Lead Hand – Seed

Lead Hand – Seed
Ferguson Tree Nursery is looking for a Lead Hand in our Seed division with experience collecting, cleaning, testing, stratifying and germinating seed for native trees, shrubs and perennials. Experience growing trees, shrubs, perennials or potted stock in the field or a greenhouse environment would also be an asset. As a Lead Hand, strong supervisory experience and the attitude that we lead by example is also important.
This is a Full-time, 9-10 month Seasonal (approximately September to June/July) position reporting to the Section Technician – Seed. The ideal candidate is someone who enjoys being outside and likes physical work, has excellent attention to detail, can work in teams or alone, is self-motivating, can be flexible with shifts to account for Mother Nature, and is exacting in documenting their work. In addition, as a Lead Hand, you must be able to organize work, mentor and motivate staff to improve their performance and efficiency, and have excellent communication skills.
Position Description
Under the direct supervision of the Section Technician – Seed, the Lead Hand – Seed assists in the establishment and management of the seed program at the Ferguson Tree Nursery for native, non-invasive hardwood, conifer, shrub and perennial seed. This includes the planting of seed sources on the nursery grounds to establish a seed bank, collection of seed on and off nursery grounds, planning for inventory needs, tracking of inventory, seed cleaning, seed storage, seed testing, stratification and other duties necessary to provide sufficient seed for nursery operations and sales.
Qualifications:
• Minimum 1-3 years experience in growing of relevant products
• 1 year experience collecting and managing seed preferred
• Staff supervision experience preferred
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills. Ability to understand and follow both verbal and written instruction
• Excellent interpersonal skills including customer service/service to others, building trust, and collaboration
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Computer and software skills including use of Word, Excel, Outlook
• Possess a valid Seed Collectors course (preferred)
• Possess a valid Driver’s License and clean driver’s abstract
• Physically capable of doing the duties identified
• Ability to work alone or in a team environment
• Demonstrated ability to supervise, motivate and mentor a team, demonstrating excellent communications, team building, and collaboration skills
• Ability to work flexible hours with some variations to schedule due to weather and work load (for example, early starts due to heat, longer hours during seed harvesting or cleaning as required, time off due to inclement weather)
• Committed to and is proactive regarding continuous improvement and learning in regards to seed collection, cleaning, stratification, storage, business management and staff management
• Ability to work in various climatic conditions including rain, heat and cold
• Willing to follow all appropriate laws and nursery policies
• Capable of taking work direction and following through
• Self-motivating
• Health and Safety for Employees and for Supervisors as required by the Ontario Ministry of Labour or willingness to achieve before employment (this is available online)
• Capable of repeated lifting of products weighing up to 25kg.
Equipment requirements:
• Green patch safety boots
• Weather appropriate clothing
Compensation: Ferguson Tree Nursery offers a competitive compensation package including:
• Wages $18-$19.50 per hour to start depending on experience, knowledge and capabilities with a review after 3 months.
• $150 boot/clothing allowance
• Opportunity to participate in our year-end bonus program
For more information, please review the full job description on our website at www.fergusontreenursery.ca/careers-at-the-nursery.
To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to careers@fergusontreenursery.ca

For assistance with job search and application preparation, unemployed individuals are invited to register with CSE Consulting. For more information about the benefits of registering with CSE, please contact us in Kemptville at 613-258-6576 or in Prescott at 613-925-0222.