USF Herbarium Coordinator

The USF Herbarium Coordinator will work directly with the Associate Curator to manage day-to-day herbarium operations, including specimen acquisition and preservation; collections assessment and remediation; management of digital assets; supporting student workers and volunteers; and general management of the physical collections. This position is intended to enhance the herbarium's capacity to process specimens, engage in classroom instruction, participate in public outreach, and support faculty/student research.

• Specimen intake and preservation: duties include moving new specimens through decontamination process (e.g. freezing), communicating with donors to acquire label data (e.g. species name, collecting location, etc.), and affixing specimens to archival paper according to herbarium standards.
• Specimen remediation and management: duties include repairing damaged specimens, creating packets for loose parts that may be lost, and/or creating new herbarium specimens from damaged materials. This function also includes contributing to annual assessment reporting, and maintaining/developing/improving standard operating procedures for major herbarium processes outlined in other functions.
• Management of digital assets: duties include entering specimen data using Virtual Herbarium database management platform, checking database entries for errors, and assessing digital images of specimens for errors.
• Supporting student workers, volunteers, and researchers: duties include assisting students working on grant-funded projects such as Florida Wildlife Commission funded digitization project, managing efforts of USF Herbarium volunteers, and assisting staff/faculty/students with research requests.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• This position requires a Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate field with two years of work experience in a library. Appropriate college coursework may substitute for the required experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A master’s degree (or a confirmed graduation date) and at least one year of experience working with curating botanical specimens in a herbarium, museum, or library setting. Preferred skills include familiarity with global and regional biological databases; experience with collecting and identifying Florida plants; basic coding in the R statistical computing environment, Python, or both; familiarity with medical botany and/or plant biochemistry; and fluency with word processing and organizational software typical of office environments.

  Degree Equivalency Clause: Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree.
  

  • Senate Bill 1310- The Florida Senate (https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/1310) is conditional upon meeting all employment eligibility requirements in the U.S.
  • SB 1310: Substitution of Work Experience for Postsecondary Education Requirements
  • A public employer may include a postsecondary degree as a baseline requirement only as an alternative to the number of years of direct experience required, not to exceed:
  • (a) Two years of direct experience for an associate degree;
  • (b) Four years of direct experience for a bachelor’s degree;
  • (c) Six years of direct experience for a master’s degree;
  • (d) Seven years of direct experience for a professional degree; or
  • (e) Nine years of direct experience for a doctoral degree
  • Related work experience may not substitute for any required licensure, certification, or registration required for the position of employment as established by the public employer and indicated in the advertised description of the position of employment.
  • Minimum Qualifications that require a high school diploma are exempt from SB 1310.

Working at USF

With approximately 16,000 employees, the University of South Florida is one of the largest employers in the Tampa Bay area. We are dedicated to cultivating a talented, engaged and driven workforce that strives to be bold. Employees excel in USF‘s rich academic environment, which fosters their development and advancement. In 2025, Forbes recognized USF as one of Florida’s best large employers, ranked No. 1 among the state’s 12 public universities. Our first-class benefits package includes medical, dental and life insurance plans, retirement plan options, employee and dependent tuition programs, generous leave, and hundreds of employee perks and discounts.

About USF

The University of South Florida is a top-ranked research university serving approximately 50,000 students from across the globe at campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota-Manatee and USF Health. USF is recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top 50 public university and the best value in Florida. U.S. News also ranks the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine as the No. 1 medical school in Florida and in the highest tier nationwide. USF is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a group that includes only the top 3% of universities in the U.S. With an all-time high of $738 million in research funding in 2024 and as a top 20 public university for producing U.S. patents, USF uses innovation to transform lives and shape a better future. The university generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. USF’s Division I athletics teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Learn more at www.usf.edu .

Compliance and Federal Notices

This position may be subject to a Level 1 or Level 2 criminal background check.

Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws :

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Applicants for USF employment are entitled to request reasonable accommodation(s) in the application process. A request is to be made at least five (5) working days prior to the time the accommodation(s) is needed. Visit the Central Human Resources ADA Accommodations webpage for more information on requesting an accommodation during the application/interview process.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of South Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains affirmative action programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. This job description does not constitute an employment contract.