2025 Arboriculture, Conservation and Landscape Summer Internship

2025 Arboriculture, Conservation and Landscape Internship

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) is a 501(c)3 private operating foundation based on a 700-acre estate in Upperville, Virginia with a mission to perpetuate and share Rachel Lambert Mellon’s home, garden, estate and Library to serve the public interest. The Foundation is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being. For additional information, please visit www.osgf.org.

OSGF is seeking one Arboriculture, Conservation and Landscape (ACL) Intern. The position is both indoor and outdoor and may involve close liaison with the Communications Team and the Biodiversity Conservation Team (BCT). Experience with invasive plant species control, landscape maintenance, arboriculture, and/or turf grass management is preferred. Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required. Familiarity with GIS software (preferably ESRI ArcGIS Pro and Field Maps app) and the use of GPS devices, digital cameras, and natural history applications like iNaturalist would be an advantage.

Schedule: Full-time, fixed term position – Monday through Friday (40 hours a week), with some flexibility in hours to facilitate participating in programmatic activities during evenings and weekends.

Pay Rate: $20/hour and paid holidays.

Start Date: May/early June 2025 through August/early September 2025 - depending on the availability of the successful applicant. 

Location: Upperville, VA; The Oak Spring Garden estate is located in rural northern Virginia, 15 minutes from the nearest town. Having access to a car is desirable, but not essential.

Working Conditions: Must be flexible and willing to work in a variety of settings, including outside in the Virginia summer, and occasional evenings and weekends.

To Apply: To be considered for this internship, please email a resume, cover letter and three professional references (name and contact details) to hr@osgf.org with the subject line “2025 ACL Internship”. We will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will continue until the position is filled.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Undergraduate degree completed or in progress from an accredited academic institution or minimum of two-years’ relevant experience. Local high school students with a driver’s license and reliable transportation are also encouraged to apply.
• Ability to meet the physical requirements of bending, standing for long periods of time, lifting at least 50 pounds, handling wildlife, stretching, working with sharp objects, and undertake monitoring and surveys outdoors year-round.
• Comfortable working outside, in varied weather conditions (including extreme heat and cold; and exposure to stinging and biting insects and animals) in a rural setting.
• Must be able to legally work in the United States.
• Must have a valid driver's license.  Position may require operation of an OSGF vehicle or farm machinery.
• Must have reliable transportation to and from OSGF daily.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE

• Must be able to work independently and also as a part of a team.
• Good time-management and organizational skills.
• Strong oral communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively, and with empathy, with staff, residents, guests and the public.
• Strong commitment to fostering a respectful, culturally-diverse and inclusive work environment.
• Strong commitment to sustainability and ethical environmental stewardship.
• Strong commitment to the obligations of a private operating foundation to deliver public benefits, to make a positive public contribution and to work for a better society.

TO APPLY

To be considered for this internship, please email a resume, cover letter and three professional references (name and contact details) to hr@osgf.org with the subject line “2025 ACL Internship”. We will begin reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will continue until the position is filled.

Oak Spring Garden Foundation is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination based upon age, ancestry, disability, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, race, religious belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, political belief, or veteran status.