Assistant Garden Supervisor
About the role
Staff - Union
Job Category
CUPE 116
Job Profile
CUPE 116 Salaried - Trades 2 - Horticulturist
Job Title
Assistant Garden Supervisor
Department
Horticulturists | Botanical Garden and Centre for Horticulture
Compensation Range
$6,774.00 - $7,226.00 CAD Monthly
Posting End Date
September 18, 2025
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
September 14, 2026
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
At UBC Botanical Garden, our goal is to create a better world and inspire our community—staff, volunteers, students, faculty, clients and society—through the power of plants.
Our Vision: UBC Botanical Garden’s living plant collections, landscapes and people inspire communities, ideas and actions for a resilient, biodiverse world.
Our Mission: UBC Botanical Garden’s foundational work in documented plant collections, innovative horticulture and engaging education invites curiosity and learning. We connect communities with science through research, exceptional visitor experiences and academic service. We conserve biodiversity, demonstrate sustainable practices and provide spaces to encourage health and wellbeing.
Job Summary
The Assistant Garden Supervisor supports the Garden Supervisor in all areas of UBC Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden, and the Nursery. The role requires broad horticultural knowledge and the ability to carry out specialized tasks in areas such as traditional Japanese gardens, greenhouse and nursery crops, fruit and vegetable production, alpine and herbaceous plants, physic garden collections, Asian woody species, and native plants of North America and BC.
This is a one-year term position with the possibility of ongoing.
Organizational Status
Reports to the Garden Supervisor.
Work Performed
- Coordinate and supervise subordinate horticultural staff, including training, assigning tasks and monitoring work quality
- Conduct routine and specialized horticultural activities, including weeding, watering, planting, mulching, monitoring plant pests and plant health, applying fertilizers and pesticides, pruning, and all aspects of vegetative and seed propagation required for Botanical Garden collections
- Assists the Garden Supervisor with tasks such as ordering supplies, maintaining equipment, supporting the accession system through inventory and labeling, and performing related activities including research, data entry, record keeping, seed processing and packaging,
- Assists the Garden Supervisor with specialized nursery tasks, including harvesting, processing and storing plant propagules, and prepares proposals and reports as required.
- Assists senior staff with specific tasks, such as Index Seminum-related duties, ensuring that exemplary practices are adhered to.
- Cares for research plants, rare and specialized collections, and nursery stock, and uses hand tools and mechanized equipment safely and appropriately.
- Perform specialized garden maintenance, such as irrigation system set-up, maintenance and repair.
- Participates in garden and trade shows, and in practical horticultural instructional and training programs for students, apprentices, professionals, volunteers, garden visitors, and the media.
- May be required to make presentations.
- Performs other related tasks as required.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Responsible for the general health and appearance of plants in the garden. Poor performance may result in the loss or diminishment of plants and a reduction in the value of the plant collections to researchers, educators and the community. Errors in judgement could result in damage to the reputation of the Botanical Garden, the Faculty and the University.
Supervision Received
Work is performed under the general direction of the Garden Supervisor, or appropriate senior staff when required. Performs most duties independently, but work may be reviewed for consistency and soundness in overall direction. Exercises judgement and initiative in handling matters of a non-routine nature in the absence of established policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Supervision Given
May be required to coordinate and supervise subordinate horticultural staff, including Botanical Garden labourers, horticulturists, apprentices, students, summer student workers, interns and technicians at work in a specific garden area.
Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a diploma in Horticulture, a Pesticide Applicator’s Certificate, a valid BC driver’s license and a minimum four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred
- Demonstrated supervisory experience.
- Demonstrated project management skills.
- A responsible and energetic individual who takes direction and is able to work independently.
- Ability to organize, direct and supervise horticultural staff.
- Ability to perform duties in accordance with the exemplary horticultural practices in the Botanical Garden, including maintaining accurate labelling and record keeping.
- Effective interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work effectively with students, volunteers and UBC staff and faculty.
- Demonstrated understanding of the diversity and value of plants in the Botanical Garden collections, including biologically significant taxa and individual plants.
- Demonstrated knowledge of the precise cultural care required by plants in the Botanical Garden collections.
- Good manual dexterity and the ability to work out-of-doors in inclement weather.
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
- BC Pesticide Applicator’s Certificate (Landscape - IPM).
