Who We Are and What We Do

Save The Bay’s mission is to protect and restore the Bay for people and wildlife. We are the only regional organization that integrates political advocacy, wetland restoration, and education to shape a healthy and resilient region. We are a team of passionate, creative, strategic and collaborative people, dedicated to the urgent work of building Bay Area resilience and hope in the face of the escalating impacts of climate change.   

Over two decades, Save The Bay has become a Bay Area leader in the science and practice of habitat restoration, focused on tidal marsh transition zone habitat at landscape-scale for recovery of endangered species, and for ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change. We enlist thousands of volunteers annually to restore the shoreline and educate Bay Area students to be the next generation of Bay stewards through hands-on experiential education and online learning.

Position Summary

The Native Plant Nursery Manager plays a crucial role in accomplishing Save The Bay’s habitat restoration goals, annually propagating more than 30,000 native wetland and transition zone plants. The manager directs the maintenance, growth, and design of container plant and division bed nurseries at three locations around the Bay, leads high quality nursery and restoration volunteer programs, and implements strong science and best management practices to ensure high plant survival and resilient habitat. The Nursery Manager reports to the Habitat Restoration Director, supervises the Nursery Fellow, and works closely with other Save The Bay staff and restoration site partners.

This position provides an exciting opportunity for an experienced native plant nursery professional to contribute to the health of San Francisco Bay wildlife, clean water, and resilient -shoreline communities.

REPORTS TO: Habitat Restoration Director

SUPERVISES: Native Plant Nursery Specialist

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Native Plant Nursery Manager is responsible for nursery maintenance and propagation activities, field activities at restoration sites, and leading volunteer nursery and restoration programs. The Nursery Manager also documents and reports on nursery activities, assists with grant reporting and technical documents describing nursery activities and other office tasks.

Nursery Maintenance, Propagation, and Programming: 70% of responsibilities

Lead all aspects of native plant propagation, all nursery operations and maintenance, including weed control, integrated pest management, phytosanitary operations, irrigation, and other tasks:

• Manage region-specific seed and cuttings collection for all restoration project sites
• Maintain healthy plants and a clean nursery environment; maintain nursery equipment and purchase necessary materials and supplies; maintain demonstration gardens at each nursery
• Plan and design strategies and facilities at PAB and MLK nurseries to meet the highest phytosanitary Best Management Practice (BMP) standards; actively maintain relationship with California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) partners and participate / prepare for biannual BMP reviews
• Maintain seed cleaning station, storage, and inventory at nurseries and in office, including bulk annual seed; renew seed collection permits and nursery licenses; apply for new seed collection permits when needed
• Maintain detailed records of nursery activities, including comprehensive Salesforce database of species information, propagule stock, and propagation methods; provide written documentation and reporting on nursery activities for grant reports and technical documents
• Maintain effective communication with landowners and partners at nursery sites; oversee contract grows for external partners Lead volunteers and Save The Bay staff in nursery and restoration programs:

• Develop appropriate field and nursery experiments and mentor field staff
• Communicate about nursery and restoration work with the public through volunteer programs, social media posts, and other opportunities; represent Save The Bay at conferences, nursery network meetings, and outreach events

• Hire and supervise Specialist and Nursery Fellow(s); provide adequate training for the Specialist and Nursery Fellow(s), other restoration staff, and public nursery volunteers on all nursery operations
• Other duties as assigned

Habitat Restoration Team Support and Program Coordination: 20% of responsibilities

Work with Restoration Program Manager and Habitat Restoration Director to lead restoration project site implementation; provide technical advice and plant expertise to the Habitat Restoration Team:

• Coordinate seasonal restoration program activities with restoration team, including calendar schedule by site of native seed collection, invasive plant removal, nursery programs, and outplantings for programs
• Select native plant species assemblages for restoration sites with the Restoration Program Manager and Habitat Restoration Director based on site goals and best management practices
• Participate in habitat restoration activities including invasive plant removal, native plant collection, propagation and outplanting, and shoreline cleanups
• Ensure best restoration practices for our work, including invasive plant management, native planting, phytosanitary practices, and volunteer-associated programmatic improvements
• Lead Community-based Restoration field programs for students, corporate and community groups, and volunteers from the general public; support Save The Bay’s efforts in building and deepening community partnerships, aligned with our equity goals, through nursery and restoration site programming

• Participate in annual vegetation monitoring at restoration sites

Administrative & Cross Departmental Work: 10% of responsibilities

• Plan clear schedule of activities, attend staff quarterly site meetings, communicate weekly logistics and reporting of nursery activities
• Participate in cross-departmental and All Staff activities, such as training and planning sessions, monthly meetings, quarterly events, and team building activities
• Support fundraising campaigns, media events, conferences, and programs with content and messaging to meet Save The Bay’s constituency and engagement goals
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Experience

