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Head Gardener

Employer
Perennial
Location
Hereford
Salary
£28000 per annum
Closing date
21 Jan 2022

View more

Function
Operations & Service Delivery
Sector
Community
Hours
Full Time
Contract Type
Permanent

Head Gardener

 

The Laskett Gardens, Much Birch, Herefordshire

About Us

Perennial is the nation's only charity dedicated to helping people in horticulture. Together with our network of partners, we provide free support, information, advice, financial assistance and services for horticulturalists and their loved ones experiencing illness, disability, bereavement, family breakdown and financial difficulties.

The Laskett Gardens – once one of England’s most hidden and private gardens – is set in the idyllic countryside of Herefordshire on the Welsh borders. Over almost four decades, the historian Sir Roy Strong and his late wife, the designer Dr Julia Trevelyan Oman, transformed a four acre field into a series of stunning garden rooms, vistas, ascents and descents.

Sir Roy donated The Laskett to Perennial in early 2021 and we have pledged to maintain it as a garden of great distinction to delight visitors in the years to come.

We are currently looking for a Head Gardener to help us maintain and share the beauty of The Laskett Gardens.

The Benefits

- Salary of c£28,000 dependant on skills and experience

- 25 days’ holiday per annum plus Bank Holidays increasing with long service

- Pension

- DIS benefit (3x salary)

- Sickness pay

- Comprehensive benefits package

- Well-established family friendly policies, including the ability to have extra unpaid leave

- Time off for dependants

- Company car/car benefit

If you have experience of managing a high-quality garden, this is an exciting opportunity to care for the largest formal gardens to be created in England since 1945.

You will have the chance to protect and shape one of the most remarkable and inspirational gardens in the UK. This includes a rose garden, pleached lime avenue, orchard, knot garden, fountains, statuary and parterres, as well as the Colonnade Court and a spectacular array of topiary and rich herbaceous and prairie style borders.

So, if you are eager to lead a passionate, hard-working team and join a charity that champions people in the horticulture industry, we want to hear from you.

 

The Role

As the Head Gardener, you will help to ensure that the history, ecology, evolved design and artistic integrity of The Laskett Gardens and other grounds associated with the site are conserved and presented to an exemplary standard.

Using your creative vision and top level horticultural knowledge and skills, you will lead a brilliant team, fostering a culture that makes involvement in the garden a rewarding, rich and enjoyable experience for visitors, volunteers and staff.

Specifically, you will:

- Recruit, train, manage and develop staff and volunteers to present the gardens to a high standard

- Ensure that the retail, catering and visitor facilities are managed effectively

- Make sure that visitors receive an excellent service

- Identify opportunities to promote the gardens and develop the visitor experience

- Manage allocated budgets

About You

To join us as the Head Gardener, you will need:

- Previous experience of managing a garden of quality to a high standard

- Experience of managing staff within a horticultural, conservation or visitor attraction setting

- Experience of working with and leading volunteers

- Experience of working within a visitor attraction

- An RHS Level 3 qualification (or equivalent)

- Knowledge of health and safety in a garden environment

- To be willing to work outdoors in all weathers

- The ability to work flexibly, including weekends as part of a rota in season

- A full driving licence

Please note, this role will involve carrying heavy loads, kneeling for long periods, digging and sweeping.

Other organisations may call this role Senior Gardener, Lead Gardener, Horticultural Manager, Attraction Manager, or Head Grounds Person.

The closing date for applications is the 7th February 2022.

Webrecruit and Perennial are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re seeking a brilliant new opportunity as our Head Gardner, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.

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