Horticulturist

Full Job Description

This position is located in Fort Donelson National Battlefield, in the Facility Maintenance Division. Open to the first 100 applicants or until 03/17/2026 whichever comes first.

All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration. Requirements Continued...

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized.

In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement 03/17/2026 unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience.

To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST clearly indicate the nature of the duties and responsibilities for each position, starting and ending dates of employment (month/year), and the resume must reflect full and/or part-time or total number of hours worked (i.e., work 40+ hours a week, rather than indicating full-time).

If part-time, the hours must be annotated to be able to pro-rate the amount of qualified specialized experience.

Basic Requirements: Candidates who do not meet one of the basic requirements listed below by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

Degree: Successful completion of a full four-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in a major such as 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.

You must include a copy of your transcripts.

-OR- Combination of education and experience: 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.

You must include a copy of your transcripts.

-AND- In addition to the Basic Requirements as listed above, to qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors).

This experience includes activities such as: nursery work that required the growing and maintenance of plants in a controlled environment; professional work involving the care of a historic orchard and surrounding historic landscape; propagation and cultivation of a variety of trees including planting, grafting, pruning, transplanting; caring for very old trees; providing public information concerning historic landscapes; independently performing a wide range of orchard, field, gardening work using various hand and mechanical tools and equipment.

You must include hours per week worked.

-OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a major such as botany, plant physiology, plant taxonomy, plant pathology, genetics, agronomy, and/or horticulture.

You must include a copy of your transcripts. -OR- Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above.

To compute this percentage, first divide the total months of qualifying experience by 12.

Then divide the number of completed graduate-level education semester hours of education (that are in excess of 18 semester hours) by 18.

Add the two percentages together; the total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. NOTE: Only graduate-level education in excess of one-year may be used to qualify for this position.

You must include a copy of your transcripts.

Volunteer 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. Major Duties:

Serves as team coordinator and provides hands on professional care and improvements to the Fort Donelson National Cemetery, a unit of the Fort Donelson National Battlefield, conducting horticultural and activities, consulting and interacting with team members, other preservation and conservation professionals, and inter-national park teams.

Assists in development and implementation of a Preservation Maintenance Plan for Fort Donelson National Cemetery that defines preservation objectives and an annual calendar of maintenance activities and task descriptions.

Consults with program manager and natural and cultural resource teams for specific project needs, funding, and scheduling.

Keeps records of maintenance activities and evaluates effectiveness of landscape maintenance operation. Coordinates with all park programs for shared support and success.

This is a term position (more than 1 year) with an initial appointment expecting to last at least 13 months but may be extended up to a total of ten years, or more based on any changes to regulations governing the number of years term appointments may last, without further competition.

Term positions do not convey permanent status in the Federal service.

The National Park Service retains the right to extend the duration of this appointment after selection and/or appointment, based on changes to the regulation governing the number of years term appointments may last.

This change, which may be made at the agency's sole discretion and without further competition, shall not be construed or interpreted as the granting of a right to a selectee or employee to such an extension.

No extension to a term appointment shall be granted to a selectee/employee to an amount of time that exceeds the maximum number of years authorized under any present or current regulation, unless such regulation expressly allows such action.