Daintree Native Nursery Manager

Rainforest Rescue is seeking a Daintree Native Nursery Manager to join our team at our native nursery in the Daintree lowland rainforest, based at 1506 Cape Tribulation Road, Cow Bay.

Rainforest Rescue is an environmental charity with headquarters in Northern New South Wales and rainforest properties in Far North Queensland and Tasmania, including a native nursery in the Daintree lowland rainforest.

Our vision is to Protect Rainforests Forever. We work to protect vulnerable rainforests, restore damaged and fragmented habitat through reforestation, conserve the biodiversity and cultural heritage of rainforest, and learn from the forest by sharing and raising awareness.

About the role

The purpose of this position is to help protect and conserve the unprotected lowland Daintree Rainforest through reforestation and to provide excellent native trees for restoration services and partners in the region.

The Nursery Manager will manage the nursery and nursery staff and support Rainforest Rescue’s conservation and community engagement efforts in the wider Daintree area.

Key responsibilities include:

• managing nursery staff, including seed collectors and general nursery workers
• staff training, mentorship and development
• engaging and supervising volunteers
• seed collection and propagation, ensuring appropriate provenance
• plant maintenance, watering, pest and weed management
• managing plant orders, inventory and dispatch
• managing the nursery as it ramps up to its design capacity of 150,000 seedlings per year
• maintaining nursery facilities, equipment and assets
• supporting sustainable nursery practices and continuous improvement
• managing WHS, risk and biosecurity requirements
• collaborating with Rainforest Rescue staff and external experts to optimise nursery operations
• engaging with the local community and involving local people and organisations in nursery activities
• running nursery tours for supporters and interested parties
• helping organise the annual community tree planting day in collaboration with the Land Manager
• maintaining nursery records and providing regular operational reporting.

The Nursery Manager will also help foster a collaborative, respectful and psychologically safe nursery environment where staff feel able to raise ideas, questions and concerns. The role is expected to actively contribute to Rainforest Rescue’s culture and support a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• demonstrated experience in a native plant nursery, horticulture, plant propagation, ecological restoration or a related field
• practical knowledge of seed collection, propagation, plant health and appropriate provenance
• a relevant qualification in horticulture and/or nursery production
• experience supervising and developing staff and/or volunteers, including training, mentoring and day-to-day work planning
• demonstrated ability to manage nursery production workflows, including plant orders, inventory, dispatch, facilities, equipment and competing operational priorities
• working knowledge of work health and safety, risk management and biosecurity requirements in an operational workplace
• strong organisational, recordkeeping and reporting skills
• strong communication and interpersonal skills
• a demonstrated commitment to sustainable nursery practices and Rainforest Rescue’s values
• a genuine commitment to Rainforest Rescue’s conservation mission and a collaborative, low-ego approach.

Knowledge of Wet Tropics and/or Daintree lowland rainforest species, native seed collection and local provenance is desirable. Experience scaling nursery production or supporting ecological restoration, community tree planting and engagement activities would also be highly regarded.

Some travel and out-of-hours work may be required. A First Aid Certificate is required.

If you have the experience and commitment to help lead Rainforest Rescue’s Daintree native nursery and contribute to our work to Protect Rainforests Forever, we encourage you to apply.

• See the position description attached below for further information about this role.