Reports to: Garden & Operations Manager
Team/Department: Garden Operations
Direct Reports: None; leads Fine Gardeners in the field
Location & Schedule: On-site at client gardens across San Francisco and the Peninsula (Woodside and Los Altos north to San Francisco), with occasional visits to North Bay and East Bay gardens (about 2-4 times a month). Full-time, Monday–Friday daytime hours; no weekends or holidays. Own reliable vehicle required.
Compensation: 35–40 per hour, depending on experience, plus paid travel time between job sites, mileage reimbursement, a travel stipend, and bridge tolls. Benefits include a 401(k) plan (launching January 2027) and paid sick leave. Eligible to be considered for a salaried position after a successful 90-day introductory period.
Who We Are
California Wild Natives is a Bay Area fine gardening, garden design, and garden management company. We use sustainable practices to create beautiful gardens while minimizing our ecological impact, with a focus on California native plants, healthy soil, and biodiversity. We care for residential gardens from the Peninsula to San Francisco and beyond, and we treat every garden as a long-term partnership with the people who live with it.
Our team is small, women-led, and made up of horticulturists who take real pride in their work. As we grow and welcome new clients, we're adding an experienced Garden Manager to lead garden care in the field.
What We're Looking For
The Garden Manager is a senior, hands-on horticultural professional who can step into any of our gardens and run it: setting priorities for the day, leading and teaching our Fine Gardeners, and making sure every garden meets Wild Natives' standards. Reporting to the Garden & Operations Manager, you'll be the in-field supervisor the team relies on when she isn't on site, working side by side with the crew rather than managing from a distance.
Success in this role takes strong horticultural skills (pruning, plant ID, irrigation, soils, and plant health) paired with the leadership, communication, and judgment to guide a crew and balance efficiency with quality. The ideal candidate sees horticulture as a career and is motivated by sustainability and native ecology.
The ideal candidate is someone who:
- Can confidently run a garden on their own, from priorities to finished work
- Enjoys teaching and helps newer gardeners build their skills
- Has a sharp eye for detail and holds a high bar for quality
- Communicates clearly and keeps their manager informed
- Thrives on a collaborative, women-led team
- Cares deeply about native plants, sustainability, and the environment
What You'll Do
Garden Leadership & Quality Control
- Oversee the care and maintenance of assigned client gardens, making sure each one consistently meets Wild Natives' quality standards.
- Set daily priorities and organize garden tasks, balancing efficiency with quality.
- Identify and solve horticultural issues involving plant health, irrigation, soil, pests, and disease.
- Conduct regular quality checks and recommend garden improvements to management.
Crew Leadership & Training
- Lead and mentor Fine Gardeners in the field, serving as the on-site lead when the Garden & Operations Manager is not present.
- Provide hands-on training in pruning, planting, irrigation, plant identification, tool use, and safety.
- Support onboarding of new team members and share feedback on their development.
- Foster a positive, collaborative, and accountable team culture.
Advanced Horticultural Work
- Perform and oversee detailed pruning of trees, shrubs, perennials, and native plant communities.
- Program and adjust irrigation timers, and troubleshoot and repair irrigation systems in the field.
- Assess and improve soil health, and diagnose plant health concerns and treatment options.
- Lead planting projects, garden renovations, and seasonal improvements.
Operations & Communication
- Track tasks and projects in Asana and Google Drive, and communicate updates to managers in a timely way.
- Share garden observations and recommendations professionally, with clients as needed.
- Keep tools, materials, vehicles, and equipment maintained and organized, and flag site material needs.
- Help with seasonal planning and workload management.
Immediate Priorities (First 90 Days)
In the first 90 days, the Garden Manager will focus on:
- Learning Wild Natives' gardens, clients' priorities, and our quality standards.
- Independently managing assigned gardens, so that entry-level gardeners always have experienced leadership on site.
- Building strong working relationships with the Garden & Operations Manager and the Fine Gardening team.
- Getting comfortable with our task-tracking tools and communication routines.
What Success Looks Like
- Gardens are healthy, beautiful, and consistently meet Wild Natives' standards.
- Fine Gardeners grow their skills and confidence under your leadership.
- The Garden & Operations Manager can count on you to run gardens independently.
- Work is efficient, well organized, and clearly communicated.
- Clients are happy with the care their gardens receive.
Requirements
Who You Are
Must-Have Experience & Skills
- At least 2 years of professional gardening, fine gardening, or landscape maintenance experience (home gardening does not count toward this requirement).
- Experience leading, supervising, or training other gardeners in the field.
- Formal horticultural training, such as an associate or bachelor's program, a certificate, or continuing education coursework.
- Intermediate-to-advanced pruning skills and strong plant identification.
- Working knowledge of hand tools and power equipment.
- Irrigation experience, including programming timers and making field repairs.
- Understanding of soil health and of plant pests, diseases, and treatment options.
- Strong attention to detail, communication, time management, and problem-solving skills.
- Valid driver's license and your own reliable vehicle (job sites aren't easily reached by public transit).
- Able to lift and carry up to 50 lbs, work outdoors in all weather, and do frequent bending, kneeling, lifting, and reaching.
Preferred Experience & Skills
- Knowledge of California native plants and ecological gardening practices.
- Experience caring for high-end residential gardens.
- Irrigation certification or advanced irrigation experience.
- Bilingual, especially in Spanish.
- Experience with Asana and Google Drive.
- Living in San Francisco or on the Peninsula.
Mindset & Work Style
The ideal candidate will be:
- Accountable, taking ownership of tasks and outcomes
- Collaborative and respectful of the varied skills on our team
- A patient, generous teacher
- Organized and self-directed
- Committed to sustainability and native ecology
- Looking to grow a long-term career in horticulture
What Makes This Role Exciting
This is a chance to lead in the field at a growing, values-driven company that puts ecology first. You'll care for a wide variety of beautiful gardens, shape how our crew learns and works, and have real room to grow, including the opportunity to move into a salaried position.
You'll join a supportive, collaborative team of horticulturists who share a deep appreciation for the environment and take pride in the gardens we create together.
Equal Opportunity Statement
California Wild Natives is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture and encourage applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. Qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.