How to Apply

Applications are welcomed and encouraged from all qualified individuals regardless of background and identity. A one-page cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in this position and outline experience that directly relates to it.

Who We Are

University of Michigan’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) stewards over 840 acres of land and water across four properties in and around Ann Arbor, with Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens serving as its two anchor locations. With more than 500,000 annual visitors, MBGNA is committed to becoming a transformative force for social and ecological resilience through the lands and waters we steward. We put that commitment into action by:

• Positioning humans as active participants within the natural world and compelling the university community and our publics to negotiate the full complexity that entails

• Advancing partnerships, programs, user experience, and all that we steward to catalyze access and impact in a radically changing world

• Emerging as University of Michigan’s premier partner for research, teaching, and public impact in sustainability, climate-forward practices, and biocultural diversity

• Promoting healthier communities, cultures, and ecosystems through active care and cultivation of the gardens, fields, natural habitats, and dynamic systems that sustain our world.

Job Description:

The Nature Play Program Assistant and Gardener position is a unique hybrid of horticulture and education work. The student assists in the maintenance and development of the Gaffield Children’s Garden. Work includes caring for many types of plants, general garden maintenance including mulching, pruning, planting, watering, weeding, and lifting heavy objects. Equally important is the maintenance, development, and staffing of Nature Play areas, including streams, sand, mud, and insects. There will be opportunities to lead Nature Play programming. Flexibility, reliability and adaptability are keys to success in this position. We are looking for students who can work the Fall and Winter terms.

• Compensation: $15/hour

• For more information about Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum, please visit mbgna.umich.edu

Work requirements include ability to work independently and as a team member.  Qualified candidates will have an interest in plants, environmentalism, and children and families. Reliability, flexibility,and an ability to remain calm and level-headed in energetic situations are important characteristics of candidates for this job. Equally important is an intellectual curiosity about the process of learning and the role of Nature in healthy human development.  A desire to work outdoors is essential. Availability to work Wednesday evenings between 4:30-8pm and/or some Saturdays or Sundays is desirable. We are looking for students who can work the Fall and Winter terms. Students must be eligible for federal work study.  

Note: Since internship positions that involve work with children require a background check, students offered a position will be required to go through a background check process. Transportation assistance may be available.