Head Gardener Brompton Cemetery, London, SW10 About Us The Royal Parks (TRP) is a charity managing over 5,000 acres of parkland, rare habitats, historic buildings, and monuments across eight Royal Parks in London, including Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Richmond Park.
Additionally, we manage other important spaces, such as Brompton Cemetery, one of London's historic Magnificent Seven cemeteries and still a working cemetery.
Our mission is to preserve these spaces for millions of visitors every year.
We are now looking for a Head Gardener to join our team at Brompton Cemetery on a full-time, permanent basis working 36 hours per week.
The Benefits - Salary of £32,666 - £36,921 per annum depending on experience - 26 days' annual leave plus public holidays, increasing to 29 days after 3 years' service - Pension scheme (3% employee contribution; up to 10% employer contribution) - Hybrid/agile working options - Private medical insurance and healthcare cash plan - Employee assistance programme and access to mental health first aiders - Learning and development opportunities - Cycle to work scheme - Offices in a beautiful location This is an exceptional opportunity for a talented horticulture professional with a strong interest in nature conservation to lead and inspire our gardening team at Brompton Cemetery.
Brompton Cemetery is one of London's hidden gems.
The last resting place of over 200,000 people, it stands as a quiet monument to the London's great history and boasts gothic memorials, ornate mausoleums and grand columns set amongst great tree-lined avenues and silent leafy corners.
Amid rich meadows of wildflowers, lives an abundance of wildlife attracted to the many varieties of plants which, in turn, bring insects and the birds and bats which feed on them.
You will find heavily season-focused gardens with exotic bedding and specimen trees and shrubs that change the look and feel of the cemetery throughout the year.
What's more, the gardens were originally laid out to a geometric plan in 1840 but have since evolved, grown and taken a shape of their own, refined by the careful ecological approach we use today.
So, if you are looking to grow your career in an environment of ecological beauty and conservation within a truly diverse and historical backdrop, this is the role you've been waiting for.
The Role As Head Gardener, you will manage and deliver all aspects of practical horticulture and nature conservation at Brompton Cemetery.
Specifically, you will seek to emphasise high standards of presentation and quality and assist in the development, and evolution of new and existing horticultural schemes and nature conservation habitats through ongoing and new project work.
You will lead and manage groups of volunteers undertaking horticultural and nature conservation activities including the Friends of Brompton Cemetery horticultural volunteers.
Additionally, you will: - Ensure gardeners and volunteers have the tools, equipment and materials they need - Monitor the performance of the landscape maintenance contractor - Participate in the planning and delivery of a range of cemetery-focused events - Support initiatives including the Apprenticeship scheme, Biodiversity, Sustainability and participate in Green Flag and Green Heritage Awards - Administer memorial applications and manage the installation of memorials About You To be considered as the Head Gardener, you will need: - Experience of practical horticulture and/or nature conservation experience in a public park or publicly accessible setting, ideally within the heritage sector - Experience of working with volunteers, particularly in a horticultural or nature conservation environment - A passion for plants with excellent plant knowledge, particularly around shrubs, trees, herbaceous and seasonal bedding - Excellent leadership, motivational and communication skills in a practical work-based environment The closing date for this role is 2nd December 2024.
Other organisations may call this role Lead Gardener, Senior Grounds Person, Senior Horticultural Technician, Senior Horticulture Operative, Horticulturalist, Senior Horticulturist, Head Groundskeeper, Senior Groundskeeper, or Senior Gardener.
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The Royal Parks is strongly committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an equal opportunities employer.
We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds.
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Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.
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