Vice President of Gardens

Job Description

Job Description

Description :

Cheekwood is a 55-acre American Country Place Era estate in Nashville, Tennessee. Built in 1929 by the Cheek family, the estate was gifted and opened as a public institution in 1960. Today it serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum, and art museum. The property includes 13 distinct gardens, a 1.5-mile woodland trail featuring outdoor monumental sculpture, an 8,000-piece permanent art collection, and Georgian-style Mansion with historically furnished rooms and galleries.

Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and nationally as a Level II Arboretum. It is a three-time voted USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden, in 2024 received a Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice Award, and in 2021 was named by Fodors as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South. Cheekwood has a $17M budget and more than 200 full and part-time staff, presenting four seasons of family-oriented festivals, world-class exhibitions, and educational programs for over 380,000 visitors and 17,000 member families annually.

Position Description

Reporting to the CEO, the Vice President of Gardens, serves as a senior member of Cheekwood’s six-member Executive Leadership Team. Provides direction and leadership for the Botanical Garden and Historic Estate to maintain and elevate Cheekwood as one of the preeminent garden historic site destinations in the country.

Essential Responsibilities

Strategic Vision and Leadership :

• Continuously develops and manages plans to maintain standards for horticultural excellence throughout the 55-Garden and Estate the Vice President of Gardens will lead all garden initiatives in collaboration with the Executive Leadership Team to ensure integrated and strategic outcomes that support the institution’s overall vision and values in service of prevailing five-year strategic plan.
• The Vice President of Gardens is responsible for initiating and developing collaborative projects with local stakeholders, other botanical gardens and associations, professional societies, and academic institutions to maintain and elevate Cheekwood’ s position as a nationally recognized institution.
• Serves as the staff liaison for the Board of Trustees Botanical Garden Committee and administrates all committee business and initiatives.

Garden Management :

Team Management :

Requirements :

Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate discipline (Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Public Garden Management, or related field) and a minimum of five years of related practical experience; progressive supervisory experience and demonstrated organizational success in a similar role.

Must possess outstanding horticulture or related garden design expertise as well as management, organizational and planning skills. Must possess strong communication and presentation skills that are effective with a range of audiences including staff, volunteers, professional and industry groups, public and media. Must be a skilled leader who can delegate, manage, and prioritize activities and responsibilities with clarity and confidence combined with strong interpersonal and teamwork skills. This position requires thorough knowledge of botanic garden collections, supporting science and sustainability practices with demonstrated creative design abilities. Must be willing to work non-traditional hours on weekends and evenings in the execution of major events & programs. Proficient in Microsoft in a Windows environment and knowledge of database management including ArcGIS. Must be able to lift frequently and carry up to 50 pounds.

Benefits

The well-being of Cheekwood employees is essential. So, when it comes to our benefits package, we offer one of the best. We offer the following benefits to all full-time employees :