Lead Floral Designer

The Role: Our business is growing quicker than expected, so we're hiring a Lead Designer to take ownership of our design function. This is a design job. Not a sales job. You handle flowers, which means you spend your time on the craft rather than the logistical minutia of invoicing.

Responsibilities include: Build floral proposals and recipes for weddings, working directly with brides to translate their vision into executable design Lead design and installation on wedding day Build and refine recipes for daily order work, balancing beauty with cost Design daily arrangements: sympathy, celebration, everyday, seasonal Help with wholesale ordering and product selection Set design standards and mentor our designers Help develop our seasonal and signature collections Who We’re Looking For We are genuinely open on experience level, and are willing to shape the role and pay around the right person.

Required: Formal floral design training: a certificate program, horticulture coursework, AIFD/CFD credential, or equivalent structured education Demonstrated command of design fundamentals: color theory, mechanics, proportion, seasonal material knowledge Portfolio showing range beyond a single style Comfort working directly with clients regarding their event Physical capacity for the real work — lifting buckets, long installation days, early mornings and late nights as needed Valid driver's license

Strongly Preferred: 2+ years in a retail flower shop or event studio Wedding and large-event experience, including on-site installation Recipe building and floral costing experiencePOS/order management systems What Matters Most (more than anything above): Judgment about flowers: knowing what will open, what will hold, and what will photograph Wanting to build something rather than execute someone else's list Reliability, especially during the weeks that matter For a designer early in their career, we're open to structuring this as a Lead Track position with a defined path to the full role. If you have the training and the eye but not yet the years, apply anyway and tell us that. Compensation Starting at $20/hour, based on experience Annual continuing education budget Employee discount Why Lexington Lexington is a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a great food scene, three colleges, and some of the best hiking in the mid-Atlantic. The cost of living is a fraction of what it is in Charlottesville or DC. If you're a designer who wants creative authority and a life outside of work (rather than a fifth-chair position at a big studio) this is a rare combination. To Apply Send a résumé and portfolio (PDF, link, or Instagram - format is less important than the showcased designs) to info@universityfloristva.com. Tell us in a few sentences about a design you're proud of and one you'd redo. University Florist is an equal opportunity employer.