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Head Gardener

Employer
National Trust
Location
PL20 6EY, Yelverton
Salary
£27,191 pa
Closing date
27 Jan 2019

Job Details

We are looking to recruit a rare breed of horticultural brilliance – a Head Gardener with a wealth of experience, a creative and artistic eye, sound plant knowledge, a keenness to support nature in the garden and brilliant inter-personal skills to lead the gardening team at Buckland Abbey.

What you'll be doing

Every one of your team plays a valuable and important part to make this special place beautiful and vibrant. Using your strong organisational, communication and administration skills you’ll ensure the efficient management of the gardening team and compliance with all relevant legislation.

A big part of your job will be engaging with stakeholders including visitors, the team, community groups, projects and many more. You’ll get involved with the interpretation and programming for our visitors to help them understand the history of our gardens, the place, and plant collections. You’ll share your passion for our special place and instil a team culture of exceptional customer service. You’ll promote a culture of openness and involvement by engaging and building relationships with local communities and others in our work.

You’ll be an active member of the leadership team and using your knowledge and team insights you’ll help make informed decisions. Using collaborative working with other colleagues across the portfolio, you’ll work to constantly improve our gardens, and visitor offer.

Regular weekend and bank holiday working is a requirement of this role.

Who we're looking for

To deliver this role successfully, you’ll need to;

  • Significant practical experience in horticulture, supported by appropriate qualifications to RHS level 3 (or equivalent level of vocational experience)
  • Good people skills enabling strong relationships to be built and maintained externally and with staff and volunteers
  • Experience of organising garden activities which enhance our visitor experience
  • Leadership skills including coaching, team development, motivation and communication
  • Proven track record of managing budgets, finances and small projects
  • Good written and verbal communication skills including public presentation, influencing and negotiating
  • Attention to detail
  • Knowledge of all Health & Safety and Compliance requirements relevant to horticulture

Company

There's no other organisation like the National Trust. No other organisation that brings such an amazing variety of places and spaces to life.

We are a charity founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, three people who saw the importance of our nation’s heritage and open spaces, and wanted to protect them for everyone to enjoy. More than a century after we were founded, our values are still at the heart of everything we do. And we do a lot more than you might think. 

We welcome some 22.5 million visitors, from all ages and backgrounds, every year. We care for historic houses, gardens, mills, forests, castles, miles of coastline, islands, holiday cottages, pubs and inns, whole villages and even a goldmine. We also run a huge retail chain, a multi-million pound food and beverage business and much, much more. And we do all of this so that everyone can enjoy and make the most of the green spaces and beautiful places that England, Wales and Northern Ireland has to offer. 

The National Trust is described by its employee gardeners as “dynamic, supportive, inquisitive and fun”, where its beautiful places “lift your spirits naturally” and “somewhere you can expand new skills”. The organisation is currently recruiting for a number of gardening roles. 

Read more in our latest articles:

What makes the National Trust a special place to work?

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