Garden Guide

Position Summary

The Visitor Services department at Native Plant Trust seeks enthusiastic, curious, community-minded individuals to facilitate small group walking and cart tours of our native plant botanic garden, Garden in the Woods, located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Garden in the Woods was sculpted by retreating glaciers into eskers and steep-sided valleys, and features a woodland, pond, bog, brook, meadow, and coastal sandplain. Each of these habitats showcases plants found in these habitats throughout New England.

Groups visit Garden in the Woods to encounter the beauty and variety of New England native plants, gain inspiration for planting native species in their home gardens, and learn about our efforts to conserve and promote these plants in order to increase the beauty of New England and the planet.

Guides will have the opportunity to lead regularly scheduled private tours as well as public drop-in tours between mid-April and mid-October 2026. Tours are approximately one hour in length, and will include a maximum of 20 participants per guide. We anticipate scheduling each guide for approximately 10 tours between mid-April and mid-October 2026.

We welcome applicants of all levels of familiarity with plants; the only requirement is a willingness to learn. All guides will receive paid training and have access to a tour script.

This is a non-exempt, hourly, seasonal position based at our botanic garden in Framingham, MA, reporting to the Garden Shops and Visitor Services administrator. Compensation is $20.80/hour for 90-minute tour shifts, which are scheduled on Mondays - Saturdays, between 10 a.m.–5 p.m. (one-hour tour, plus 15 minutes prior to settle in and 15 minutes after for post-tour questions).

Primary Responsibilities

Facilitate small group walking and cart tours of Garden in the Woods

• Share information about Native Plant Trust’s history and mission, and the purpose and design of our botanic garden, Garden in the Woods.
• Highlight native species currently in bloom in the Garden.
  • Guides will have access to a script to use as a starting point, and are also encouraged to highlight details of their own choosing from training and their own research.
• Answer questions from visitors to the best of their ability, and direct visitors to additional resources and/or Native Plant Trust staff for more information as needed.
• Participate in two paid training sessions per year, one during March 2026, and the other during late April 2026.

Skills, Experience, Attributes, Education, and Certifications

The ideal candidate should have/be :

• A strong interest in the natural world
• Demonstrated experience in working with members of the public in an educational or other public-facing contexts (nonprofit institutions, schools, summer camps, retailers, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience in public speaking and the ability to do so for approximately 60 minutes to a group of roughly 20 people
• A commitment to learning more about New England native plants and the work of Native Plant Trust, and to sharing this information with the public
• Kindness, patience, professionalism, and good humor when interacting with members of the public, fellow guides, and Native Plant Trust staff
• Commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and to creating a welcoming experience for all Garden visitors

Physical Demands and Work Environment Factors

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:

• Stand for up to 90 minutes
• Walk approximately one mile (the length of the main path around the Garden), including some elevation change and occasional uneven surfaces
• Speak publicly to a tour group, projecting their voice for approximately 60 minutes
• Guides will have the opportunity to be trained in driving a golf cart for tours involving participants with mobility challenges. Cart tours are an optional part of this role.

To Apply

Please submit a brief letter of interest and resume (MS Word or PDF format, with your last name the first word of the file name) to Giffen Maupin, Public Programs Manager, [email protected], using the subject line “Garden Guide Application,” no later than March 1st, 2026. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Please note that Public Programs staff will interview, select, and train guides, and then once hired, Visitor Services staff will schedule tours and supervise guides.