Role Profile
| Job Title | Gardener – Nursery Specialist |
| Position | Permanent |
| Hours | Full-time 35 hours per week |
| Holidays | 33 days including public holidays |
| Manager | Deputy Head of Plant Collections (DHPC) |
| Location | Chelsea Physic Garden |
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 socioeconomic 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
This role is aimed at giving the successful candidate an opportunity to build on their training, knowledge and skills perhaps gained in a previous apprenticeship or trainee position. The role may be the candidate’s first established role in horticulture. It is likely suit to someone who wants to develop their propagation and nursery skills and importantly is equally motivated to continue developing skills in botanic horticulture.
The Gardener – Nursery Specialist will work closely with members of the horticultural team, including trainees, interns and volunteers to care for the collections and for areas of the Garden assigned to them and for undertaking general horticultural tasks in the Garden and under glass. Team members are expected to be involved in all aspects of the successful running of this accredited historic botanic garden.
They contribute to overall visitor safety and satisfaction.
5. Key areas of responsibility
5.1 Garden Responsibilities:
The postholder is responsible for day-to-day maintenance within the Garden alongside their duties in respect of the day to day operation of the nursery and propagation programme at the Garden. They will support the delivery of the Propagation Strategy & Living Collections Conservation Plan by carrying out routine and seasonal tasks to the highest horticultural standards. They will work closely with the other members of the horticultural team, including trainees, interns and volunteers.
Garden maintenance tasks include weeding, irrigation, mowing, blowing, mulching staking, winter protection, path maintenance and many other ad hoc tasks depending on the needs of the Garden. The post will have an area of the garden which they will be supported to deliver the annual garden maintenance of.
Nursery responsibilities include day to day nursery operations including but not limited to meeting the needs of the plant collections in the nursery, glasshouse and quarantine house and seed bank. This includes watering, feeding, pest management, propagation case management (cuttings case), seed collecting and processing, pricking out, potting on, keeping on top of nursery hygiene & keeping appropriate records. The postholder will check in plants sourced into the quarantine house, supported by the horticultural team and specifically the Plant Records Manager/Gardener. The balance of tasks depends on the needs of the Garden and is planned.
5.2 Volunteer, trainee and Intern Supervision
This role is responsible, when suitably trained and experienced, to assist with the supervision of horticultural volunteers and interns. This post is specifically responsible for supervising the seed cleaners and propagation volunteers with the support of line managers. They provide direction, training and support to ensure that they are properly supervised to carry out the tasked asked of them, and that they have the skills, tools and proper protective equipment to carry them out. They will seek advice and support from others if necessary.
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. You will be responsible for operating Machinery safely, wearing appropriate PPE. You are responsible for reporting all accidents and near misses to your line manager. You may be required to undertake a first aid or mental health first aid course. The role holder will follow all Biosecurity risk assessments and procedures.
5.4 Visitors
The postholder 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 attention to detail, yet able to execute tasks on time | 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 | 1 |
| 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 | 1 |
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.