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How to hire a nursery manager

Nursery manager hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring nursery managers in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a nursery manager is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new nursery manager to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a nursery manager, step by step

To hire a nursery manager, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a nursery manager:

Here's a step-by-step nursery manager hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a nursery manager job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new nursery manager
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your nursery manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a nursery manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A nursery manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nursery managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list presents nursery manager salaries for various positions.

    Type of Nursery ManagerDescriptionHourly rate
    Nursery ManagerFarmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers operate establishments that produce crops, livestock, and dairy products.$11-32
    ManagerManagers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department... Show more$17-44
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Customer Service
    • Greenhouse
    • Nursery Stock
    • Plant Care
    • Plant Material
    • Pest Management
    • Pest Control
    • Retail Sales
    • Nursery Operations
    • Payroll
    • Irrigation Systems
    • Delivery Truck
    • Landscape Design
    • Inventory Control
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Develop and manage plant propagation using hydroponic and soil systems at the college greenhouse.
    • Manage and maintain permaculture gardens and environmental educator.
    • Leaf blowers, sidewalk sweepers, and bushhogs.
    • Direct liaison for state, USDA, and county inspectors.
    • Provide training in sales, customer service, promotions and POS merchandising.
    • Develop IPM techniques including: mechanical, biological, and chemical control.
    More nursery manager duties
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your nursery manager job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A nursery manager can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, nursery managers' average salary in oregon is 47% less than in new jersey.
    • Seniority. Entry-level nursery managers 64% less than senior-level nursery managers.
    • Certifications. A nursery manager with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a nursery manager's salary.

    Average nursery manager salary

    $40,526yearly

    $19.48 hourly rate

    Entry-level nursery manager salary
    $24,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025

    Average nursery manager salary by state

    RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
    1California$40,592$20
    2California$40,327$19
    3California$39,739$19
    4Michigan$38,747$19
    5Massachusetts$36,446$18
    6New York$35,495$17
    7Massachusetts$35,288$17
    8Massachusetts$35,188$17
    9Massachusetts$35,032$17
    10Illinois$34,519$17
    11Florida$33,620$16
    12Florida$33,537$16
    13Indiana$33,063$16
    14Iowa$33,038$16
    15Texas$32,922$16
    16Texas$32,825$16
    17Hawaii$28,384$14
    18Hawaii$28,025$13
    19North Carolina$27,797$13
    20Washington$26,895$13

    Average nursery manager salary by company

    RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rateJob openings
    1Parkland Hospital$52,403$25.19
    2University of Colorado Boulder$49,339$23.72
    3Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs$44,162$21.23
    4Monsanto$40,136$19.30
    5Colorado State Express$39,211$18.85
    6AgReliant Genetics$38,335$18.43
    7Speedling Incorporated$37,610$18.08
    8University of Colorado$34,255$16.47
    9State of Colorado$34,027$16.36
    10GLN Inc.$31,040$14.92
    11Parkland College$30,439$14.63
    12Mahoney's Garden Centers$28,094$13.51
    13Ace Hardware$27,415$13.181
  4. Writing a nursery manager job description

    A good nursery manager job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a nursery manager job description:

    Nursery manager job description example

    Over 50 years of experience as an industry leader gives us the knowledge and ability to provide for our customers' ever-growing needs for high-quality transplants for seeded vegetables, ornamentals, hemp and vegetative propagated products.

    Every day we look to improve, innovate, and achieve our goal of providing quality products at the best possible price and value for our customers.

    The agricultural industry is unique in its camaraderie, the desire to see success across the industry - we want to be a part of your success. At Speedling, we are here to help you grow.


    This position is for you if:

    - You have at least 5 years experience managing in the greenhouse industry and understand the complexities and challenges of such.

    - You are a detail-oriented team player with strong organizational and communication skills.

    - You are proficient in Google and Microsoft suites.

    - You have the willingness to work nights and/or weekends as needed, hours will change based on the needs of the business.

    Join our team:

    As the successful Nursery Greenhouse Manager you will be working closely with the West Coast Division Manager (10+ years in the industry) as well as the CEO (13 years with Speedling). This role will analyze, evaluate and effectively plan day to day operations to maximize value of the facility. This includes to organize and direct all daily activities to produce horticultural transplants with consistent quality meeting the customer expectations while maximizing the margin and profit.

    The job details:

    • Manage nursery to maintain the highest level of customer satisfaction.
    • Analyze and evaluate financials to ensure financial goals are met.
    • Manage Grow team and to deliver large volumes of high quality crops.
    • Hire, mentor, train and develop direct reports and their direct reports to build a stronger team.
    • Work closely with all Supervisors, Crew Leaders, and Office Staff to ensure that all aspects of each facility are running efficiently.
    • Oversee Grow team's spray programs and submit monthly use reports to county.
    • Manage resources including greenhouse and outdoor growing areas to maximize production, minimize impact from environmental conditions and mitigate company exposure and liability.
    • Select, purchase, or approve purchase of raw materials such as seed, plant nutrients, and disease control chemicals.
    • Make sure all tools for all jobs are available so the jobs can be done. Plastic, soil media, labels etc.
    • Manage expenses including Capital Expenditure plan and oversee all renovations or additions. Oversee and advise on all repairs and maintenance projects.
    • Coordinate clerical, record keeping, inventory, requisition, and marketing activities with functional leaders throughout the company.
    • Ensure Injury Illness Prevention Program is up to date with Company-wide policies and procedures and adhered to by the employees.
    • Maintain Safety programs and other aspects of regulatory compliance.

    What we offer:

    - Our Employees are our #1 Asset! Speedling offers a competitive salary, mentoring with amazing people, medical, dental, company-paid life insurance, 401(k) plan with a healthy company match, paid vacation and holidays.



    PI194178644

  5. Post your job

    To find the right nursery manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with nursery managers they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit nursery managers who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    Post your job online:
    • Post your nursery manager job on Zippia to find and recruit nursery manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
    • Use field-specific websites.
    • Post a job on free websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    To successfully recruit nursery managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

    Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new nursery manager

    Once you've selected the best nursery manager candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

    It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new nursery manager. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a nursery manager?

Recruiting nursery managers involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Nursery managers earn a median yearly salary is $40,526 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find nursery managers for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $11 and $32.

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