Assistant Garden Supervisor
About the role
Staff - Union
Job Category
CUPE 116
Job Profile
CUPE 116 Salaried - Trades 2 - Horticulturist
Job Title
Assistant Garden Supervisor
Department
Horticulturists | Botanical Garden and Centre for Horticulture
Compensation Range
$6,774.00 - $7,226.00 CAD Monthly
Posting End Date
September 18, 2025
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.
Job End Date
September 14, 2026
At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.
At UBC Botanical Garden, our goal is to create a better world and inspire our community—staff, volunteers, students, faculty, clients and society—through the power of plants.
Our Vision: UBC Botanical Garden’s living plant collections, landscapes and people inspire communities, ideas and actions for a resilient, biodiverse world.
Our Mission: UBC Botanical Garden’s foundational work in documented plant collections, innovative horticulture and engaging education invites curiosity and learning. We connect communities with science through research, exceptional visitor experiences and academic service. We conserve biodiversity, demonstrate sustainable practices and provide spaces to encourage health and wellbeing.
Job Summary
The Assistant Garden Supervisor supports the Garden Supervisor in all areas of UBC Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden, and the Nursery. The role requires broad horticultural knowledge and the ability to carry out specialized tasks in areas such as traditional Japanese gardens, greenhouse and nursery crops, fruit and vegetable production, alpine and herbaceous plants, physic garden collections, Asian woody species, and native plants of North America and BC.
This is a one-year term position with the possibility of ongoing.
Organizational Status
Reports to the Garden Supervisor.
Work Performed
- Coordinate and supervise subordinate horticultural staff, including training, assigning tasks and monitoring work quality
- Conduct routine and specialized horticultural activities, including weeding, watering, planting, mulching, monitoring plant pests and plant health, applying fertilizers and pesticides, pruning, and all aspects of vegetative and seed propagation required for Botanical Garden collections
- Assists the Garden Supervisor with tasks such as ordering supplies, maintaining equipment, supporting the accession system through inventory and labeling, and performing related activities including research, data entry, record keeping, seed processing and packaging,
- Assists the Garden Supervisor with specialized nursery tasks, including harvesting, processing and storing plant propagules, and prepares proposals and reports as required.
- Assists senior staff with specific tasks, such as Index Seminum-related duties, ensuring that exemplary practices are adhered to.
- Cares for research plants, rare and specialized collections, and nursery stock, and uses hand tools and mechanized equipment safely and appropriately.
- Perform specialized garden maintenance, such as irrigation system set-up, maintenance and repair.
- Participates in garden and trade shows, and in practical horticultural instructional and training programs for students, apprentices, professionals, volunteers, garden visitors, and the media.
- May be required to make presentations.
- Performs other related tasks as required.
Consequence of Error/Judgement
Responsible for the general health and appearance of plants in the garden. Poor performance may result in the loss or diminishment of plants and a reduction in the value of the plant collections to researchers, educators and the community. Errors in judgement could result in damage to the reputation of the Botanical Garden, the Faculty and the University.
Supervision Received
Work is performed under the general direction of the Garden Supervisor, or appropriate senior staff when required. Performs most duties independently, but work may be reviewed for consistency and soundness in overall direction. Exercises judgement and initiative in handling matters of a non-routine nature in the absence of established policies, procedures, and guidelines.
Supervision Given
May be required to coordinate and supervise subordinate horticultural staff, including Botanical Garden labourers, horticulturists, apprentices, students, summer student workers, interns and technicians at work in a specific garden area.
Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a diploma in Horticulture, a Pesticide Applicator’s Certificate, a valid BC driver’s license and a minimum four years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion
Preferred
- Demonstrated supervisory experience.
- Demonstrated project management skills.
- A responsible and energetic individual who takes direction and is able to work independently.
- Ability to organize, direct and supervise horticultural staff.
- Ability to perform duties in accordance with the exemplary horticultural practices in the Botanical Garden, including maintaining accurate labelling and record keeping.
- Effective interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work effectively with students, volunteers and UBC staff and faculty.
- Demonstrated understanding of the diversity and value of plants in the Botanical Garden collections, including biologically significant taxa and individual plants.
- Demonstrated knowledge of the precise cultural care required by plants in the Botanical Garden collections.
- Good manual dexterity and the ability to work out-of-doors in inclement weather.
- Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
- BC Pesticide Applicator’s Certificate (Landscape - IPM).