Director of Gardens

Reports to:

Vice President Landscape Management and Horticulture Department:
Park Operations Status:
Full-Time/Exempt About Central Park and the Central Park Conservancy

Central Park is one of the world’s most famous and beloved public spaces. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1858, the 843-acre Park was the country’s first purpose-built public park and is a National Historic Landmark and a New York Scenic Landmark. The Central Park Conservancy, a private, not-for-profit organization, was founded in 1980 to rescue the Park, which had fallen into serious disrepair.

Since then, the Conservancy has overseen the investment of over $2 billion in the restoration of the Park, which now hosts over 40 million visitors a year. The Conservancy is one of the largest and most successful public private partnerships in New York City and is considered a major civic institution given its impact on the health and vibrancy of both the Park and the City.

The Conservancy’s mission is to preserve and celebrate Central Park as a sanctuary from urban life. The City of New York has formally entrusted the care of the Park to the Conservancy which is responsible for every aspect of its care, including landscape maintenance, capital improvements, and the visitor experience. The Conservancy employs roughly 400 people and has an annual operating budget of $120 million.

The Director of Gardens is responsible for designing, curating and overseeing the perennial and seasonal plantings in the two formal gardens of Central Park:
Conservatory Garden and Shakespeare Garden. The Director supervises, trains, and works with the Assistant Curators and Gardeners, and oversees the deployment of an extensive group of volunteers who assist in the planting plans. The Director collaborates with the Conservancy’s Landscape Management and Horticulture staff at all levels to contribute to broad excellence in horticulture and landscape maintenance across the Park.

The Director collaborates extensively with Volunteer Services and works closely with other departments throughout the organization to advance the stewardship of Central Park.

• Design and Curation. The Director is responsible for the development and execution of planting plans on a frequent or seasonal basis. This entails:
  
  - Creating and implementing complex planting designs for seasonal displays including annuals, herbaceous perennials, bulbs, and woody plants while preserving and enhancing existing garden collections. Responsibilities include plant selection and procurement; balancing aesthetic design considerations; plant performance, availability, color, and texture; and other factors.
  
  - Mapping planting beds and peripheral garden areas and keeping records and inventory of all designed plantings.
  
  - Respecting the Conservancy’s Sustainability Framework when making or recommending decisions related to plant selection and biodiversity.
• Horticulture and Plant Health. Work includes inspection and observation of areas of responsibility and formulation of tasks/projects for staff implementation. Such work includes supervision of planting and transplanting; soil sampling, amendment, and restoration; plant fertilization; weed control and pest management; operating and maintaining automatic irrigation systems; and other basic garden management activities such as mulching and pruning. The Director will establish standards and quality levels and will lead customized seasonal care for more than 450 species of perennial, annual, and woody plants, such as cutbacks, division, deadheading, etc.
• Personnel Management. The Director manages a staff of technically proficient Assistant Curators and Gardeners that perform a wide variety…