaluating plant material for potential invasive characteristics and with researching and sourcing material for propagation and new acquisitions.
Provide reports, maps and content for horticulture, education, interpretation, marketing and guest experience. Contribute data and context that deepen understanding of the Gardens’ living collections for both internal users and the visiting public.
Lead volunteers and interns in daily tasks related to data entry, labeling, inventories, mapping, and collections documentation; assist with training on equipment, software, workflows and collections standards.
Build productive relationships across departments, with the public, members, volunteers and other partners.
Participate in the development and maintenance of a seed bank to support the living collection.
Help develop and track department budget.
Support department operations, including tracking expenses and assisting with grants.
Participate in the development and achievement of goals, vision and activation of collections’ role in fulfilling GGGP’s mission.
Participate in public programs, events, outreach and projects.
Perform other duties as assigned.