Butterfly Exhibit Assistant Manager

Overview

Montgomery Parks is currently seeking Butterfly Exhibit Assistant Managers for a live butterfly exhibit at Brookside Gardens. Staff care for plants, butterflies, and provide customer service to visitors inside the Conservatory at Brookside Gardens, a public horticulture display garden located in Wheaton, Maryland. This is an eight-month part-time position with a 30-hours/week schedule, including all weekends and holidays and two weekdays per week.

The ideal candidate is energetic, enthusiastic about plants and insects and enjoys interacting with a wide variety of people.

The Horticulture, Forestry, and Environmental Education (HFEE) Division contributes to the preservation and maintenance of our parks’ natural and cultural resources. Brookside Gardens is one of our Park’s public gardens, displaying horticultural exhibits that are designed, installed, and maintained using ecological landscape practices as a model and inspiration to more than a million visitors per year. Our public gardens offer a wide variety of educational programs for children and adults planned to excite curiosity and encourage lifelong learning, with the vision of mobilizing residents of Montgomery County as dedicated stewards of the natural world.

We welcome applicants who reflect the diversity of our community and can help us become a more inclusive garden for staff and visitors alike.

For more information about the Seasonal Hiring process and application status for Montgomery County, please contact mcp-parks careers. For more information about Brookside Gardens, visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). (note: this text is a reference and not an active link).

• Responsible for opening and closing the Exhibit
• Performs daily tasks such as watering, grooming plants, weeding, and keeping walkways clean
• Assist visitors with ticket purchase and check-in
• Direct and work with volunteers who assist with plant maintenance
• Equally involved with people management and exhibit operation
• Trains and work with Volunteer Docents to provide a meaningful and informative visitor experience
• Inform visitors respectfully of rules and permit requirements as needed to ensure compliance
• Provide accurate interpretive information about butterflies and the exhibit to visitors
• Respond in a positive and helpful manner to visitors’ requests for information or services
• Receive, examine, mount, monitor, and release live butterflies according to USDA permit requirements
• Monitor and replenish supplemental nutritional sources for live butterflies
• Assist in the proper sanitization and disposal of exhibit materials and dead insects

• High School diploma or GED
• One year of customer service experience
• Applicants must be at least 18 years or older

• Previous horticulture experience in a greenhouse or conservatory
• Previous experience handling insects or other live animals
• Previous experience with interpretation, teaching, or public speaking/engagement

• Ability to accurately follow detailed instructions for a wide variety of tasks
• Punctual and reliable
• Strong communication, leadership, and customer service skills
• Ability to comfortably address groups in a pleasant but authoritative manner
• Capable of working in hot, humid environments
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn plant and insect identification, greenhouse control systems, disease and pest recognition
• Attention to detail and record keeping capabilities
• Ability to safely operate tools and equipment
• Ability to work independently and as part of a highly collaborative team

May be subject to medical, drug and alcohol testing.

The work environment is inside a glass Conservatory with exposure to temperature extremes such as high heat and humidity and cold damp conditions. Must be able to perform strenuous work, stoop, bend, stretch, pull, and lift up to 50 pounds.

• This position is not eligible for benefits
• A fingerprinting and background investigation will be completed prior to hire
• Additional duties and full list of Job Description available upon request

The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate a workplace culture of diversity, equity and inclusion without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other non-merit factor.

Applicants with Disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require accommodations or special arrangements due to a qualifying disability, please notify the Recruitment & Selections Services Unit at the time of applications at or  (Maryland Relay 7-1-1). M-NCPPC will make all efforts to reasonably accommodate you.