Planting Design Specialist - Chicago

Description

We’re looking for an experienced, multifaceted individual who is passionate about horticulture and planting design to join our team.  As a planting design specialist, you will work in a collaborative studio environment alongside our team of talented landscape architects, urban designers, and horticulturists. This role will require in-depth site and context analysis, conceptualizing innovative landscape planting designs, compiling representative styling imagery for presentations, sourcing plant material, and directing plant installations.

A successful candidate will be creative, curious, inspired by innovative design and passionate about the ecological, visual and emotional impact plants can have on their surroundings. If you get excited about creating thoughtful designs where nature and architecture intersect, you could be a great fit with our team.

If you are interested in this position, please email Director of HR, Meg Graham at mgraham@hoerrschaudt.com. 

Ideal Candidate

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in landscape architecture from an accredited university OR a degree in horticulture OR experience working for a botanic institution
• Minimum of 3 to 8 years of experience working on planting designs
• Understanding of plant performance across a wide range of plant hardiness zones to accommodate the needs of our project locations
• Knowledge of all layers of plant material in landscapes, structure plants, mid-level and ground plane

Skills and Requirements

• Creative and communicative hand and/or computer graphic abilities to represent planting design concepts
• Excellent organizational skills and strong attention to detail
• Energetic attitude and ability to work well within a team across multiple offices
• Expert in writing and verbal communication skills, particularly with internal team members and clients
• Experience working at a variety of planting scales from large sites to container gardens
• Licensed landscape architect (preferred, but not required)
• Skilled at interpreting plans, providing guidance and making field decisions with respect to planting and layout
• Expertise in plant identification, including woody and herbaceous plants
• Experienced in gardening responsibilities such as maintenance walks and analysis, basic plant care, best horticultural practices, planting, and pruning.
• This position will require the ability to work both inside and outside under various environmental conditions.
• The employee must be able to perform light work with occasional lifting, moving plants and performing physical tasks. 
• This position will require 20 – 30% travel time, which will fluctuate seasonally.
• This position is located in Chicago.