Gardener (maintenance specialist)
| Job Title | Gardener (maintenance specialist) |
| Position | Permanent |
| Hours | Full-time 35 hours per week |
| Holidays | 33 days including public holidays |
| Manager | Glasshouse Manager |
| Location | Chelsea Physic Garden, 66 Royal Hospital Road,London SW3 4HS |
1. Equal Opportunities
Chelsea Physic Garden is a place for everyone. As an equal opportunities’ employer, Chelsea Physic Garden is committed to championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in our workplace. If you are a suitably qualified applicant, we encourage your application whatever your age, disability, gender, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation or socio-economic background.
2. About Chelsea Physic Garden
Chelsea Physic Garden (CPG) is an independent charity set up in 1983 to promote and preserve the four-acre garden of the same name. The charity’s mission is to demonstrate the medicinal, economic, cultural and environmental importance of plants to the survival and wellbeing of humankind. We are open to visitors six-days a week, eleven months of the year. There has been a teaching Garden on our site since 1673, and today we hope that all our visitors leave inspired, having learnt something new.
3. Our Values
We have a set of five inter linked reinforcing values that support each other
4. About the Role
4. About the Role
The Gardener (maintenance specialist) will work closely with the Herbaceous & Hardy Manager and others in the horticultural team to ensure excellent standards of display in the glasshouses, following the collections policies and processes and other strategic documents. This role will supervise assigned specialist volunteers and trainees .
They contribute to overall visitor safety and satisfaction.
5. Key areas of responsibility
5.1 Garden Responsibilities:
The Gardener (maintenance specialist) is a key role in the day-to-day horticultural maintenance within the Gardens completing tasks to a high standard. They will work closely with the other members of the horticultural team, including trainees, interns, volunteers including glasshouse and nursery volunteers. They will contribute to excellent standards of display and curation in the garden in line with Garden Maintenance Plans and Living Collections Conservation Plans.
Garden maintenance tasks include: weeding, irrigation, mowing, blowing, mulching staking, winter protection, path maintenance and many other associated tasks depending on the needs of the Garden. The postholder will have their own area of the garden in which they will be supported to deliver annual garden maintenance of as well as contributing to team “hits” across the site. The postholder will ensure the garden is irrigated appropriately.
Specialist responsibilities include: outdoor irrigation, mowing, hedging, weeding, mulching, pruning and training of climbers and other shrubs. The postholder will create excellent plant displays across the Gardens collections, through seed sowing, pea sticking and weaving, soil management and “Chelsea chopping”.
The balance of tasks depends on the needs of the Garden and is planned by the Garden’s management team. This role is suited to someone who wants to further develop their horticulture skills to a high standard, notably within a diverse botanic collection that is ecologically gardened.
5.2 Volunteer, trainee and Intern Supervision
The postholder is responsible, when suitably trained and experienced, to assist with the supervision of horticultural volunteers and interns. This post is specifically responsible for supervising glasshouse and nursery specialist as well as garden maintenance. They will ensure that volunteers are suitably trained and equipped with PPE and conducting tasks to the required standard, giving clear feedback on time.
5.3 Health, Safety & Biosecurity
Follow the gardens Health and Safety Policies and procedures, specifically Risk assessments, COSHH assessments and Tree Risk Management, once appropriate training has been given. The postholder will be responsible for operating machinery safely, wearing appropriate PPE and with due regard to HAVs. They are responsible for reporting all accidents and near misses to their line manager. They may be required to undertake a first aid or mental health first aid course. The role holder will also follow all Biosecurity risk assessments and procedures.
5.5 Sustainability
The Garden is committed to innovative and sustainable horticulture, as such the post holder is responsible for delivering this where appropriate in their own areas.
5.4 Visitors
The Horticulturist – Glasshouse Specialist ensures that all activity undertaken by them, the horticultural team, any trainees, interns and volunteers are carried out in a way that promotes enjoyment for visitors.
6. Person Specification
| Knowledge Skills and Experience | Essential/Desirable |
| Experience of working in a public garden, particularly botanic or historicgardens | E |
| Level 2 Qualification in Horticulture (RHS, C&G and others accepted) | E |
| A broad knowledge of garden maintenance | E |
| Experience of using Garden machinery | E |
| Good plant knowledge including use of botanical names | E |
| A desire to learn and develop as a botanic horticulturist | E |
| A willingness to work under direction as part of an established highperforming team | E |
| Prepared to work in all weathers | E |
| Basic Knowledge of Plant nutrition | D |
| Basic Knowledge of Pest and diseases and their management | D |
| Knowledge of Health and Safety. Biosecurity and COSHH | D |
| High atten | E |
7. Competency Framework
We have a set of eight competencies that are common to all employees and within the framework each competency has four levels which relate to the level at which individual roles need to operate. The competency assessment for this role is set out below and more information will be provided to support this assessment.
| Competency | Descriptor | Level for thisrole | |
| 1 | Leadership | Setting the pace and behaving with integrity | 2 |
| 2 | PeopleManagement | Making clear what you expect and what is to beachieved; enabling and supporting your staff todeliver | 1 |
| 3 | Analysis anduse of Evidence | Collecting, analysing and using informationand evidence, assessing risk and takingdecisions | 1 |
| 4 | Communication | Communicating with colleagues, visitors andstakeholders | 1 |
| 5 | CollaborativeWorking | Working together with people within andoutside of CPG to help us achieve our goals | 1 |
| 6 | DeliveringResults | Organising and managing the work to deliverresults | 1 |
| 7 | Using andManagingResources | Using resources cost effectively | 1 |
| 8 | Know How | The knowledge, skills and expertise you needto do your job and help others to do theirs | 2 |
8. Terms and Conditions
The post holder will work an average 35 hours per week over five days. The horticultural team’s working hours differ during the summer season (March-August) at 39 hours per week and the winter season (September-February) at 31 hours per week. The post holder will take part in the roster of weekend working for which time off in lieu is given.
The Garden operates a salary exchange pension scheme currently with Royal London which means that your gross salary is reduced by the amount of pension contribution made by the employer and employee which is then paid directly into your pension. The equivalent contribution rates are 6% employer and 3% employee at the end of the probationary period.