Program and Operations Manager

Program and Operations Manager

The Horticultural Society of New York seeks a motivated, creative, and people-focused Program and Operations Manager to lead the Public Space Program. The heart of this role is overseeing, managing, and coaching the staff and HORTNYC trainees who work in public spaces throughout New York City, fostering their growth and development while ensuring strong, day-to-day operations. As a key member of the management team, the Program and Operations Manager helps shape both the spaces and the people who maintain them, aligning with The Hort’s mission. The ideal candidate is passionate about creating welcoming public spaces, skilled in people management, has a sense of humor, and committed to cultivating meaningful connections with staff and communities while supporting the Open Streets initiative.

The mission of The Horticultural Society of New York is to improve human lives through horticulture. Our social service and public programs create green spaces in all neighborhoods as a vital part of social infrastructure, train people for jobs that grow and sustain green communities, and develop fresh approaches to improve New Yorkers’ health, well-being, and environment through horticulture.

Responsibilities

Staff and HORTNYC Trainee Supervision

• Daily supervision of staff and HORTNYC trainees working in Public Space
• Serve as first point of contact for staff and trainee questions, concerns, and scheduling conflicts.
• Provide in-field training to Public Space staff and trainee
• Support staff and trainee through recruitment, hiring, and retention efforts
• With the support of HR, manage individual issues for staff and trainees including time management, technology, interpersonal conflicts, communication and move issue to disciplinary performance management as needed
• Support staff and trainees in orientation, daily operations, and training days

Public Space Operations

• Support and implement new systems to improve Public Space daily operations
• Track metrics to measure impact of staff and trainees working in Public Space
• Ensure site operations are completed including barrier setup and breakdown, furniture setup and breakdown, and maintenance
• Provide feedback and support the development of in-field operations
• Administrative support, including tracking attendance, timesheets, scheduling, and other relevant communicating paperwork, communicating via email, and maintaining up-to-date reports and logs

Other

• Participate in Professional Development as offered and directed
• Support onsite events and programming
• Assist with pre-approved event tasks during assigned work hours
• Other tasks as assigned

Required Qualifications

• 1-2 years professional experience managing staff at multiple work sites
• Experience managing staff who faced barriers to employment (e.g., justice involvement, housing insecurity, long-term unemployment)
• The ability to handle sensitive and confidential information
• Demonstrated skill in addressing staff concerns and supporting performance management processes when needed
• Excellent communication and coordination skills, including ability to ability to engage teams working in decentralized or offsite environments
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple projects and priorities at once
• Timely responsiveness to work-related communications during scheduled work hours, as defined by management
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines
• Willingness and availability to work evenings and weekends as needed
• Ability to maintain a consistent presence across both in-office and on-site work locations

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual (English/Spanish preferred)
• Degree or equivalent work experience with a focus on social work, social services, or mental health.
• Experience working with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams), Paychex Flex, Zuper, or Open Phone a plus
• Knowledge of NYC neighborhoods a plus

Physical Requirements

The employee may need to lift and/or move up to 40 pounds. The role requires comfort with public transportation and working outside in various weather conditions. The Program and Operations Manager must also be comfortable working seated at a desk and on a computer for prolonged periods.

Benefits

The Hort offers all Full-Time regular employees a generous Paid Time Off package, term life insurance policy, and Employee Assistance Program. Pre-tax benefits include transit, Flexible Spending Account, medical, dental, and vision insurance. A 401(k)-retirement plan is available after one year of service.

Additional Details

Salary Range: $64,350-$66,300

Employment Classification: Full-Time Regular Exempt

Reports to: Director of Public Space

Shift: Wednesday- Sunday 7:00 AM- 3:00 PM

How to Apply

To be considered, click here to submit your application and required materials. Only complete applications will be reviewed. No phone calls.

Please be advised that due to the high volume of applicants, we can only contact candidates whose skills and background best fit the needs of the open positions. We appreciate your interest in employment opportunities at The Horticultural Society of New York.  

The Hort is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. It is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, political orientation or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local law.

We provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available for these individuals during the hiring process. Please email jobs@thehort.org should you require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process.

Benefits

The Hort offers all Full-Time regular employees a generous Paid Time Off package, term life insurance policy, and Employee Assistance Program. Pre-tax benefits include transit, Flexible Spending Account, medical, dental, and vision insurance. A 401(k)-retirement plan is available after one year of service.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual (English/Spanish preferred)