Associate Curator

Location Type: Not Specified

 

Job Type

Full-time

Description

Position Title: Associate Curator

Hours: Full-time (35-hour workweek); Onsite presence required daily

Role Classification: Regular with Benefits

Exemption: Exempt

Reports to: Curator & Conservation Lead

Salary: $100,000-$120,000

ABOUT THE GARDENS OF GOLDEN GATE PARK

The mission of Gardens of Golden Gate Park is to connect people to plants, the planet, and each other. Gardens of Golden Gate Park is a public/private partnership between the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department (RPD) and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (SFBGS) to jointly operate the Conservatory of Flowers, Japanese Tea Garden, and San Francisco Botanical Garden. A Lease & Management Agreement between RPD and SFBGS, approved by both the Recreation & Park Commission and the Board of Supervisors, sets the terms of the partnership. The agreement is a cooperative management agreement that outlines the roles and responsibilities for each partner. Key areas of responsibility for SFBGS include volunteer engagement, education, visitor experience, philanthropy, membership, marketing, and other functions. RPD is responsible for horticulture and facility management and maintenance, master planning and capital improvements conducted with SFBGS, and other functions. Together, RPD and SFBGS collaborate on collections management within the Gardens.

The Conservatory of Flowers is a national, state, and local landmark and a place of exceptional beauty. Built in 1879, the Conservatory was the first formal structure erected in Golden Gate Park and remains an internationally renowned icon, displaying and cultivating unusual plants to heighten awareness of the pressing need to preserve threatened rainforest environments.

The Japanese Tea Garden is the oldest operating public Japanese garden in North America. This garden provides visitors from around the world with an opportunity to experience the natural beauty, tranquility, and harmony of a Japanese-style garden and was originally created as an exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition.

San Francisco Botanical Garden opened in 1940 and is a 55-acre living museum within Golden Gate Park, showcasing 8,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. San Francisco’s oceanic climate with cool dry summers, mild wet winters, and presence of fog allows the Garden to grow a diverse array of species from around the world.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Associate Curator is the lead steward of plant records and digital mapping at the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, guiding the systems that document, track, and interpret a worldclass living collection. This role oversees the accuracy and accessibility of collections data across three historic gardens, informing horticultural and conservation decision making, interpretation, and meaningful visitor engagement. Working at the intersection of horticulture, collections management, digital technology, education and institutional planning, the Associate Curator collaborates widely across departments to strengthen data standards, streamline workflows, and shape how the Gardens’ living collections are understood, managed and interpreted.

