A distinguished private garden in Santa Barbara seeks an experienced Garden Team Leader / Horticulturist to steward and advance a refined Mediterranean-style landscape set across approximately 29 acres. This position is designed to best preserve the integrity and long-term vision of the gardens, and establish a stable, accountable, and high-performing team environment moving forward. The ideal candidate is a hands-on horticultural professional with demonstrated leadership experience in private estate garden management.
Duties to include, but not limited to:
- Provide overall leadership and direction for the care and evolution of the Mediterranean-style gardens and grounds
- Manage, mentor, and elevate an on-site garden team, while coordinating specialized outside vendors
- Develop and implement seasonal planting strategies, irrigation plans, fertilization schedules, and sustainable horticultural practices
- Monitor plant health, soil conditions, integrated pest management, and long-term landscape vitality
- Execute and oversee fine gardening, pruning, detailing, and hands-on horticultural work as required
- Collaborate with landscape architects, contractors, and consultants to ensure design continuity and quality execution
- Maintain tools, equipment, and garden infrastructure to professional standards
- Develop and oversee horticultural budgets and project timelines
- Adapt to estate needs with professionalism, including occasional weekend or holiday coverage
- Monday–Friday (flexibility required)
- Generous compensation
- Full benefits – health, dental, vision, life, 401K, paid vacation, paid holidays, and paid sick days
- Degree in Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, or related field
- 5–10 years of progressive experience in estate garden management, ideally within Mediterranean or California appropriate landscapes
- Proven success leading and developing garden or grounds teams
- Strong working knowledge of irrigation systems, plant health care, soil science, and sustainable practices
- Demonstrated ability to balance creative vision with structured operational management
- Exceptional attention to detail, organizational capability, and discretion
- Ability to pass a comprehensive background check and provide outstanding professional references
This is a full-time position:
Qualifications:
