How to hire a nursery technician

How to hire a nursery technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step nursery technician 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 technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new nursery technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the nursery technician you need to hire. Certain nursery technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A nursery technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, nursery technicians 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of nursery technicians and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Nursery Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Nursery Technician	Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, help provide basic care for patients in hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes. Orderlies transport patients and clean treatment areas... Show more	$13-26
   PRN	A PRN or a "pro re nata" employee is responsible for covering a shift or a specific situation, especially during short-staffing or the need to complete a particular task. The PRNs often work for a medical industry without a regular or full-time commitment, having the freedom to manage their time and take multiple assignments from different organizations... Show more	$8-42
   Patients Transporter	A patients transporter is responsible for transporting patients from one place to assigned healthcare facilities to receive medical care and treatment. Patients transporters assist with moving the patients, such as on wheelchairs and beds, depending on their conditions... Show more	$11-17

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Weed Control
   • Pigs
   • Customer Service
   • Vital Signs
   • Mowing
   • Irrigation Systems
   • Pest Management
   • Native Plants
   • IV
   • General Maintenance

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage controlled environments and greenhouses for research on corn, soy, and wheat plants.
   • Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
   • Work on a busy med-surg unit.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your nursery technician job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A nursery technician salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, nursery technicians' average salary in mississippi is 36% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level nursery technicians earn 49% less than senior-level nursery technicians.
   • Certifications. A nursery technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a nursery technician's salary.

   Average nursery technician salary

   $39,539yearly

   $19.01 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level nursery technician salary

   $28,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 18, 2026

4. Writing a nursery technician job description

   A nursery technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a nursery technician job description:

   Nursery technician job description example

   The Role
   The Nursery Technician is responsible for the overall maintenance of the vegetation cycle of all sustainable plants within the facility.
   
   Responsibilities
   Safety & Compliance:
   
   Be aware of hazards in the workspace
   Retain and understand department specific training
   Report safety incidents/ concerns and comply with follow-up actions
   Be compliant with area safety requirements, state regulations and PPE requirements
   Follow GMP, biosecurity, sanitation or other quality and compliance requirements
   Perform record keeping accurately and completely as directed by a lead or supervisor
   Maintain and calibrate tools, equipment and machinery as directed by a lead or supervisor
   Report and escalate safety & quality concerns
   Production:
   
   Caring for plant in vegetative state in either the mom, clone or veg room
   Tasks may include transplanting, cutting clones, watering, trimming, bottoming, topping, etc.
   Depending on Cultivation needs you may need to participate In all aspects of plant maintenance.
   Reporting any issues to management to ensure a timely fix
   The ability to be cross trained to work in the Mom, Clone and Veg rooms.
   Responsible for inputs into the seed to sale system and other inventory management systems
   Use your hands and hand tools to perform plant maintenance activities including defoliation, pruning, skirting and other activities as required
   Meet production goals and maintain a high level of performance
   Maintain open communication with management team and co-workers
   Follow all SOPs, verbal directives, training information and policies when performing duties
   Other duties as assigned by Supervisor and/or Team Lead
   Job Knowledge:
   
   Follow department specific work instructions and SOPs
   The ability to recognize different strains, requirements associated with the strain, growth patterns and identify anomalies within the plants
   Teamwork (makes the dream work):
   
   Participate in daily communication meetings
   Elevate issues to a lead, direct manager, and HR as appropriate
   Create a positive working environment
   Escalate areas of process improvement
   Perform any additional tasks assigned by a manager or lead
   Qualifications -
   Minimum of a high school diploma or GED; associates degree or certifications preferred
   Effective time-management skills and ability to multi-task
   Ability to work well with others while also completing individually assigned tasks
   Ability to stand, sit, kneel, and lift equipment or plants up to 50 lbs. for extended periods
   Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing and challenging environment
   Must be able to comply with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) requirements
   Must be able to work in an environment that is 85+ degrees and 70% humidity for extended periods
   Must be able to work at heights
   Additional Requirements
   Must pass all required background checks and approval by state badging agency to work in the cannabis industry
   Must be and remain compliant with all legal or company regulations for working in the industry
   Must possess valid drivers license
   Must be a minimum of 21 years of age
   Working Conditions
   While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to perform reaching, grasping, bending, stooping, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.
   Must be able to sit and/or stand for extended periods of time while maintaining focus.
   Must be able to lift, carry, and balance up to 50 pounds AND must be able to do so with extreme care and caution when working with product.
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   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right nursery technician for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your nursery technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality nursery technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting nursery technicians requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 technician

   Once you've found the nursery technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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