• One to two years of staff supervision experience; demonstrated experience motivating staff and volunteers to accomplish goals in established timelines
• Experience independently leading native plant propagation processes in a nursery setting; experience setting and adhering to an annual propagation schedule
• Strong native plant identification skills; preference for Bay Area native species
• Experience conducting a range of plant propagation techniques and with native plant seed collection
• Highly detail-oriented and accountable, with strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to complete tasks independently and work well in a team
• Experience leading diverse populations in nursery and habitat restoration activities
• Experience with administrative task management including database management
• Comfortable driving a small work truck with trailer and operating and maintaining small engine equipment including hand drills, brush cutters, mini-chainsaw pruners, and augers
• Creativity and strong problem-solving skills; flexibility with changing schedules and plans, responsive to several channels of communication (zoom chat, email, phone and text)
• Enthusiasm for Save The Bay’s mission; desire to engage in DEIB work (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) as it relates to Habitat Restoration
• Ability to work in the field in inclement weather conditions
• Ability to lift at least 40lbs, work in physically active environment
• First AID/CPR certification or willingness to obtain certification (paid by Save The Bay)
• Clean background check

Driving Requirements

• Current California driver’s license clean driving record, and access to personal vehicle required. The Native Plant Nursery Manager expected to drive a Save The Bay work truck with a trailer attached
• Commute times may be up to three hours throughout a day but are considered part of the 8-hour work day

Position Logistics

Location: Our work is performed mostly remotely (apart from our Habitat Restoration Staff) with periodic in-person staff and team meetings in our office based in Oakland, CA, and our various restoration sites around the San Francisco Bay Area. The Native Plant Nursery Manager will primarily work at our three nursery sites, with required monthly in person all-staff meetings at our office based in Oakland, CA. They will occasionally assist at the Oakland Nursery space as well. Employees must reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a full -time, non-exempt position. Starting wage for this position is $78,437, ($37.71/hour) and is not subject to negotiation. We provide annual cost-of-living increase each January 1, and additional 3 percent increases at service mileposts of 3 years in the position, 5 years, 10 years and subsequent 5-year intervals. To maintain internal pay equity, we do not utilize individual merit increases.

We offer an excellent benefit package including medical, dental, vision, acupuncture/chiropractic, and life insurance; 12 paid vacation days per year to start, 13-14 paid holidays and 15 days of sick leave per calendar year; 403(b) retirement plan; stipend for working remotely and funds for home office workstation equipment and furniture. Work transportation expenses (mileage and bridge tolls) are reimbursable for travel from home or the location of the start of their drive to work sites up to 50 miles each way per day.

Save The Bay is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome people of all racial backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, gender expression and sexual orientation to apply. We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to apply.

Hiring Timeline (This is our ideal timeline, but it may be subject to change):

• The priority deadline for applications is March 2, 2026
• We will review resumes and conduct interviews in mid-March
• Finalists will be invited to submit three references
• We would like to make an offer to a candidate by late March and have the candidate start in late April

How To Apply: This position is open until filled. To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to jobs@savesfbay.org. Please make sure to include the position title –Native Plant Nursery Manager– in the subject line. In the body of the email, please share where you found this job listing.

COVID-19 Policy: All new hires must be fully vaccinated prior to their start of employment unless they are pre-qualified by HR for exemption.

Work Environment: We welcome people of all cultural backgrounds, gender expression and sexual orientation to apply and thrive with our growing team. Save The Bay is an equal opportunity employer that strives to recruit a diverse workforce and provide an equitable, and inclusive workplace for all.

DEI Statement: Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, Save The Bay will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

Our Leadership Philosophy: At Save the Bay, we take a person-centered approach to leadership. As leaders, we strive to embody our organizational core values and create a work environment that fosters belonging, authenticity, accountability, and care.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) – Progress and Commitment

Save The Bay has been examining and continuing to reckon with our positionality within a predominantly white-led environmental movement, evolving our workplace practices and our program approaches. Most of our DEI efforts began and continue to be fueled by employee leaders, who have informed and continue to influence our internal practices and investments, mission-driven programs and community partnerships. Staff and board input helped create our organizational core values that guide Save The Bay’s leadership philosophy and operations and our Strategic Plan.

We are working to build more respectful and inclusive working environments and have updated our hiring practices to advance inclusiveness and reduce bias. We have implemented new compensation practices to support greater transparency, equity and competitiveness, and established a Living Wage floor. We adopted a new performance management system designed to provide structured, supportive, and regular opportunities for conversation and feedback between supervisors and their direct reports.  We have taken steps to expand investment in professional development for all staff, tailored to individual needs with supervisor support. 

Our programming embraces community-driven efforts that seek to reduce the impacts of climate change in our region, and we work to expand funding and support for frontline communities on the Bay shoreline. We offer affinity-based volunteer programs led by staff who share those identities and are designed to invite a broad range of participants to share in the work of habitat restoration. We strive to be accountable and effective allies with indigenous peoples and environmental justice advocates.

We continue to commit time and resources to advance DEI efforts and work toward more equitable outcomes. We seek candidates who will help us advance this work, understanding that it demands compassion, resilience, patience, and endurance, along with a willingness to learn and grow alongside others.