Nursery Department Manager
Location: Retail Stores (Overland Park, Shawnee, and Liberty)
Reports to: Location Manager
Works With: Department Managers
Leads: Assistant Dept. Managers, Dept. Supervisors, Buyer/Merchandisers, Nursery Team Members
The Nursery Department Manager leads the teams in the Trees and Shrubs and Plant Installers sections, working collaboratively to deliver exceptional service, a core value of Family Tree Nursery. This role requires hands-on leadership, working alongside team members to ensure that processes, products and operations run smoothly and efficiently. Attention to detail, strong vision, and the ability to anticipate future needs of the business are essential for success. The Nursery Department Manager must be innovative, creating new strategies and taking calculated risks in buying decisions to propel the company towards growth. Clear and consistent communication among team members, guests and external venders is vital to this role, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the success of the entire store, not just the department.
The following job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position, and the duties and responsibilities may change without prior notice.
Required Qualifications:
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3+ years of professional and leadership experience in: Horticulture, nursery production, green industry sales, garden center management, or other plant-based industry.
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Possess strong plant knowledge of nursery and perennial plant material.
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Demonstrate a professional and strong sales proficiency of trees and shrubs, perennial plant products and solutions for our guests.
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Understand and possess the ability to direct irrigation, fertilization techniques, and integrated pest management, which may involve the use of chemicals.
Essential Functions:
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Work in varying weather conditions, including hot, humid, cold, wet or dry environments.
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This position routinely requires employees to individually lift, carry, and maneuver heavy or awkward items that may exceed 50 pounds. Employees must use proper lifting techniques, follow all training and safety procedures, and exercise sound judgment when determining whether a load can be handled safely. When an item is too heavy, bulky, or unstable to lift alone, employees are expected to request assistance or use available mechanical aids to prevent injury.
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Work on a variety of surfaces including, but not limited to, gravel, concrete, mud, or dirt.
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Be available to work weekends, evenings, early mornings and holidays.
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Be prepared to work six days a week for at least four months per year. This timeframe includes, but is not limited to, March, April, and May, as well as additional 'flex' months: September and/or November.
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Stand and walk on your feet for multiple hours at a time with breaks as required by law.
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Operate effectively in a high paced setting involving various individuals and teams.
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Possess a strong technological acumen, with Microsoft products and point of sale systems (POS).
Key Expectations:
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Leadership- Lead Trees and Shrubs and Plant Installer teams to achieve a common goal of excellent service, unique shopping experience, aligning the vision, oversight, and leadership of department while supporting the company’s mission, vision, and core values.
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Management- Build, refine and manage core processes involving Nursery Department.
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Accountability- Hold team members accountable to core processes, procedures, and core values.
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Guest Experience- Foster a strong culture of exceptional guest experience by ensuring all guests are greeted and feel welcomed, understood and valued. Address guests with professionalism, solve problems effectively, present sound solutions, and thank them.
Additional Expectations:
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Open and close the location.
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Onboard, train and hold team members accountable to Family Tree Nursery mission, core values and expectations.
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Support and communicate with General Manager, Location Managers, Department Managers, and Nursery Team.
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Assess and oversee the schedule for staffing needs based on business performance.
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Direct and prioritize the departmental daily task lists for the team and ensure completion.
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Assist Location Manager in interviewing and hiring for the department.
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Foster a culture of commitment, urgency and accountability.
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Manage processes and lead team members involving guest relations and services via nursery sales, installations, delivery and special orders.
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Onboard and train team members, ensuring consistency on watering techniques, plant care, daily tasks, etc.
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Maintain cleanliness and safety as a point of attention throughout the location.
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Communicate with HR and location leadership any team member changes, with oversight to all PTO, call-ins and keeping up with all team member records.
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Oversee all communication, ensuring it is done in a timely and professional manner.
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Operate a pallet jack, forklift, skid steer, cart tug or other equipment and vehicles with a clean driving record.