In this role, the Associate Curator supervises the Plant Collections Assistant and leads volunteers and interns engaged in collections projects, fostering a culture of service, curiosity, accuracy, and innovation. Reporting to the Curator & Conservation Lead, this position plays a pivotal part in advancing the Gardens’ long-term vision-elevating the plant records program, enhancing internal and public-facing tools, and ensuring the living collections are thoroughly documented and accessible to staff, researchers, and visitors alike. Through thoughtful data stewardship, dynamic mapping, and collaborative problem-solving, the Associate Curator helps bring the Gardens’ collections to life and strengthens their role in conservation, education, and inspiration.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage and maintain the IrisBG plant records database and ArcGIS Online/ArcGIS Pro, ensuring accurate records, maps, inventories, tags, and labels; oversee integration between systems and keep the IrisBG Garden Explorer web portal current.
• Collect, verify, and reconcile field data for plants and objects, using GNSS (Trimble) as needed; ensure all source, planting, and taxonomic information is accurate and aligned with living collections. Make recommendations regarding updated taxonomy and records changes.
• Organize, catalog, and maintain historic and interpretive information, including stories, images, structures, and maps for the Japanese Tea Garden and other collections.
• Develop and refine workflows, training and quality-control processes following curatorial best practices to maintain consistent and accessible data.
• Identify plants across diverse families, assess plant health, and monitor for pests, diseases, and invasive species risks. Develop relationships with taxonomic experts as needed.
• Manage, train, and support the Plant Collections Assistant, volunteers, and interns; coordinate project priorities, schedules, and training.
• Oversee all aspects of labeling, including accurate nomenclature, fabrication, supplies, equipment maintenance, and system improvements.
• Maintain and troubleshoot IrisBG, ArcGIS, Adobe Creative Cloud, and related software; coordinate updates, licenses, technical functionality, and serve as the primary institutional contact for software vendors.
• Manage and maintain the IrisBG plant records database and ArcGIS Online/ArcGIS Pro, ensuring accurate records, maps, inventories, tags, and labels; oversee integration between systems and keep the IrisBG Garden Explorer web portal current.
• Collect, verify, and reconcile field data for plants and objects, using GNSS (Trimble) as needed; ensure all source, planting, and taxonomic information is accurate and aligned with living collections. Make recommendations regarding updated taxonomy and records changes.
• Organize, catalog, and maintain historic and interpretive information, including stories, images, structures, and maps for the Japanese Tea Garden and other collections.
• Develop and refine workflows, training and quality-control processes following curatorial best practices to maintain consistent and accessible data.
• Identify plants across diverse families, assess plant health, and monitor for pests, diseases, and invasive species risks. Develop relationships with taxonomic experts as needed.
• Manage, train, and support the Plant Collections Assistant, volunteers, and interns; coordinate project priorities, schedules, and training.
• Oversee all aspects of labeling, including accurate nomenclature, fabrication, supplies, equipment maintenance, and system improvements.
• Maintain and troubleshoot IrisBG, ArcGIS, Adobe Creative Cloud, and related software; coordinate updates, licenses, technical functionality, and serve as the primary institutional contact for software vendors.

Requirements

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum three years of experience in plant collections management, plant databases, botanical records, and field inventory research, including hands-on work with ArcGIS Online/ArcGIS Pro.
• Strong plant identification skills across diverse taxa (ideally including tropical species), and applied botanical knowledge for maintaining accurate nomenclature, assessing plant health, and evaluating invasive potential.
• Understanding of curatorial and conservation best practices, including data standards, workflow development, and quality control.
• Exceptional organizational, administrative, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to meticulously manage details while aligning with organizational mission and goals.
• Excellent time management abilities, including assessing operations, identifying efficiencies, and adapting priorities as needs evolve.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build collaborative relationships, provide training, and support a positive team environment.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, exercising sound judgment, initiative, and discretion with sensitive information.
• High level of professionalism and a genuine interest in learning about and supporting the Gardens.

Preferred Qualifications Include:

• Experience with IrisBG, Garden Explorer, Adobe Creative Cloud (especially Illustrator), and Microsoft Office suite.
• ArcGIS administration (feature services, web maps, dashboards, mobile workflows, Field Maps, basemaps, editing workflows) and experience with GNSS data collection.
• Experience conducting taxonomic verification, strong knowledge of plant biology and horticultural care for a diverse group of plants.
• One year or more of supervisory experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Botany, Plant Science, or related field.
• Familiarity with collections relevant to Mediterranean climates, cloud forests, tropics, and other collections held by the Gardens.
• Experience creating interpretive materials.

ADDITIONAL EXPECTATIONS

• Ability to work outdoors in various weather conditions, inside a tropical conservatory, and indoors in a shared office setting.
• Must be able to engage in a range of physical motions including standing or sitting at a desk or computer, walking on uneven surfaces, crouching, bending, squatting, kneeling, digging, climbing stairs and a ladder, working with arms outstretched or overhead.
• Lift and/or move up to 10 pounds regularly and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to use and maintain necessary tools and equipment safely and effectively.
• Willingness to work/engage with diverse staff, volunteers and the public.
• An onsite presence is required Monday – Friday with occasional work on weekends, evenings and holidays.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND TO APPLY: Complete application with attached cover letter at https://recruiting.paylocity.com/recruiting/jobs/All/99885d66-fdde-45ea-b169-b55cfb505be0/Gardens-of-Golden-Gate-Park

Gardens of Golden Gate Park is an equal opportunity employer and encourages candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, genetic information, or any other category protected by law.

Salary Description

$100,000 – $120,000