Horticulture Team Leader (Outer Estates)

Job Description

£32,609 per annum

Full-time, Permanent

About the role

We are seeking a practical, experienced horticulture professional to lead a small team delivering high-quality estate and horticultural work across approximately 200 acres of diverse, species-rich landscapes.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will work alongside your team daily, setting standards, leading delivery, and ensuring work is completed safely, efficiently and to a high standard.

You will support the Horticulture Manager in the delivery of Eden’s Outdoor Gardens, including temperate plantings, woodland habitats, and large public landscapes.

Key responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day horticultural and estate work across Outdoor Gardens
• Supervise a small team (approx. 5 including apprentice and volunteers)
• Set and maintain high standards of work quality and safety on site
• Work practically alongside the team on planting, maintenance and habitat care
• Support planning and coordination of weekly and seasonal work programmes
• Carry out basic office-based duties (~1.5 days per week), including ordering and scheduling
• Support visitor tours, education activities, and engagement with colleges
• Communicate and liaise with external partners, professionals and stakeholders
• Contribute to pest and disease management, record keeping and site care
• Carry out research to support improved horticultural practice and decision-making
• Use basic IT systems for ordering, scheduling, records and communication
• Work closely with wider estates and horticulture teams

About you

We are looking for someone who is:

• Experienced in horticulture, estates or landscape environments
• Confident leading people in a hands-on, outdoor working environment
• Skilled in practical horticulture with strong plant knowledge
• Comfortable using IT systems for basic planning, ordering and record keeping
• Able to carry out research to support practical decision-making and improvement
• Confident communicating with external partners, stakeholders and learners
• Able to set clear standards and motivate a small team
• Comfortable balancing field work with coordination and planning tasks
• A clear communicator who works well with colleagues, volunteers and learners

This role suits someone who enjoys being on the ground, leading by example, and getting work done to a high standard.

The environment

You will work across a varied landscape including gardens, woodland, habitats and steep terrain. The role is physically active and seasonal, with a strong emphasis on teamwork and delivery.

What we offer

A unique opportunity to contribute to the care and development of one of the UK’s most recognised living landscapes, supporting the mission of working with nature to respond to the planetary emergency.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 17th May 2026

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:           Horticulture Team Leader

Job Family:    Horticulture                           Job Ref:

Job Family Definition

Roles within the Horticulture job family (Cultivation, Living Landscapes and Education) are dedicated to understanding, developing, designing, cultivating, protecting, sharing, teaching about and managing Eden's living collection of plants, in a landscape environment where visitors and students are encouraged to experience and learn about plants, habitats and eco-systems and their vital role in providing a sustainable future.  The Living Landscapes provide a stage on which to inspire, demonstrate and communicate the Eden Project mission: To demonstrate and inspire positive action for the planet. The Eden Project practices regenerative horticulture and shares narratives about respecting, protecting and repairing nature and growing crops sustainably - taking human and planetary health into account.

Role Purpose

Supporting the Manager (and Head of Horticulture) whilst leading on-the-ground team activities.

Leading a small team in the effective and successful delivery of practical horticulture to produce world-standard plantings, landscapes, interpreted displays and gardens.

Detailed behind-the scenes co-ordination in areas including Health & Safety, Staffing, Procurement, Machinery and Tool care, Pest and Disease control, Record Keeping, short (weekly) and mid-term (quarterly) Planning and Programming, Communication with stakeholders, Third party interaction and technical research.

Communication and education, including delivering formal education both internally at Eden and externally, tours and written work - covering plants, landscapes and eco-systems and specific topics.

Representing Eden: protecting, enhancing and sustaining Eden’s living theatre as a leading green destination, focusing on human plant interdependencies.

Specific Role:

Estates Team Leader: Work focuses on the maintenance and development of outer estate’s woodlands, wetlands, agricultural lands in a regenerative sustainable way, and on occasion off site carrying out contracted work. Work includes working with a large number of stakeholders and includes the use a wide range of equipment and plant, where proven competence and certification is desirable. Knowledge of ecology and previous estate management is essential. The working conditions are seasonal and include steep slopes.

Key Accountabilities

1. Horticulture:

• Develops, teaches, guides and co-ordinates a small team of horticulturists and students in: soil preparation, irrigation, propagation, production, planting, cultivation, pest and disease control, development, maintenance and conservation of exhibits, plantings, projects and events in a specific area, ensuring plants, landscapes and habitats are well maintained.
• Leads by example to practically transfer these essential skills to a team of horticulturalists, landscapers, students and volunteers to the highest possible standard.
• Delivers the Eden Project’s long and short-term horticultural and landscape planning on time, budget and to a high quality.
• Improves horticultural techniques and knowledge through a thorough technical research approach.

