Wild Student Researcher and Designer

About the role

The New York Botanical Garden seeks a thoughtful, highly organized, and mission-driven WILD Student Researcher and Designer to support Workforce Innovation and Leadership Development (WILD), a two-year professional development initiative funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Museums Empowered program. Reporting to the Senior Director of Learning Operations and Strategy, this role serves as a research, evaluation, and program-design partner with primary responsibility for supporting Seeds of Growth and the evidence-gathering activities that help WILD remain responsive to staff needs. The Student Researcher and Designer helps translate staff experience into practical program improvements by supporting surveys, interviews, listening sessions, focus groups, microgrant documentation, project tracking, and analysis of participation and feedback data. The role will work with departments receiving Seeds of Growth microgrants, document what they implement and learn, and organize promising practices into clear summaries, reusable resources, presentations, and an end-of-project showcase. This position supports WILD's alignment with Museums Empowered Organizational Management Objectives 4.1 and 4.2 by strengthening management practices, evaluation, and workforce development across NYBG. It is well suited to a graduate student who combines applied research and analysis with strong writing, facilitation, project coordination, discretion, and an interest in using evidence to improve learning experiences in a complex, mission-driven cultural institution.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit, speak, hear, and use a computer and standard office equipment for extended periods. The employee may also be required to walk between locations across NYBG's campus, stand for meetings or program support, and occasionally lift or move materials weighing up to 15 pounds. This role works in office, classroom, and meeting settings across the Garden, with some approved remote work. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Responsibilities

• Support the WILD Project Lead in coordinating the Seeds of Growth microgrant cycle, including proposal timelines, applicant communications, informational materials, submission tracking, review logistics, award documentation, and follow-up with participating departments.
• Maintain project plans, timelines, trackers, files, and quarterly check-in records for Seeds of Growth projects to help departments meet milestones and document progress, challenges, learning activities, and outcomes.
• Prepare templates, guidance, and practical tools that help department teams define learning needs, articulate intended outcomes, document implementation, and share what they learned with colleagues across NYBG.
• Help design and administer surveys, interview protocols, focus group guides, pulse checks, and other feedback tools used to assess staff learning needs, participation, accessibility, confidence, and application of learning in daily work.
• Conduct and document selected interviews, listening sessions, focus groups, and project check-ins with professionalism, consistency, and appropriate attention to confidentiality and participant experience.
• Collect, clean, organize, and analyze qualitative and quantitative information,