Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations
Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia
Salary Range: $84601 - $131826 Per Year
Job Summary: The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. This position is located in the Smithsonian Gardens (SG) within the Smithsonian Institution (SI). Smithsonian Gardens is a recognized collections unit which manages collections of garden artifacts, living plants and the Archives of American Gardens.
Major Duties:
Qualifications: Basic Requirement: (You must submit unofficial school transcripts) 1. Degree: horticulture; or a related discipline of basic plant science that included at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, of which at least 16 semester hours were in horticultural subjects such as those dealing with the breeding, care, management, production, and post harvest handling of horticultural crops. OR 2. Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in horticulture or a related discipline of basic plant science that included course work as shown above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Evaluation of Education: Courses in botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, horticulture, and similar courses may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in basic plant sciences. The 16-semester-hour requirement in horticulture includes course work in basic horticulture and course work related to any of the recognized subject-matter fields of horticulture, i.e., fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, nursery work, seed production, or course work in related areas of science, such as micro-biology, entomology, plant pathology, plant physiology, or genetics that is directly related to horticultural work In addition to the basic qualification requirement above: GS-11: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as providing oversight of and performing horticulturist duties in a public garden, commercial landscape or nursery setting. Those duties must include assigning tasks and managing the daily operations for a horticulture staff; collaborating with gardening and landscape architecture professionals to plan, execute, and complete horticultural projects; and providing oversight for a horticultural program. Or Education 3 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph. d. degree or Ph. d. or equivalent doctoral degree. Or a Combination: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. For a full explanation of this option please see the Qualification Standards. Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. GS-12: You qualify for this position if you possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal Service or comparable pay band system. For this position specialized experience is defined as providing oversight of and performing horticulturist duties in a public garden, commercial landscape or nursery setting. Those duties must include assigning tasks and managing the daily operations for a horticulture staff; collaborating with gardening and landscape architecture professionals to plan, execute, and complete horticultural projects; providing oversight for a horticultural program; and establishing and analyzing policies and procedures for a horticultural program. Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.
How to Apply: Click on the "Apply Online" button on the upper right side of the page. Please Note: You must apply for this position online through the 'Apply Online' button and submit required supplemental documents (if they are relevant to you). Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages. You may submit required documents by uploading them online during the application process; OR You may manually fax required documents. Faxes are received by an automated system, not a physical fax machine. Documents that are faxed as part of the application process must be sent with the system generated cover sheet by the closing date. Documents faxed without the system generated coversheet are not retrievable and cannot be considered as part of the application package. The complete application package, including any required documents, is due in the Smithsonian Office of Human Resources on the closing date of the announcement by 11:59 PM Eastern Time. If you are unable to apply online, paper applications may be accepted with prior approval of the Contact Person listed below.
Application Deadline: 2025-12-26