Garden Tram Tour Guide

Job Title: Garden Tram Tour Guide

Department: Learning and Public Engagement

Supervisor: Exhibit Production Coordinator

Supervises: N/A

FLSA Salary Classification: Non-Exempt

Revision Update: May 8, 2025

Availability: Primarily Wednesday-Sunday during daytime hours with some evening requirements for evening events and rentals. Days may vary during Galaxy of Lights. This is a part time, seasonal and variable hour position.

Position Summary: 

Garden Tram Drivers provide guests a naturally delightful educational visit through the Garden transporting visitors on an 11-15 passenger open-air electric tram. Garden Tram Drivers will provide interpretation of the Garden’s mission, highlighting key garden areas, collections, seasonal elements, programs, and events. They will act as an ambassador of the Garden, greeting visitors, responding to inquiries, and helping provide positive visitor experiences.

Essential Functions:

• Greet passengers and ensure passenger safety during tour. Assist passengers in boarding and disembarking from the vehicle if necessary. Demonstrate a high standard of all safety guidelines and standard operating procedures to appropriately operate, maintain, and transport guests. Observance of both institutional and departmental policies and protocols is required.
• Learn and master content to provide narrated tours for all seasons and multiple routes for visitors of all ages. Educate and entertain passengers with narration points provided in training for both daytime and nighttime experiences. 
• Provide excellent customer service to all guests as an ambassador of the Garden with the ability to work independently or in a team. 
• Maintain the cleanliness of the vehicles and monitor operating conditions.  
• Provide support for the Garden’s attractions, exhibitions, and events to include ticket barcode scanning, taking digital payment, and line management as needed.
• Maintain a professional appearance and demeanor, representing the brand of the Huntsville Botanical Garden.  
• Obtain training and remain knowledgeable of the Garden’s history, current displays, key feature areas, current events, and seasonal exhibitions to share with the public. Attend training sessions to obtain new and relevant information.
• Work outdoors in all varieties of weather conditions and temperatures.  
• Partner with departments such as Hospitality and Development to provide transport services for groups as necessary and perform other duties as assigned. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

Must be at least 18 years of age with a high school diploma. Must have a valid driver’s license and maintain a safe driving record; subject to motor vehicle record (MVR) checks before and during employment. Tram drivers must be safety-oriented with at least one year of experience in the service and/or tour industry as a public speaker with a talent for engaging an audience of adults and children. Excellent communication skills, professional demeanor, and ability to articulate verbal presentation with a strong command of the English language required. 

Must be available to work during the daytime, evening, weekend and occasional holidays as scheduled. Must obtain CPR and First Aid training. Proficiency in Microsoft Office is required. 

Success Factors:

• A commitment to, and ability to effectively convey, the Garden’s mission of connecting people with plants with genuine passion that also embraces and exemplifies the Garden’s core values. 
• The ability to adapt, learn new information, and open-mindedness is crucial for the Garden’s evolution over time. Continual interest in learning about the Garden including its history, plant collections, and programs. 
• Focused on teamwork, a friendly demeanor, excellent communication skills, customer service minded, and adaptability to various audiences and scheduling needs.
• Prioritize safety and effectively follow operating procedures.
• Ability to discern and adapt to the needs and interests of others and make sound judgments based on the environment. 

Preferred Qualifications:

Additional education of two or more years of college is preferred, or two additional years of experience in the service and/or tour industry as a public speaker with a talent for engaging an audience of adults and children. Horticulture and plant identification knowledge is a plus. Bilingual speakers preferred. 

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.   

• Physical demands:
• Frequent driving of tram that requires continuous movement from standing, sitting, walking, while listening, and speaking. 
• Occasional requirements for lifting, pushing, and pulling items up to 50 pounds. 
• Continuous exposure to the outdoor environment and to varied weather conditions.  
• Work Environment:
• Primarily outdoor conditions on uneven terrain and can include working in inclement weather, heat, cold, and humidity.  
• Equipment used includes tram, Bluetooth headset microphone/on-board audio system, accessible lift/ramp, two-way radio, First Aid supplies, golf carts, and computer. 
• Schedule: Tram operates on both weekday and weekends with some evening requirements. Flexibility is essential. 

Job descriptions are guidelines that attempt to characterize major duties and responsibilities of employees and are subject to change as needs and programs change. At Huntsville Botanical Garden they are considered neither inclusive nor exclusive. It is expected that up to 20% of your duties may change annually.

Employee must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodation will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

The Huntsville Botanical Garden supports a culture of inclusion that attracts, inspires, and engages people to achieve success. The Garden is committed to hire and develop employees based on job-related qualifications irrespective of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or veteran status. To increase diversity in professions related to the public garden realm, we encourage applications from underrepresented minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans.