Assistant director of public

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Come Grow with Us!

While the collections are the glories of Queens Botanical Garden, its core strength lies in its human resources. QBG counts its staff among its greatest assets.

QBG welcomes individuals interested in pursuing professional opportunities in all aspects, and at all levels, of botanical garden operations, from visitor services and education, to horticulture, security, and administration. If you enjoy sharing your knowledge and expertise with colleagues, appreciate working with the public, and are eager to learn and grow, we invite you to join QBG’s team.

This page is updated regularly as openings on staff become available, so be sure to check back often. Join our Talent Community to be considered for current and future openings . Former employees with an existing applicant account must contact [email protected] to apply.

MISSION

Updated by Board of Trustees on December 15, 2009

Queens Botanical Garden is an urban oasis where people, plants and cultures are celebrated through inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs, and demonstrations of environmental stewardship.

Queens Botanical Garden (QBG) is a private non-profit cultural institution located on 39 acres of New York City public land in Flushing, New York. In FY25, the Garden served approximately 259,000 visitors, including 21,560 schoolchildren. A recently completed visitor survey reveals that 45% of visitors speak a language other than English at home. This fact underscores the importance of the mission and the challenges and opportunities QBG faces daily in creating programs, exhibits and landscapes that serve the needs of people who live in and visit one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the nation. The Garden has committed itself to addressing the complex and ever-changing needs of its diverse community and to being the place where people, plants, and cultures meet.

Assistant Director of Public Programs (Full-Time/Exempt)

About This Opportunity

The Assistant Director (AD) of Public Programs is responsible for the strong organizational and communication skills to manage all aspects of public programming. The specific charge of the position is the creation, coordination, and implementation of visitor-friendly and engaging mission-driven public programs. The AD will ensure that programs reflect the mission and public programming vision of QBG, attract diverse audiences of all ages, and are guided by its long-range plan to increase and drive visitation to the Garden. The AD must be a strategic thinker, build external partnerships easily, and be an effective communicator across all departments.

Public Programs Vision

The Queens Botanical Garden’s vision is to be a leading cultural, educational, and environmental resource with dynamic programming that reflects the diversity of our audiences in an accessible, engaging, and welcoming way, and that celebrates nature, arts, culture and the history of our community in this unique garden setting.

Responsibilities

• Effectively curate and produce public programs in various genres and scales (e.g. workshops, demonstrations, performances, exhibitions, lectures, festivals and community events, etc.) that reflect QBG’s mission and public programming vision; plan for expanded programming as new Education Center opens
• Lead the planning, execution, evaluation, and reporting of all public programming
• Direct and manage event and related staffing including instructors, volunteer groups, and other QBG staff
• Supervise interns
• Collaborate with various internal departments (Visitor Services, Development, Marketing, Security, Horticulture, and Education) to strategize long-term programming strategies and vision
• Help integrate Compost, Education, Visitors Service and Farm programs and activities into the planning of garden-wide public programs
• Lead regular interdepartmental committee meetings around public programming and gallery curation
• Manage Public Programs budget, track expenses and revenue for all events; meet revenue goals
• Handle expense reconciliations including management and reconciliation of public programs credit card
• Assist Marketing and Development staff to seek sponsorship and funding opportunities
• Develop and sustain partnerships with local organizations, artists, and vendors
• Serve as public face for the Garden at events, provide press interviews and information, and represent the Garden at community meetings when needed
• Collect and track appropriate data to assess program needs and areas and improvements, and make necessary adjustments, this might include surveys
• Collaborate with Marketing, Education, and Interpretation staff on materials and signage related to programs and exhibitions
• Work with Marketing to develop and support implementation of outreach strategies to increase attendance and participation in program offerings
• Write and compile program descriptions for marketing purposes
• May serve as manager in charge on occasional weekends
• Assist with other garden wide initiatives
• Supervise relevant staff

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in education, the Arts, Museum Studies, Environmental Studies, or related fields
• Seven or more years of professional experience creating public programs +/or education programs
• Event planning and execution experience, especially in public spaces, cultural institutions, botanical gardens or related spaces
• Supervisory experience required
• Outstanding interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills
• Have great attention to detail, highly organized with effective project management and problem solving skills
• Ability to work collaboratively and effectively with others in other departments
• Previous experience managing a budget, tracking revenue and expenses, and running reports
• Knowledge of botanical gardens, horticulture, art and culture
• Bilingual language skills a plus (especially Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, or Korean)
• Demonstrated ability to create and implement systems
• Artistic, building, and/or decorating skills a plus
• Commitment to DEIA values and practices
• Requires the ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the campus for extended periods
• Must be capable of lifting and carrying objects weighing up to 25 pounds regularly, and occasionally up to 50 pounds with assistance

Schedule & Salary

This is a full-time exempt position with weekly on-site work and some flexibility to work remotely. Benefits offered include excellent medical, vision, dental and life insurance, generous PTO, paid holidays, employee discounts, access to the Museums Council pass, which grants free admission to various museums and cultural institutions, pension and other retirement savings plans. The schedule for this position often includes weekend days and occasional evenings when key programming takes place.

Salary: $73,000 – $77,000

For consideration, please submit your resume, cover letter, and any relevant documents via our Career Center.

If you encounter difficulties with uploading documents to the portal, please send via email to Human Resources at [email protected].