Native Plants Program Manager

POSITION: Native Plants Program Manager
Hours: Full-time
Reports to: Director of Programs

ABOUT OXBOW FARM & CONSERVATION CENTER
Located on 240 acres of forest and grassland bordered by Western Washington’s Snoqualmie River, Oxbow’s mission is to inspire people to eat healthy, sustainably grown food and to steward our natural resources for future generations.  We have recently adopted a ten-year vision to dramatically increase our impact and reach, and to diversify our sources of funding.  We seek to become a vibrant hub for inspiration and learning, known for our creative and engaging year-round programming – a source for real-time practices that promote climate resilience and excite people to make choices in support of healthy food and a sustainable environment.  We are seeking a Native Plants Program Manager to join our management team as we embark on these ambitious plans.

ABOUT THE NATIVE PLANT NURSERY
Oxbow’s Native Plant Nursery (NPN) produces native plants that promote a conservation ethic. The plants produced in the nursery serve to increase habitat quantity and quality, while also acting as a vehicle for knowledge growth, empowering restoration project managers, landscape architects, and household and community gardeners to learn the importance of native plants and local landscapes. The NPN is recognized for its high-quality plants, development of native plant propagation protocols, and engagement in research to improve all aspects of nursery production.  The NPN grows approximately 75,000 plants per year.

ABOUT THE POSITION
Are you passionate about native plants and the increasingly important role they play in our changing landscape?  Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center seeks a Program Manager to lead and manage its native plant nursery and team.  Working closely with the Director of Programs, this position oversees all nursery operations, including outreach and sales, crop planning, education and public engagement, and NPN team development.  Success in this position will be achieved with strong communication and tracking to clear and measurable program goals.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• In partnership with Oxbow leadership, lead the maturation of the NPN strategy, approach and plan, with a focus on how program activities tie to Oxbow’s mission and vision.
• Manage and develop external relationships and contacts to promote the NPN program, explore and expand partnership and sales opportunities, and increase regional knowledge about the importance of native plants.
• Drive marketing and sales for the NPN, including bidding projects, facilitating sales orders, planning and managing overall sales channels, and planning and implementing plant sales for onsite and offsite programs and events, in close partnership with the Oxbow business development team.
• Develop a mission-oriented crop production plan that meets external commitments, aligns with nursery capacity, and enables the NPN Assistant Manager to optimize production operations (including seed collection, sowing, and daily plant management through growth to target condition).
• Plan and implement high-quality, year-round educational programming for people of all ages, to increase regional knowledge about the importance of native plants and the number of native plants in local landscapes.
• Manage the NPN team, including assessing and developing staff capacity, hiring and training staff, delegating responsibilities and load-balancing tasks, and regularly prioritizing the work ahead.
•  Manage the NPN budget, regularly tracking program revenue and expenses.
• Partner with Oxbow leadership and managers to advance the organization’s strategy and objectives and to ensure efficient and effective communication and operations.

CORE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• A minimum of five years’ experience managing nursery operations.
• Demonstrated knowledge of native plants and/or ecosystem restoration.
• Specific experience leading or supporting nursery sales and marketing, outreach, and client/partnership development.
• Excellence in influence and leadership – a team player who focuses on building a healthy and productive culture, is skilled at building trust and strong relationships, who models desired behaviors and nurtures them in others.
• Strong management skills, balanced strategic and tactical focus, with a focus on delivering program results while maximizing individual development and well-being.
• Exceptional organizational skills, with an ability to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Proven ability to mobilize and motivate teams, set direction and approach, resolve conflict, coach performance, deliver tough messages with grace, and make decisions to advance the work with limited information or ambiguity.
• Patient, flexible, diplomatic, creative, resilient, pragmatic, with a sense of humor and an ability to stay grounded in diverse conditions and under pressure.
• Able to perform physical work outdoors in the context of nursery operations.
• Flexibility to work some weekends and evenings.
• Fluent working in Microsoft suite (Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMITMENT
Oxbow is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity and inclusion. We value the individual differences, life experiences, and knowledge that our staff bring to their work and their communities. Valuing diversity is a significant part of our culture, our values, and the success of Oxbow’s mission.

Oxbow provides equal employment opportunities to all staff members and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Oxbow is committed to fostering a racially diverse team. People of color are encouraged to apply.

COMPENSATION
This is a regular, full-time position, with a competitive compensation package, including 100% employer paid healthcare, annual dental stipend, generous holiday, vacation, and sick leave. Salary range is $60,000-$65,000, depending on qualifications.

TO APPLY
To apply, email a resume, letter of interest, and 3 references to: thedirt@oxbow.org. Please write Native Plants Program Manager in the subject line and include where you found this position in the message body.

Apply by July 22 for first consideration. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after this date until position is filled.

To see this job posting, and our other open jobs, on our website: https://www.oxbow.org/get-involved/employment-opportunities/

Type: Full-time.

To apply, please e-mail your resume to thedirt@oxbow.org .