Botanical Gardens and Grounds Senior Project Manager

About Us At The Huntington, we believe that having a team of diverse backgrounds and voices working together will enable us to support and promote the appreciation of the humanities, the arts, and botanical science. The Huntington is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities regardless of race, religious creed, color, national origin, disability, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by local, state or federal law. The Huntington Founded in 1919, The Huntington is a collections-based research and educational institution open to the public, housing world-class library, art, and botanical collections. Its mission is to support research and promote education in the arts, humanities, and botanical science and to display and interpret its extraordinary resources for diverse audiences. The Culture Here we are committed to the highest of standards in all that we do - from preserving and protecting the collections, to exhibitions, educational and scholarly programming, visitor and reader services, and beyond. Achieving excellence across these pursuits requires a diversity of perspectives, expertise, experience, and methodologies. At The Huntington, our organizational Culture is shaped by the following core values: Intellectual curiosity, Collaboration, Stewardship, Belonging, and Integrity. Intellectual Curiosity: Knowledge, lifelong learning, and a spirit of inquiry are at the core of our mission and organizational culture. Collaboration: Teamwork and a collaborative attitude are important at all levels of The Huntington. We foster relationships internally among our departments and externally with organizations throughout the community. Stewardship: We are committed to the care and development of our collections, our financial and physical resources, our staff, and our community. Belonging: We strive to attract and maintain a workforce of individuals with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives. Our organizational culture promotes a sense of welcome, inclusion, and connection. Integrity: We value respect and honesty, working to fulfill our mission with honor and ethical principles. Job Description About the Role The Botanical Gardens and Grounds Senior Project Manager is a strategic and visionary leader responsible for the planning, design, and execution of high-impact landscape and site development initiatives across Huntington's historic gardens and grounds. Serving as the primary liaison for institutional landscape planning, this role ensures that all projects reflect and advance The Huntington's mission, horticultural excellence, and its long-range site vision. Reporting to the Director of the Botanical Gardens, the Senior Project Manager is a pivotal member of the Botanical leadership team and works with Huntington leadership to implement the Comprehensive Physical Plan, shepherding a portfolio of projects that includes new garden installations, landscape renovations, garden and grounds infrastructure enhancements, and circulation and wayfinding improvements. This role also fosters environmental sustainability, accessibility, and visual coherence across The Huntington's evolving landscapes. With a sophisticated design sensibility and expertise in landscape architecture, the Senior Project Manager will demonstrate exceptional acumen in cross-functional project leadership, institutional planning, and ecological stewardship, ensuring each initiative reinforces the legacy, aesthetic coherence, and operational excellence of The Huntington's living collections and grounds. The role requires superior communication skills and the ability to lead with clarity, diplomacy, and influence. As a Huntington botanical division representative to board members, senior leadership, public agencies, and community stakeholders, the Senior Project Manager must navigate complex planning landscapes while preserving the historical and botanical integrity of the institution. Essential Duties: Provide project leadership in the conceptualization, planning, and delivery of landscape and Botanical infrastructure projects in alignment with The Huntington's goals and long-range Comprehensive Physical Plan. Work closely with Facilities, Operations, and Capital Programs to oversee and lead cross-functional coordination, ensuring timely and on-budget delivery of complex landscape and site improvement projects. Develop and steward high-impact project portfolios, including landscape renovations, garden installations, and Botanical infrastructure modernization. Manage design concepts, construction documents, specifications, budgets, and project timelines in collaboration with internal stakeholders and external consultants. Drive institutional excellence in design execution, regulatory compliance, and risk management across all physical planning and construction activities. Advance the planning and implementation of accessible and sustainable circulation and wayfinding systems - including pedestrian pathways and signage - across the gardens and grounds, in coordination with the Communications and Marketing team and other departments to ensure alignment with institutional branding, user experience standards, and ADA compliance. Partner with Facilities and appropriate departments to select site-appropriate landscape elements, including lighting, irrigation, signage, furnishings, and hardscape materials. Direct multidisciplinary project task forces to define scope and design criteria, lead site analyses (e.g., drainage, grading, ecology), manage consultant contracts, evaluate technical reports, and guide decision-making processes. Lead processes to prepare bid documents, manage consultant RFPs, and provide contract and institutional recommendations to senior leadership. Ensure all projects adhere to the institution's aesthetic and historic landscape standards, horticultural best-practices, and regulatory requirements. Contribute to strategic planning and prioritization for the long-term vision of the Botanical Gardens and Huntington landscapes, integrating ecological and climate-responsive design principles. Lead the Botanical planning team, including supervising the Botanical Project Manager by establishing and promoting project management best practices, while fostering staff development and organizational effectiveness. Provide positive and strategic leadership to foster a collaborative, inclusive work environment. Champion alignment across diverse groups to drive shared goals, ensuring cohesive project execution and high-performing team dynamics throughout the project lifecycle. Maintain authoritative digital records of the institution's physical assets of the Botanical Department, ensuring all site plans, AutoCAD documents, and GIS-based mapping systems are up-to-date, accurate, and aligned with current and future development goals. Candidate Experience & Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in landscape architecture. Master's degree in landscape architecture preferred. Minimum of 10 years of progressively senior experience in landscape architecture, site planning, and institutional capital-level project leadership. Demonstrated success managing multiple complex, high-profile design and landscape construction projects within cultural or mission-driven institutions. Proven ability to manage complex interdisciplinary teams, schedules, and budgets across multiple concurrent projects. Strong command of design software including AutoCAD, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), and GIS tools. High attention to aesthetic detail and quality of deliverables and built outcomes. Deep understanding of Southern California plant ecology, horticultural curation, and climate-responsive landscape design. Superior written, verbal, and visual communication skills with the ability to articulate complex information to diverse internal and external audiences. Working knowledge of horticultural curation and its integration into designed landscapes. Licensure as a Landscape Architect in California preferred, or the ability to obtain licensure within 16 months of hire Working Conditions Flexibility to work in the field and remotely during appointments, with consistent availability via phone/email. Working Environment The Huntington is an extensive and diverse campus; this position will be primarily located in an office with a requirement to operate in all interior and exterior environments. Compensation & Benefits We provide competitive compensation, generous benefits and perks for all eligible employees including: Pay Range: $125,000.00- $135,000.00. Commensurate on experience. Medical, Dental, Vision 403(b) retirement plan and matching retirement plan with an outstanding employer match Hybrid remote work schedule available for applicable positions Considerable paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and holidays Discounts for staff in The Huntington Store and restaurants Free admission to various museums and cultural institutions Free passes each month to welcome family and friends to visit the grounds The Application Process Please submit a cover letter and CV/resume as a single PDF attachment. You will have the opportunity to submit additional documents on the My Experience section of the application. The Huntington is a cultural and educational institution of global significance. Building on Henry E. Huntington's renowned collections, the Huntington today supports research and promotes education in the arts, humanities, and botanical sciences through the growth and preservation of its collections, through the development of a community of scholars, school programs and partnerships, and through display and interpretation of its extraordinary resources to the public.