Join our team at the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo and grow your experience at one of the most unique sites in Calgary! We are seeking a permanent, full-time Horticulture Technician - Exterior to join a dynamic and dedicated Site Services Team.
The Horticulture Technician-Exterior is responsible for the year-round care, maintenance, enhancement, and presentation of the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo's landscapes. This role supports exceptional guest experiences through the delivery of high-quality horticultural practices, seasonal displays, landscape stewardship, irrigation management, winter operations, and collaborative support of conservation and habitat initiatives across the organization.
Our Purpose | We act for wildlife; saving species and inspiring people to join us.
Our Core Values | Drive impact, nurture connection, cultivate hope, and be bold.
What you will do:
- Maintain the gardens, grounds and habitats at the zoo as directed by the manager; duties include weeding, planting, dead heading, digging, raking, watering, light pruning and other garden maintenance tasks.
- Participates in landscape improvement, renovation, and capital projects including garden redesigns, planting installations, pathway improvements, and habitat beautification initiatives.
- Operate and maintain power equipment/mobile equipment such as trimmers, blowers, tractors, and attachments.
- Monitor plant health by identifying signs of infestation, disease, nutritional deficiencies, environmental stress, and other landscape concerns; recommend corrective action.
- Participate in landscape improvement, renovation, and capital projects including garden redesigns, planting installations, pathway improvements, and habitat beautification initiatives.
- Perform seasonal pruning and maintenance of ornamental trees, shrubs, and perennial collections in accordance with horticultural best practices.
- Provides day-to-day guidance, mentorship, and task directions to seasonal staff, volunteers, and contractors to ensure work is completed safely and efficiently.
- Responsible for maintaining sand bins, pickle mix applications, and clean-up.
- Assist Habitats team with collection of browse material and disposal.
- Assist with the annual ZOOLIGHTS event set-up and take-down.
- Provides occasional support for events hosted at the Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo.
- Collaborate with horticulture team (Botanical and Habitats) to provide snow removal and ice management.
- Engage guests by sharing information about plants and gardens while also providing general zoo information.
- Participate in additional training provided by the Zoo including zoonotic disease awareness, hazard assessment & control, skid steer Training, Pesticide Applicators Licensing, mobile elevated working platform, and Fall Protection.
- Other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
What you will bring:
- Minimum of three years of experience in landscaping, grounds maintenance, or a related field is required
- High School Diploma or equivalent education is required
- Valid Class 5 Driver’s License or equivalent is required
- Landscape Gardner or Turf Maintenance Certificate is preferred
- Demonstrated landscaping experience including grass cutting, planting, and pruning.
- Demonstrated experience using power & non-powered hand tools
- Flexibility to perform tasks around busy event schedule and ability to navigate changing priorities
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment
- Ability to understand, communicate, and follow instructions from both written and verbal communication
Working Conditions:
- This role’s regular working days include Saturday and Sunday
- Hours of work are generally from 6:00am to 2:30pm with a flexible schedule for weekend work and occasional shift flexibility to start early or stay late
- Working in all weather conditions, including physical work in extreme cold and hot weather
- Walking to work sites throughout 125-acre site
- Wear required PPE such as steel-toed boots and safety vests
- Bending, squatting and kneeling
- Repetitive movements including raking, shoveling, digging, lifting and pruning.
- Lifting, pushing and pulling up to 10-40 lbs., unassisted
- Noise and vibrations while operating equipment
- Exposure to fumes from operational equipment
- Change in priorities, visitor engagement inquiries
- Maintaining awareness of the safety of visitors, animals, contractors and coworkers
- Movement over uneven/slippery surfaces
The Wilder Institute’s Calgary Zoo is an outdoor facility and all staff working at the zoo must be comfortable working in a large variety of outdoor conditions. The Wilder Institute's Calgary Zoo follows the advice of Environment Canada when responding to temperature and air quality issues.
What the Zoo Offers:
- Competitive compensation, vacation and flex days entitlement
- Flexible benefits plan, including a health spending account
- Employer matching RRSP program
- Discounts on food, beverage, and merchandise
- Participation in the Staff Pass Benefit plan
- A fun, rewarding work environment and the opportunity to work in a park full of wild animals
Are you ready to join one of Canada’s leaders in wildlife conservation? If this position suits your skills, experience, and personal attributes, we want to talk to you.
Apply by doing the following:
- Watch this video about the conservation work being done at the Wilder Institute. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J1VH1MBXm0)
- Submit your resume with a cover letter via our online application system.
- Fill in the Application questions.
Applicants must be legally entitled to work in Canada.
If this position is a fit for you, we encourage you to apply with a resume and cover letter online by our application deadline: October 12, 2026.
The Wilder Institute strives to cultivate a workplace in which everyone feels welcome and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. As a conservation organization, we respect and value the diversity of all life and come together as individuals and teammates to achieve the organization’s mission and vision. We recognize the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and work to advance our culture to ensure diverse viewpoints are heard, and everyone has an equitable chance to succeed and thrive.
This position is an existing vacancy within our organization. The Wilder Institute uses basic knockout questions in application to support screening; applications are otherwise assessed and selected by real humans.
All candidates are thanked for their applications and advised that they will be contacted once applications have been reviewed, and a final decision has been made.
