Summary        

If you want a career in Gardening, we can offer you some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the UK to work in as well as one of the largest plant collections in Europe.

This is a great time to be joining the Lacock and North Wiltshire Portfolio. As Senior Gardener you will be working with the Head Gardener to deliver our vision for the gardens at Lacock Abbey and The Courts. Directly responsible for managing a small team of staff and volunteers you will ensure that day-to-day work is well planned and our gardens are maintained to a high standard.

There is also the opportunity to work with the Head Gardener to shape the future vision of our gardens, particularly at Lacock where there is great potential. If you are an experienced gardener with great people skills and a proven ability to manage teams, this is the role for you.

What it's like to work here        

The gardens at Lacock and The Courts have contrasting design features but a shared ambition for high quality horticultural standards. The garden at Lacock Abbey is rich in history and the changes made by centuries of owners, featuring a wooded parkland, colourful borders, ancients trees and a Botanic Garden established by Photographic Pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot that is ripe for development.

The Courts Garden is English Country gardening at its best. Amongst the garden rooms of different styles you will find herbaceous borders, topiary, water gardens, statuary and arboretum and kitchen and kitchen garden.

It’s likely you will need your own transport to get here, however this is a great opportunity to join a welcoming team and contribute to exciting plans.

For more information about our property please visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lacock

What you'll be doing        

You’ll love working outdoors and understand that our gardens and grounds are as significant as our mansion houses, collections and our historical places. Our visitors tell us how much they enjoy the peace and tranquillity of our well-kept outdoor spaces, which makes your role vital in making sure our visitors have an amazing experience.

We don’t just need you to manage our beautiful gardens, although this is an important part of the role; we’d like you to help manage the team too. As the Senior Gardener in our team, we’d like you to lead by example, with exceptional gardening skills, but you’ll also understand how to manage the workload for this team, and deliver exceptional training to new staff and volunteers.

Please also read the full role profile attached to this advert.

Who we're looking for        

To be successful in this role you should be able to demonstrate the following:

• Significant practical experience in horticulture supported by relevant qualifications
• Have supervisory experience from a similar role
• Excellent knowledge of plants
• Competent with the use and maintenance of garden machinery including chainsaws, tractors, hedge trimmers, pedestrian and ride on mowers
• Knowledge of relevant health and safety legislation and practice