The Director of Hospitality Horticulture, reporting to the Vice President of Hotel Operations and Hospitality Asset Management provides strategic leadership, technical expertise, operational oversight, and brand wide consistency of all horticultural programs across the Nation’s hospitality portfolio. Serves as the enterprise authority for horticultural standards and ensures brand-wide consistency and that every property and every guest facing environment reflects the organization’s elevated hospitality expectations while meeting goals for sustainability, safety, and operational excellence.
As steward of the horticultural design vision, the Director is accountable for developing, implementing, and maintaining the Portfolio Master Plan, including seasonal and cultural programs such as Lunar New Year, Spring, Summer, Harvest, and Holiday initiatives. Oversees all indoor and outdoor landscapes, plant collections, special events, and demand-based floral experiences across the enterprise.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Develops and executes long-term horticultural strategies, master plans, and ensures horticultural design and execution aligns with the broader hospitality brand strategy, standards that advance enterprise goals, visitor experience, and conservation objectives. Provides expert guidance on landscape and capital projects while advising executive leadership on horticulture risks, innovations, sustainability initiatives, and regulatory considerations.
2. Directs, oversees, and collaborates with hospitality leadership to integrate horticulture operations, including plant care, irrigation, integrated pest management (IPM), soil, turf management, seasonal displays, landscape design, installations, and renovation projects. Maintains high standards for plant health, safety, aesthetics, and environmental performance while leading preparedness and response to weather events, pests, disease, and other environmental challenges.
3. Establishes enterprise-wide guidelines, SOPs, and quality benchmarks for all horticultural operations, including equipment use, chemical handling, and arboriculture work. Conducts regular inspections and audits and coordinates emergency response procedures to mitigate risk to staff, visitors, and property.
4. Provides strategic oversight and support to property level teams to ensure consistency across all hospitality assets.
5. Represents horticulture in planning, capital project discussions, and long-range hospitality initiatives that may include overseeing operating and capital budgets, procurement of plants, equipment, materials, and services. Manages vendor and consultant relationships to ensure high-quality outcomes, contract compliance, and cost-effective use of resources.
6. Performs other duties as assigned to support the efficient operation of the department.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring and training employees; planning, assigning reviewing and directing work; evaluating and appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems. Makes hiring decisions and designs individual development plans with succession planning in mind for all key roles.
EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Plant Science, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Science, or related field required.
- Minimum five (5) years of progressive experience in horticulture, landscape management, or botanical operations required.
- Minimum seven (7) years of supervisory experience required.
- Related, relevant, and/or direct experience may be considered in lieu of minimum educational requirements indicated above.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSA)
- Advanced horticultural science, including plant physiology, propagation, soil science, pest/disease management, and environmental stress mitigation.
- Landscape design principles and the ability to interpret and execute large‑scale design plans.
- Floral design knowledge, including seasonal floral trends, cultural floral traditions, and event‑based floral production.
- Hospitality operations, guest‑experience standards, and luxury‑level service expectations.
- Corporate hospitality structures, including multi‑property oversight, brand consistency, and enterprise‑wide standardization.
- Regulatory compliance, including environmental regulations, safety standards, and sustainability practices.
- Budgeting and financial management, including capital planning, vendor contracts, and cost‑control strategies.
- Project management methodologies, especially for seasonal installations, renovations, and large‑scale activations.
- Cultural programming knowledge, especially for holidays such as Lunar New Year, Harvest, and other culturally significant events.
LICENSES, CERTIFICATIONS AND REGISTRATIONS
- At the discretion of the San Manuel Tribal Gaming Commission, you may be required to obtain and maintain a gaming license.
- Driving Responsibilities: Role requires regular commuting between locations. A valid driver's license and vehicle insurance with minimum liability limits is required. Role will not operate or drive Tribe-owned vehicles or patron vehicles.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/ WORKING CONDITIONS – ENVIRONMENT
The physical demands and working environment described here are representative of those that an employee encounters and must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
- Primary work environment is in a climate-controlled office setting.
- Work requires travel to attend meetings, trade shows, and conferences.
- Incumbents may be required to work evening, weekend and holiday shifts.
- Must be able to work in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.
- Strength sufficient to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects and/or move up to 40 pounds occasionally.
- Sedentary work: involves sitting most of the time. Constantly operates a computer and other
- office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
- Physical activities that apply to the essential functions of the position are balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
- Hearing sufficient to hear conversational levels in person, via videoconference and over the telephone.
- Speech sufficient to make oneself heard and understood in person, in front of groups, in meetings,
- via videoconference and over the telephone.
- Visual acuity that meets the requirements of the position: The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; expansive reading and visual inspection of employees, visitors or facility.
- Mobility sufficient to safely move in an office environment, walk, stoop, bend and kneel, and enter, exit and operate a motor vehicle in the course of travel to promotional events, meetings, conferences, trade shows and San Manuel properties.
- Endurance sufficient to sit, walk and stand for extended periods, and maintain efficiency throughout the entire work shift and during extended work hours.
- The employee may be exposed to fumes or airborne particles including secondhand smoke.
Reasonable accommodation will be made in compliance with all applicable law.
As one of the largest private employers in the Inland Empire, San Manuel deeply cares about the future, growth and well-being of its employees. Join our team today!