2. Staff management:

• Ensures effective management of team (including students and volunteers) for effective, performance, development and attendance.
• Manages working patterns, sickness and conduct appraisals

3. Health & Safety:

• Ensures all activities are carried out with adequate training and instruction in compliance with company policy and Health & Safety regulations.
• Delivers Risk Assessments, COSHH and internal training

4. Planning and programming:

• Proactive in development of plants, plant-based exhibits, gardens and soils, developing short and mid-term work schedules considering the environmental strategy, ethical values and educational aspirations of Eden for agreement with manager.
• Has a good understanding of Eden’s operating procedures, logistics, ensuring best/efficient use of facilities and equipment available, proactive pest and disease control, cleanliness of all working areas and efficient working practices.
• Assesses and improves procedures using research, knowledge and best practice available. Works closely with the Manager on long-term planning.
• Determines the requirements for supplies and equipment; researches and specifies their procurement. Understands budget responsibility, orders ensuring compliance with the Eden Project’s sustainability standards and financial procedures, and co-ordinates distribution

5. Record keeping:

• Comprehensive management of record keeping to highest standards: plans, manages, allocates, monitors, audit and evaluates the record keeping work of the team.
• Monitors and evaluates horticultural and pest control programmes.
• Delivers quality plant records and carries out regular report writing

6. Engagement:

• Actively communicates with all stakeholders.
• Engages and interacts with external professionals, visitors and colleagues, providing professional guidance and imparting specialist knowledge to promote and enhance the Eden Project’s reputation as a leading attraction in the area of regenerative horticulture and agronomy, landscape design, green tourism and ethnobotany.
• Formal education to be delivered internally and externally regarding the plants, landscapes and eco-systems and specialist topics primarily in the form of lectures, guest speaking and tours

7. Representation:

• Protects, enhances and sustains the Eden Project’s ‘Living Theatre and Landscapes’ as a leading green destination within and beyond the Eden Project.
• Actively promotes the work of the team within the organisation, developing and maintaining the culture of collaboration and co-operation.
• Imparts specialist knowledge and skills to ensure the successful delivery of the Eden Project’s programmes.
• Provides content for promotional material and publications

Demands of the Role

Education & qualifications

Essential level of education: Bachelors in the Horticultural field or closely related or HND Horticulture/Landscape or with related teaching experience/ ability to transfer practical / technical knowledge.

Knowledge & skills

An accomplished and knowledgeable practitioner within the subject field with practical and professional expertise developed within horticulture and landscape preferably with an identified specialized skill and a minimum of eight years’ experience. Proven teaching experience with a qualification for teaching adults or willingness to gain a qualification is highly desirable. Some years’ experience previously working at a similar level, where the role involved an element of staff supervision. The job holder must possess the team leadership skills required to motivate, develop and manage staff, apprentices, students and volunteers by example and action. Demonstrates and brings their specialist skills to the team. For example, in sustainability, conservation, logistics, machinery maintenance, plant propagation, eco-restoration, entomology, hydrology, ethnobotany.

Decision- making

Effective day-to-day supervision of staff, students and volunteers has to be balanced against knowledge transfer, medium term plans and priorities; requiring the job holder to deploy and utilize their team effectively day-to-day. Effective decision making balancing short versus long term aims.

Resourcefulness

Collaborates with colleagues and senior staff to devise innovative and creative ways to improve planting schemes, habitats, landscaping and foremost knowledge transfer. The job holder will be required to be flexible and use creative thinking to resolve unusual technical challenges or situations.

People & asset management

Guides by example, a small dedicated and knowledgeable horticultural/landscaping team, students and designated volunteers, providing on-the-job training and mentoring as required. A shared responsibility for the health, integrity, maintenance and presentation of Eden’s living collection; identifying procurement requirements, obtain quotes as well as sourcing and ordering, for approval by budget holders.

Communication & visitor experience

Effective oral and written communication skills are essential for this role which requires the job holder to engage and interact with a variety of visitors, colleagues and students in various situations requiring the use of a range of techniques and approaches. Visitor engagement includes some media, writing, guided walks and talks.

Ability to relay information on varied topics to audiences of both professionals and amateurs e.g. lectures. Ability to plan and write editorial within own work area for students.

Operational environment

The role regularly requires physical effort and prolonged working on slopes within a variety of normal and harsh climatic environments in additional to some desk work.

Character

The job requires a decisive, intellectual, practically orientated, flexible, and communicative person with a social creative personality. A proactive positive outlook is essential with a prompt, thorough approach to problem solving. Someone with a positive responsible outlook wishing to make a difference in this world, who cares about the world we live in and understands and works to deliver the Eden mission.

Additional features

The job holder is required to continuously develop their technical expertise and team leading skills while keeping abreast of current Health & Safety regulations. The job holder may be required to travel nationally and internationally to work on specific assignments or projects.

Job Details

Job Family

Horticulture

Pay Type

Salary