Head Gardener
Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle & Gardens.
Gardens & Estates
Kensington Palace
Established/Permanent
£29,921
Per Annum
Full-time 36 hours per week plus AHS
Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) is looking for a dynamic and experienced hands-on Garden Team Manager to join our gardens team at Kensington Palace. Your role will be to manage a team of dedicated gardeners, taking responsibility for all garden activities and maintaining the gardens around the Palace to 5 star standards.
In addition you will be a key player in the new Kensington Orangery project which is looking to recreate a Garden and reconnect the Palace with a lost part of its horticultural history.
Leading from the front and working closely with your team, your duties will also include health and safety, staff development, work scheduling and the security of all equipment. You will also act as HRP’s representative in all matters relating to the day to day management of the gardens. A creative eye for floral bedding designs and plant selection is also important.
Working within this team and with a keen eye for detail you will have a passion for gardening in prestigious gardens; a professional all round knowledge of garden maintenance tasks; and an understanding of what it means to provide a 5 Star service to our visitors.
In addition you will be a key player in the new Kensington Orangery project which is looking to recreate a Garden and reconnect the Palace with a lost part of its horticultural history.
Leading from the front and working closely with your team, your duties will also include health and safety, staff development, work scheduling and the security of all equipment. You will also act as HRP’s representative in all matters relating to the day to day management of the gardens. A creative eye for floral bedding designs and plant selection is also important.
Working within this team and with a keen eye for detail you will have a passion for gardening in prestigious gardens; a professional all round knowledge of garden maintenance tasks; and an understanding of what it means to provide a 5 Star service to our visitors.
The successful candidate will be positive, team focused and competent in using a range of horticultural machinery, for example hedge trimmers, lawn mowers and other specialist equipment. You also need to have good range of traditional gardening skills such as pruning, clipping topiary, seasonal bed planting and tending to containerised trees, shrubs and exotics.
You will have a horticultural qualification at QCF level 3 with practical horticultural experience, as well as proven experience of managing a team. You should be a proactive, enthusiastic and well organised individual able to work both independently and part of a team. Good communication and IT skills are essential in this role as is previous experience of leading a team in a public Garden.
A full driving licence, and PA1:PA6 certification would be advantageous
You will have a horticultural qualification at QCF level 3 with practical horticultural experience, as well as proven experience of managing a team. You should be a proactive, enthusiastic and well organised individual able to work both independently and part of a team. Good communication and IT skills are essential in this role as is previous experience of leading a team in a public Garden.
A full driving licence, and PA1:PA6 certification would be advantageous
Historic Royal Palaces is an equal opportunities employer and truly values a diverse workforce. Applications are welcome from candidates regardless of their background.
This vacancy is closed to applications.
