Description
Director, Horticulture(Full-Time)Circuit of The Americas (COTA) is a 365-entertainment destination for world-class events located in Austin, TX. The sports and entertainment portfolio at COTA is unmatched in the country with Formula 1 US Grand Prix, NASCAR and MotoGP attracting global fans during championship races on the famed Circuit and Live Nation producing over 30 headline concerts every year at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater. Opening in 2026, COTA’s amusement park is a 20-acre theme park featuring two first of their kind Roller Coasters and over three dozen rides.
Job Description:
COTA seeks a visionary and experienced Director of Horticulture to lead the strategic development, execution, and ongoing stewardship of all horticultural operations across our entire campus, including COTALAND, the Circuit, concert venues, and premium guest areas. This leadership role delivers an exceptional visual environment aligned with guest experience standards, seasonal branding, and long-term sustainability initiatives.
The Director of Horticulture will oversee a growing team of managers, technicians, and partners while developing capital strategies, long-range plans, and innovation roadmaps for landscape design, maintenance, and ecological impact. This role reports to senior campus leadership and collaborates across Facilities, Events, Entertainment, Marketing, Construction, and Sustainability divisions. This is a full-time, on-site role at COTA.
Requirements
Requirements & Essential Functions:
Strategic Leadership & Planning
- Develop and execute a multi-year horticulture master plan that enhances aesthetics, sustainability, and guest impact across all COTA venues.
- Lead visioning for horticultural theming in COTALAND and other attractions, ensuring alignment with brand storytelling and operational goals.
- Collaborate with Construction and Planning teams on landscape design for future development and capital improvement projects.
Campus-wide Landscape Oversight
- Oversee all landscape design, maintenance, and seasonal installation strategies across the racetrack, amusement park, amphitheater, premium guest zones, and parking areas.
- Set and enforce horticulture standards across campus to ensure brand consistency and operational excellence.
- Implement advanced plant care programs suited to the Central Texas climate, including drought management, native species cultivation, and pest mitigation.
Team Development & Department Management
- Build, mentor, and lead a multidisciplinary horticulture team, including managers, forepersons, and seasonal staff.
- Define staffing plans, succession strategies, and professional development pathways for the department.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and innovation in public-space beautification.
Sustainability & Innovation
- Champion water conservation through intelligent irrigation systems, xeriscaping, and soil health practices.
- Lead initiatives related to composting, habitat protection, pollinator programming, and landscape-based carbon reduction.
- Serve as an internal advisor on sustainable land management and participate in campus-wide green efforts.
Financial Management & Vendor Oversight
- Develop and manage annual budgets and multi-year forecasts for the horticulture division.
- Negotiate and oversee vendor contracts for plant supply, décor, pest control, arbor services, and equipment.
- Track performance metrics, seasonal ROI, and vendor compliance to maintain cost efficiency and quality outcomes.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Strong interpersonal skills; can effectively communicate and relate to all levels within and outside the organization; create and build positive and productive relationships.
- Drives the team and the organization for results in order to improve bottom line performance; able to make timely or planned decisions appropriate to the circumstances or situation.
- Ability to make tough decisions, gains input from others and moves decisions forward in the organization.
- Responds quickly and effectively to changing trends and circumstances; embraces change and welcomes fresh perspectives; learns from past mistakes and adjusts accordingly.
- Ability to manage appropriate steps to get projects completed; has strong abilities to organize people and processes; can create a plan for resourceful workflow.
- Can be trusted to act in a manner that is truthful and values direct, honest communication at all levels of the organization.
Required Qualifications:
- 10+ years of progressive experience in landscape design, horticulture operations, or environmental management, with at least 5 years in a leadership capacity.
- Demonstrated success leading landscape teams in large-scale public venues such as resorts, campuses, municipalities, or theme parks. Botanical gardens experience a plus.
- Extensive knowledge of Central Texas climate, native and adaptive plant species, irrigation systems, and soil management.
- Strong background in budget planning, project execution, vendor relations, and staff leadership.
- Proficiency in reading and interpreting site plans, schematics, and construction drawings.
- Excellent communication, cross-functional collaboration, and strategic thinking skills.
- Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus.
Physical Demand & Work Environments:
- Ability to stand, sit, use of hands to handle or feel, and reach with hands and arms.
- Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.
- Ability to squat, bend, twist, push/pull, and stand/walk for long periods.
- Specific vision abilities required include close vision and distance vision.
- Comfortable working outdoors in all seasons and weather conditions.
- The noise level may be moderate to loud depending on campus activity.
- Work in extreme environments outdoors throughout the year.
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate but can be loud during events.
Salary commensurate with experience.
Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY:
COTA strongly supports equal employment opportunity for all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, marital status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.
