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Head of Gardens & Parklands

Employer
National Trust
Location
Swindon
Salary
£70,000
Closing date
21 Mar 2021

Summary  

The gardens and parklands in our care are some of the most important, iconic, and well-loved in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The National Trust takes great pride in caring for these historic and living works of art to a high standard and in welcoming visitors to share in their beauty.

We are now looking for a Head of Gardens & Parklands to lead an organisation-wide initiative to make the most of these remarkable places and their ability to provide public benefit, inspire and delight. You will help us make a step-change in our ability to connect audiences with National Trust gardens, bringing our conservation and engagement activity together in dynamic new ways which will resonate with 21st century audiences.  

What you will be doing  

No two of our gardens are the same, and your day to day role will reflect that. You will work with our internal garden specialists, from regional gardens advisers to head gardeners based at properties across the organisation, as well as external professionals. You will come to understand individual property priorities, develop national programmes for engagement and research, engage with partners to ensure that NT gardens play a strong role in helping properties to thrive. At a national level, you will be part of a heritage focussed team, but you will work closely with many others from Visitor Experience to Membership and Support, from Commercial to Communications.

As the Head of profession for Gardens you will have and continue to build the external networks we need, leading senior level relationships with key partners to ensure we are at the forefront of research and innovation, and are working with others to help train and build the professional gardens community of the future.

Who we are looking for?  

You will have an impressive background in working in gardens management, horticulture, gardens journalism, broadcast or research. You will have a strong vision of what can be achieved over a five-year period to help engage existing and new audiences through programming, public participation, external partnerships and events.  You will recognise how to apply high presentation standards, care and maintenance, but not be afraid to innovate and trial new approaches. You will have a commitment to long-term sustainability and be interested in developing major research projects to support the preservation and cultural and historic understanding of NT gardens. Both a team player and a leader, you will not be phased by scale, be able to build strong internal and external networks, and to work in, and inspire, multi-disciplinary teams.

To be considered for the role, you will need to have:

  • Relevant professional qualification in horticulture or closely related discipline and considerable practical experience
  • A strong strategic vision about what could be achieved over a 5-year period to deepen and widen engagement in gardens and parklands
  • Exceptional leadership skills, able to motivate and inspire others
  • Creativity and innovation, ability to lead for and drive cultural change
  • A record of creating and driving strategic approaches across the organisation
  • Stakeholder and partner management with influencing and negotiating skills
  • Experience and understanding of the application of conservation principles in heritage settings
  • Understanding of the potential of research
  • Preferably, have had management of a garden or complex site in a vibrant and dynamic way, with multiple ways to engage with visitors and members

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