GARDENER

MAGDALEN COLLEGE
 OXFORD

QUALIFIED GARDENER
  (Job Reference GA26000)

Further Particulars

Magdalen College is one of the most beautiful of the Oxford Colleges with a hundred-
acre site of ancient and modern buildings including the landmark Great Tower beside
Magdalen Bridge.  The gardens and grounds consist of a diverse landscape including
formal quads, Fellows’ Spring Garden with pond, Church Meadow, surrounding natural
areas at Marston, a formal rose garden, outlying properties, Holywell Ford gardens and
drive, river walks, Water Meadow and Deer Park.

As Gardener, you will work within a friendly and experienced team consisting of six
full-time  staff  and  one  full-time  apprentice.  The  postholder  will  assist  in  the
preservation  and  enhancement  of  the  estate’s  horticultural  landscape,  undertaking  a
broad range of duties to include seasonal operations. The role requires regular outdoor
work  throughout  the  year  and  the  ability  to  carry  out  physically  demanding  tasks
essential  to  horticultural  practice.  Reasonable  adjustments  will  be  considered  in
accordance with the Equality Act 2010. The successful candidate will demonstrate a
professional, conscientious, and respectful approach, reflecting the heritage and values
of the College estate.

Amongst  the  Head  Gardener’s  key  priorities  is  the  continued  enhancement  of
biodiversity across the entire estate, and the team will soon support the redevelopment
of the Waynflete area. We seek to appoint an experienced Gardener who is enthusiastic
and committed to assist  in the continued delivery of these aims, and in turn we will
support your development and training.

As a qualified gardener, you will take responsibility for areas varying in horticultural
expertise, requiring the following skills and experience:

•  Expert  pruning,  training  and  seasonal  care  of  shrubs,  wall  shrubs,  climbing

plants, roses, topiary and hedges to enhance the College grounds.

•  Understanding of meadow management

•  Cultivation  of  shrub  and  herbaceous  borders,  including  weeding,  edging,
planting,  dividing,  staking,  pruning  and  deadheading  to  enhance  flowering
potential.

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•  Professional  turf  management,  precision  mowing,  application  of  fertilisers,
biological  pest  and  disease  control,  top  dressing  and  re-seeding,  plus  full
seasonal manual and mechanical lawn renovation.

•  Dedicated  care  of  the  iconic  Magdalen  deer  herd,  ensuring  their  wellbeing

through monitoring, feeding and seasonal management.

•  Proactive grounds care, keeping paths, open spaces and landscapes pristine, safe

and welcoming for our students, staff and visitors.

•  Skilled  operation  and  maintenance  of  tractors  and  specialist  equipment  to

support efficient estate management.

•  Supporting  greenhouse  and  nursery  production,  application  of  IPM  program,
propagating shrubs and trees and growing bedding plants for seasonal displays.

•  Mechanical, manual and chemical control of weeds, litter picking and seasonal

leaf clearance

•  Contributing  positively  as  part  of  a  collaborative  team,  while  confidently

managing independent tasks.

•  Upholding the highest standards of health, safety and environmental compliance

across the Estate.

•  Any  other  tasks,  duties  and  responsibilities  not  listed  above  which  can
reasonably be expected to be performed or undertaken by a Qualified Gardener
and estate worker.

You  will  be  provided  with  uniform  and  all  the  necessary  Personal  Protective
Equipment, which must be maintained at all times.  Should replacements be required,
it is the Gardeners’ responsibility to notify the Head Gardener.

Person Specification

Essential

•  Horticultural  qualifications,  minimum  level  2  in  practical  horticulture  (e.g.,

RHS, City & Guilds, NVQ or equivalent)

•  Minimum of 3 years’ experience working as a qualified gardener in an amenity

horticultural environment.

•  Good plant knowledge and understanding of correct horticultural practices.
•  Experienced in all aspects of pruning wall shrubs, roses and ornamentals.
•  Experience in fine turf management
•  PA1 & PA6
•  Conscientious and professional in all aspects of work and engagement
•  Proven ability to work in a team and alone.
•  Excellent time management skills.
•  Good interpersonal skills.

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•  Proven ability to have a flexible approach to the work environment.

Desirable

•  CS30/31 chainsaw certificates.
•  Certificate for Safe Use of Steps & Ladders.
•  Manual handling certificate.
•  Experience in caring for greenhouses and nursery stock.
•  Experience in working with animals.
•  First Aid trained
•  Experience  of  driving  tractors  and  operating  relevant  machinery  such  as

shredders, ride on mowers, mulch /flail mowers.

Salary

The salary for the post will be on the scale £26,707 – £33,002 per annum (Grade 4 of
the  College  Unified  Pay  Scale),  depending  on  skills  and  experience,  plus  Oxford
Location Allowance of £1,730 per annum.

Hours of Work

This post is full time, working the following hours per week:

February to November 8:00 am – 4:30 pm (includes 30 minutes unpaid lunch break)
January and December 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (includes 30 minutes unpaid lunch break)

Occasionally  the  garden  department  need  to  work  outside  regular  times.    This  is
managed on a flexible working arrangement organised by the Head Gardener.

There  is  also  the  requirement  to  work  weekends  and  some  bank  holidays;  this
responsibility is rotated around the department.

Benefits

•  Membership of contributory pension scheme.
•  Free lunch will be provided when the kitchen is open.
•  A uniform is provided.
•  Car parking may be available.
•  Use of sports facilities.
•  Optional contributory Healthcare Scheme.
•  Bus pass purchase scheme.
•  Holiday entitlement is 30 working days, plus bank holidays.  Some restrictions
may apply when holiday cannot be taken and some set day’s holiday must be
taken when the College is closed.

The  College  provides  for  maternity  leave  on  a  basis  that  exceeds  the  statutory
provisions. This is a day one entitlement and there is no qualifying period, women are
eligible for 26 weeks’ maternity leave on full pay, followed by 13 weeks of leave on
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and 13 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Arrangements

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are  available  for  Adoption  Leave,  Shared  Parental  Leave,  and  Paternity  Leave.
Magdalen College has a priority claim on places in the University nurseries.

Applications

The College is committed to maintaining a working, learning and social environment
in  which  the  rights  and  dignity  of  all  staff,  students  and  visitors  are  respected.  We
welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-
represented within higher education. Recruitment, and progression within employment,
will be determined according to personal merit and the duties and requirements of the
post. In all cases, the ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration.

Please complete the College application form and send it, together with the recruitment
monitoring  form,  to  either  human.resources@magd.ox.ac.uk  or  Human  Resources,
Magdalen College, Oxford, OX1 4AU.  If you do not wish the College to contact your
referees at this stage, please make this clear in your application.  The closing date for
receipt of applications is 12 noon on Monday 16 March 2026.  Should you have any
questions about the application procedure please call 01865 276033.

Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Data Protection

All  data  supplied  by  applicants  will  be  used  for  the  purposes  of  determining  their
suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data
Protection Act 2018 and the College’s Data Protection Policy which can be found at
http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/other-policies/data-protection/.

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