FLORAL DESIGNER PT OR FT $18-$20/hr + Benefits

Description

YOUR FUTURE ROLE:

The Florist at Moana and Stem Studio are growing, and we need an experienced, productive Floral Designer who can create beautiful work with skill, speed and care.

This is a hands-on production position for someone who can execute established designs accurately while also creating attractive, saleable arrangements with limited direction. The right candidate combines creativity with efficiency and understands that professional floral design includes much more than arranging flowers. Proper processing, conditioning, cooler organization, product rotation, cleanliness and responsible use of inventory are essential to every successful design.

Our floral program includes traditional customer orders through The Florist at Moana and our evolving Stem Studio concept, featuring fresh, seasonal flowers—including products grown by our own team in Minden, Nevada.

The Part-Time or Full-Time Floral Designer reports to the Floral Operations Administrator and works within the creative direction, recipes, pricing and product standards established by the owner/floral manager.

Requirements

YOUR SPECIFIC JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Upholds Moana Nursery’s strict safety policies and floral sanitation standards.

• Creates attractive, well-balanced floral arrangements that meet Moana Nursery’s design, pricing and quality standards.

• Executes directed designs using established recipes, photographs, flower requirements and product specifications.

• Creates self-directed arrangements based on available flowers, approved price points, customer needs, seasonal availability and current floral trends.

• Completes delivery, pickup, phone, custom and eCommerce orders accurately and on time.

• Produces floral arrangements efficiently while maintaining strong mechanics, consistency, value and design quality.

• Meets the established production expectation of 20 ordered arrangements plus five cooler arrangements during a normal eight-hour production shift, as needed.

• Maintains reasonable pace and productivity expectations during shorter shifts based on scheduled hours and assigned responsibilities.

• Adjusts priorities when incoming orders, delivery deadlines, customer needs or flower availability change.

• Follows the daily production plan and communicates promptly when an order or deadline may be at risk.

• Uses flowers, vases, hardgoods and other supplies responsibly to keep designs within established budgets.

• Understands the relationship between flower costs, vase costs, labor and the approved retail price of an arrangement.

• Makes appropriate substitutions based on color, value, availability, flower type and original design intent.

• Communicates promptly when a recipe, flower, vase, order or customer request presents a concern.

• Completes all assigned designs before beginning unnecessary or lower-priority work.

• Creates fresh, attractive arrangements to keep the floral cooler and designated retail areas stocked.

• Produces at least five sale-ready cooler arrangements during a normal eight-hour shift in addition to assigned customer orders.

• Designs cooler arrangements using available seasonal inventory while following approved price points and product standards.

• Monitors the freshness, appearance, pricing and sellability of cooler arrangements.

• Refreshes, rotates, discounts, repurposes or removes arrangements as directed when they no longer meet presentation standards.

• Helps maintain a cooler assortment that provides customers with a range of styles, colors, occasions and prices.

• Receives, processes and properly conditions fresh flowers and foliage.

• Inspects incoming flowers for freshness, damage, temperature concerns and overall quality.

• Ensures flowers are properly cut, hydrated, treated, labeled, dated and stored.

• Monitors flower hydration, cleanliness and vase life throughout each shift.

• Changes water, cleans buckets and follows all flower-care and sanitation procedures.

• Helps organize, label and maintain floral coolers.

• Rotates flowers and prioritizes older inventory when appropriate to reduce unnecessary waste.

• Removes, repurposes or reports flowers that no longer meet quality standards.

• Communicates flower-quality concerns, shortages and replenishment needs to the Floral Operations Administrator.

• Takes shared ownership of cooler organization, flower quality and inventory rotation rather than treating these responsibilities as someone else’s job.

• Helps keep cooler inventory visible, accessible and easy for the floral team to locate.

• Welcomes customers and helps them select flowers, arrangements and gifts appropriate for their occasion, style and budget.

• Asks thoughtful questions and translates customer ideas into successful floral designs.

• Explains available options, seasonal flowers and appropriate substitutions.

• Shares the value of fresh, locally grown and Minden-grown flowers with customers.

• Recommends coordinating flowers, vases, gifts or other additions when they genuinely improve the customer’s purchase.

• Answers floral phone calls and assists with accurate order entry when needed.

• Provides friendly, knowledgeable service to in-person, phone and online customers.

• Uses Moana Nursery’s point-of-sale and floral order-management systems as required.

• Stays familiar with current floral trends, flower varieties, color palettes, mechanics and presentation styles.

• Understands contemporary floral-design principles while remaining capable of executing traditional designs when requested.

• Brings forward appropriate ideas for seasonal products, cooler arrangements and Stem Studio designs.

• Remains open to feedback and adapts personal design preferences to Moana Nursery’s creative direction, pricing standards and customer needs.

• Continues developing knowledge of flower care, processing techniques and methods for extending vase life.

• Supports weddings, sympathy work, holidays, special events and other large floral projects when assigned.

• Works cooperatively with the Floral Operations Administrator, other designers, assistants, drivers and retail teammates.

• Helps teammates during high-volume periods while remaining accountable for assigned production.

• Maintains clean and organized worktables, tools, buckets, sinks, floors, coolers and customer areas.

• Cleans throughout the shift rather than leaving cleanup for another teammate.

• Properly disposes of green waste, cardboard, standing water and damaged product.

• Returns flowers, vases, supplies and tools to their proper locations.

• Helps receive, count and put away flower, vase and supply shipments.

• Assists with floral inventory counts and cooler organization when requested.

• Leaves the work area clean, organized and prepared for the next shift.

• May serve as a backup floral-delivery driver when regular delivery coverage is unavailable.

