Head Gardener

HEAD GARDENER

• A mobile role covering various plots located in counties (Shropshire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire) across the West of England, based out of Cannock Chase War Cemetery
• 37 hour working week, Monday to Friday
• Starting salary of £23,042 plus Benefits

If you are a skilled and experienced head gardener with a passion for really great horticulture, if you want to work for an amazing organisation in peaceful surroundings amongst a wide variety of lawns plants and trees, doing a valuable job you really enjoy that gives you an enormous sense of pride, then this could be the role for you. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and capable head gardener to join our team in maintaining our iconic horticultural plots at cemeteries and churchyards across the West of England to our universally admired high standards

The successful applicant will be a keen horticulturist, in possession of excellent practical knowledge and a broad breadth of experience. They will be highly motivated and have experience of managing a static team at Cannock Chase War Cemetery in as well as a small team of mobile gardeners.

For more details about our organisation, please visit our website www.cwgc.org

We offer you:

• Generous pension scheme with employer contributions up to 15%
• Life Assurance cover of up to 6 x salary
• Enhanced Sick Pay Scheme
• A comprehensive range of Employee Benefits such as a 24-hour wellbeing helpline, Discount Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme
• Generous holiday allocation with 25 days rising by 1 day per year until you reach the max of 30 days
• Paid time off for all the public and bank holidays and paid office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Summer and winter uniform and a fully equipped van
• The opportunity to join one of the world’s leading horticultural organisation and to develop your career with us
• Opportunities to gain further qualifications as pertinent to the job are available.
• A commitment to providing learning and development opportunities to support the growth of all employees, both personally and professionally

We are looking for:

• Ideally a minimum of three years’ experience or training of at least NVQ2 or similar
• An excellent understanding of horticultural techniques and plant identification
• Good organisational and time management skills
• The ability to manage a team by building and maintaining good working relationships with Commission staff in all grades
• Prioritises well and has the ability to adapt to exceptional circumstances
• Ability to maintain and demonstrate the highest horticultural standards
• An understanding of Health & Safety and knowledge of sustainable garden practices
• Extensive experience with the use and care of a wide range of garden machinery
• A keen eye for detail and excellent communication and organisation skills
• A full driving licence is essential
• The role is practical and hands-on and requires commitment and a decent level of physical fitness

This may be the opportunity for you, we look forward to receiving your application.

How to apply:

If you think you’ve got what it takes to succeed in this role please send your CV and a covering letter explaining what you can bring to the role and why you believe you can fulfil the requirements of the job, as outlined in the job description by clicking on the Apply button below.

Closing Date:

The closing date for applications is 22 October 2021 and it is anticipated that interviews will take place on week commencing 8 November 2021 and will take place at Cannock. 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time once we receive sufficient applications and encourage all interested applicants to apply at their earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

We value the differences that a diverse workforce brings and are committed to creating a respectful work environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and where any unlawful and/or unfair discrimination is eliminated. We will not unlawfully discriminate directly or indirectly in recruitment or employment on grounds of sex, gender reassignment, pregnancy, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins, age, sexual orientation or marital status, religion or belief.