Manager/ National Orchid Garden (Singapore Botanic Gardens) – Contract

[What the role is]

The Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) is one of the world's oldest tropical botanical gardens and one of only three botanic gardens inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It maintains an extensive living collection, including orchids, palms, cycads, gingers and plants of human cultural significance. This role involves comprehensive management of orchid collections across multiple nursery locations to support the National Orchid Garden (NOG), which houses over 1,500 species and 2,000 hybrids.

Orchids are one of the oldest and most well-recognised collections of the Gardens. The NOG maintains dedicated orchid nurseries that serve multiple critical functions: display in NOG, ex situ conservation of endangered orchid species, creating new hybrids through the Gardens breeding programme, and supporting orchid shows and naming ceremonies.

[What you will be working on]

As a horticulture manager overseeing orchid nursery operations across multiple locations (including Pasir Panjang, Peirce Road, and the National Orchid Garden nursery), you will manage comprehensive orchid cultivation and production activities including:

• Strategic oversight of orchid production research and selective propagation programmes to expand collections for NOG display, conservation purposes, and orchid naming ceremonies, including optimising propagation techniques and exploring innovative approaches such as AI tools

• Management and conservation of species orchid collections, with particular focus on endangered species propagation and the Gardens orchid breeding and hybridisation programmes

• Research on advanced cultivation techniques, including propagation methods and growth/flowering optimisation for display and orchid shows

• Comprehensive nursery operations management, including contractor oversight, facility maintenance, and supply chain resilience measures to ensure optimal orchid cultivation and production outcomes

• Database management systems to effectively track nursery stock across all locations

• Active support for orchid shows, outreach projects, and training programmes

• Long-term sustainability planning for research operations, industry partnerships, and cross-functional coordination between breeding, nursery, and display operations

[What we are looking for]

• Area of studies in Horticulture, Botany, Taxonomy, Business Administration, or a related discipline

• Relevant experience in orchid cultivation and maintenance, nursery management, horticultural operations, and/or R&D projects would be an advantage

• Experience in project management and strategic planning is preferred

• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• Hands-on and comfortable with outdoor work, with a genuine passion for orchids

• Strong communication and cross-functional coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively as a team player

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified. The successful candidate will be offered a 3-year contract.