Manager of Adult Programs

Job Description

The Houston Botanic Garden is seeking a Manager of Adult Programs who will be responsible for
developing, coordinating, and implementing programmatic initiatives geared to the adult audience. This
role will manage existing programs and determine growth areas, as well as oversee aspects of Garden-wide
programs that have educational components, such as special exhibitions – like Habitat, which is currently
on view – while developing new replicable, scalable, and profitable programs for adult audiences. These
include, but are not limited to, Garden-wide special events, exhibitions, interpretive signage, and off-site
programs.

The Manager of Adult Programs is expected to co-create programming with the community, building external
relationships and strengthening existing partnerships.

The successful candidate will be smart, intuitive, creative, resourceful, innovative, team-oriented, and
forward-thinking, with a proven record of success in designing and managing events, projects, or programs.
The position is full-time and contributes to advancing the Garden’s educational mission and excellence in
guest services.
The Manager of Adult Programs reports to the Director of Communication and Community Engagement.

About Us

The mission of the Houston Botanic Garden is to enrich life through discovery, education, and conservation
of plants and the natural environment. The Garden is building an organization and a staff to welcome
guests to its world-class botanic garden, which opened in the fall of 2020, and to inspire people to love
plants and be good stewards of the natural world.

Duties & Responsibilities

Job Responsibilities:
– Develop and implement programs and events that are mission-appropriate, innovative, experiential,
cost-effective, and often co-created with our diverse community partners.
– Collaborate internally with peer departments to discuss, plan and execute oversight of adult
programming activities.
– Assists Garden-wide exhibitions, including but not limited to, developing and reviewing exhibition
layout, label content, docent training, and guest tours.
– Ensures accuracy and consistency of the design, content, and production of interpretation-related
materials for exhibits and programming, including, but not limited to, written program descriptions,
interpretive signage, blog posts, and promotional signage.
– Works with Community Engagement to coordinate, plan, and facilitate adult garden tours
– Coordinates with external partners, artists, and vendors, including negotiating and writing
MOUs/agreements, processing purchase orders, and facilitating day-of details.
– With staff and volunteer support, coordinates and facilitates on and off-site programs and events with
community partners, often on weekends.
– Collaborates with the Director of Communications and Community Engagement on promoting
events and programs.
– Monitor and assess effectiveness of adult programs by creating and tracking metrics regarding
program attendance, feedback, ROI, etc.; report out to senior leadership as requested.
– Fosters teamwork and mentors staff and volunteers by modeling best practices alongside them.
– Other duties as assigned

Education and Experience

Qualifications and Experience Requirements:
– BA or BS degree; a combination of education and equivalent experience may be considered.
– Experience in interpretive education models.
– Prior experience in a botanical garden, cultural, or nature-based non-profit given preferential ranking.
– A minimum of 3 years of successful experience managing programs, projects, or special events.
– Demonstrated experience in reaching, welcoming, and including a diversity of audiences in program
development.
– Proficiency working with graphic design, ticketing, and website software – including, but not
limited to, Adobe InDesign, Canva, Tessitura, and WordPress – is given preferential ranking.
– Excellent written and oral communication skills
– Proficiency in conversational Spanish is desirable.

Additional Information

Physical Demands / Working Conditions
– Must be able to move throughout the 132-acre Garden property, as needed.
– Must be able to work outdoors in all weather conditions including heat, cold, wind, and humidity.
– Must be able to sit, stand, walk, stoop, kneel, crawl, reach, push, pull, lift, grasp, feel, and utilize
repetitive motions for prolonged periods of time.
– Must be comfortable working in immediate proximity to the general public in a safe and friendly
manner.

Position Details
– Annual salary range of $50,000 – $55,000 depending on experience
– Full-time salaried position
– Flexed schedule, some evenings and frequent weekends required
– Some remote work allowed after successful probationary period is met.

Benefits
Medical, dental, and vision insurance, retirement savings match, short term disability, long term disability,
and life insurance available.

Application Instructions

Application Procedure
Interested candidates should send a resume and cover letter to hr@hbg.org. We will contact those candidates
who most closely match our requirements. Resumes submitted via alternate methods will not be
considered.