Full-Time Garden Center Horticulturist/Team Lead

Full-Time Garden Center Horticulturist/Team Lead

Skinner Garden Store is a retail garden center business serving Topeka and northeast Kansas for over 65 years.

We help people connect with nature, grow gardens to provide food for their families, create places of escape and relaxation, and restore habitat for nature. We’re in the business of helping people with plants….we’re Plant People.

We are currently looking for a new Horticulturist to add to our team.

Our ideal candidate should possess a strong work ethic, be dependable, be a team player and a strong leader. We are looking for someone with a positive attitude, a willingness to learn and a love of gardening.

Ideal candidates should:

• Have a passion for gardening.
• Have a strong horticulture background, ideally in both formal training and past job experience.
• Be responsive to customer and employee needs.
• Foster a “team” environment.
• Uphold our organizational values.
• Have the ability to manage difficult situations.
• Have a love of both plants and people.

This is a full-time, year-round position. It will involve weekends, especially during the spring months. This person will be actively involved in day-to-day retail activities as well as behind the scenes management duties. They will assist in making their departments run efficiently and profitably, and in helping the overall business do the same.

We are looking for someone passionate about gardening and equally passionate about helping people. Responsibilities will include, but certainly will not be limited to…

• Management of multiple product categories including the purchasing, pricing, merchandising, and inventory management of the same
• Opening and/or closing of the store
• Working as part of the overall business management team

· Assisting customers with plant selections, landscaping ideas and gardening recommendations

· Unloading deliveries and merchandising the same

· Plant maintenance including watering, weeding, fertilizing and pruning

· Helping with maintenance of facilities and grounds

· Forklift and skid-loader operation

· Computer work, especially with our POS and back-office inventory systems

· Assisting with the supervision of staff

A strong background and working knowledge of gardening/horticultural is required along with industry experience. A horticulture degree would be preferred, but is not required if applicant has sufficient industry experience.

All applicants should be able to listen to and follow instructions, be able to communicate effectively and be a hard worker. All applicants must be reliable and dependable. They should be able to…

· Provide a valid Kansas driver’s license and maintain the same

· Pass a drug test

· Operate or learn to operate equipment such as large trucks, skid loaders and forklifts

This is an outdoor job. It involves loading and unloading materials as well as moving plants and products around, sometimes with equipment and often times by hand. It is physical and we work outdoors in all kinds of weather. Expect to get hot, cold, wet and dirty!

All applicants should be qualified to meet the job requirements listed above. All applicants will be required to pass a pre-employment drug test. We participate in E-Verify.

All applications must be made in person. Employment Applications are available during regular business hours (M-F, 9-5) through our business office at 4237 NW Lower Silver Lake Road here in Topeka. No appointment is necessary.

If you have questions, or can’t apply in person, please call 785-233-9657.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $35,000.00 - $50,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Employee discount
• Flexible schedule
• Paid time off
• Store discount

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Holidays
• Monday to Friday
• Overtime
• Weekends as needed

Education:

• High school or equivalent (Required)

Experience:

• Horticulture: 2 years (Preferred)
• Retail sales: 2 years (Preferred)

License/Certification:

• Driver's License (Required)

Work Location: In person