• Safely loads, transports and delivers floral arrangements when authorized and needed.

• Verifies delivery addresses, recipient information and special instructions before leaving the store.

• Protects arrangements from damage and temperature exposure during transportation.

• Communicates delivery issues promptly and documents delivery outcomes.

• Represents Moana Nursery professionally when interacting with customers and delivery recipients.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & ACTIVITY:

• Applicant must be able to stand and work on their feet for extended periods.

• Applicant must be able to regularly lift and carry up to 50 pounds.

• Applicant must be able to bend, reach and perform repetitive hand movements.

• Applicant must be able to work in and around refrigerated floral coolers.

• Applicant must be able to safely use floral knives, clippers and other design tools.

• Applicant must be able to handle water, flowers, foliage, boxes, buckets, vases and floral supplies.

• Applicant must be able to perform regular cleaning, flower-processing and inventory tasks.

• Applicant must be able to work quickly and accurately in a busy retail and floral-production environment.

• Applicant must be able to safely operate a company vehicle if authorized and assigned to make deliveries.

EXPERTISE & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

• Professional floral-design experience.

• Ability to create floral arrangements quickly, accurately and consistently.

• Ability to meet established daily production expectations while maintaining design and quality standards.

• Demonstrated understanding of floral mechanics, balance, proportion, color, texture and composition.

• Experience processing, conditioning and caring for fresh flowers.

• Ability to recognize flower-quality concerns and prioritize product rotation.

• Ability to follow established recipes, photographs and creative direction.

• Ability to create attractive, saleable designs using available inventory with limited direction.

• Familiarity with current floral-design trends, flower varieties and presentation styles.

• Understanding of appropriate floral substitutions and their effect on design and value.

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to completing orders accurately and on time.

• Ability to manage multiple orders and changing priorities without losing important details.

• Ability to work independently while also contributing to a team.

• Willingness to perform cleaning, flower-processing, inventory and cooler-management responsibilities.

• Ability to receive feedback and adjust designs to meet Moana Nursery’s standards.

• Dependable, punctual and prepared to work at the beginning of every shift.

• Availability to work a flexible retail schedule, including weekends and peak floral holidays.

NICE TO HAVE SKILLS OR EXPERIENCE:

• Experience in a professional flower shop, floral studio or high-volume floral department.

• Experience producing arrangements to established time and quantity expectations.

• Wedding, sympathy, funeral or special-event floral experience.

• Experience with both traditional and contemporary floral design.

• Experience designing with seasonal, locally grown or farm-grown flowers.

• Retail sales and customer-service experience.

• Experience using point-of-sale, eCommerce or floral order-management systems.

• Experience with Epicor, iNet, BloomNation or similar business systems.

• Knowledge of locally grown and seasonal flowers.

• Floral-design education, certification or advanced training.

• A valid Nevada driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.

• Willingness and ability to serve as a backup floral-delivery driver.

YOUR FUTURE WORK SCHEDULE:

This is a part-time approximately 24–32 hours per week or full-time position scheduled for approximately 40 hours per week . Because The Florist at Moana and Stem Studio operate within a seven-day retail environment, the schedule may include weekdays, weekends and holidays based on order volume and business needs.

Availability during major floral holidays and peak periods—including Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and other high-volume weeks—is required. Some schedule flexibility will be necessary when large orders, weddings, events, deliveries or staffing needs change.

YOUR FUTURE SALARY & BENEFITS:

The starting pay range for this position is $19–$22 per hour, based on floral-design experience, demonstrated skill, production ability and the candidate’s capacity to contribute across the department. Benefits for this role include:

• Paid time off.

• Store discount.

• Training and educational opportunities.

• Career-advancement opportunities.

• Opportunities for professional development and increased responsibility.

• The opportunity to work with fresh, seasonal and Minden-grown flowers.

• The chance to help shape Moana Nursery’s growing floral operation.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

The ideal candidate is creative, experienced and productive. They understand that a successful floral department must create beautiful work on time, at the correct value and within established design standards.

They can follow a recipe precisely, but they do not need constant direction. They can assess the flowers available, understand the department’s priorities and create attractive, saleable work. They follow current floral trends without losing sight of strong mechanics, customer preferences, product costs and the original purpose of an arrangement.

This person understands that speed and quality are equally important. They can meet measurable production expectations without sacrificing flower care, design integrity or accuracy.

Most importantly, they care for flowers as attentively as they design with them. They willingly process shipments, change water, rotate inventory, clean buckets and organize coolers because they understand that exceptional floral design begins with exceptional flower care.

The ideal candidate also understands that no task is beneath a professional designer. They will create a beautiful arrangement, help a customer, clean their workspace, support a teammate or make a delivery when necessary to help the entire department succeed.

If you are looking for an opportunity to design with distinctive, seasonal flowers while helping build a growing farm-to-vase floral program, this position might be right for you.

ABOUT MOANA NURSERY:

Moana Nursery is a vertically integrated, family-owned company specializing in growing, selling, installing and maintaining top-quality High Desert products and services that beautify and enhance our communities. Established in 1967, we are northern Nevada’s premier garden center, nursery and landscape-services company, supported by Oregon’s best “Hardy Plant” wholesale nursery.

Our floral operation includes The Florist at Moana and Stem Studio, our evolving farm-to-vase floral concept featuring fresh flowers and seasonal materials, including products grown by our own team in Minden, Nevada.

We are recognized both regionally and nationally as an industry leader, community member and consumer favorite. We are committed to continued education and community involvement. If you want a career—not just a job—and want to grow as a person, we might be the right fit for you.