Horatios, Stoke Mandeville, garden photography
We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Head Gardener for a prestigious role in Stanmore garden at London’s spinal cord injury centre.
Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity improving the lives of people with spinal injuries by creating and expertly staffing beautiful gardens.
The Head Gardener will be responsible for managing and caring for the garden and supporting the patients who use it. You will run a thriving, vibrant sanctuary which meets the needs of people with spinal injuries.
The fully accessible garden has been beautifully designed by Tom Stuart-Smith, with water features, garden pods and a large garden room to give patients a warm sheltered place to enjoy the garden in all weather. There is an area of raised beds and a glasshouse where you will lead garden therapy sessions, and a dedicated office space which looks out over the garden.
You will join a team of six other dedicated Head Gardeners across the charity’s existing projects. In the London garden you will work with a part-time Arts Activities Assistant, and manage a part-time Garden Coordinator and team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful space for people with spinal injuries and their visitors.
You will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with clinical and non-clinical NHS staff, corporate sponsors, funders, the Fundraising team and the Communications team. You will be managed by the Director of Gardens, with a dotted line to the Director of Patient Experience.
With support from the Garden Coordinator, Arts Activities Assistant and National Patient Experience Manager you will continue to develop a programme of activities that are truly patient led, and ensure most needs are considered from social events to calming and distraction activities.
This role is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, experienced gardener with an interest in gardens and wellbeing, and a passion for people as well as plants. You will need to be adaptable and friendly, and confident working with a wide range of people including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Horticulture
- Maintain high horticultural standards at all times to keep the garden looking it’s best all year round
- Work to the garden maintenance plan, agreed with the designer, to develop and implement seasonal growing plans to ensure all year round colour
- Run a varied programme of therapeutic gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries
People with spinal injuries
- Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay
- Maintain a consistent activities programme appropriate for the current patient group, liaising with the National Patient Experience Manager and Arts Activities Assistant
- Work with the Impact Assistant to monitor patient experience and the impact of the garden
NHS staff
- Develop and maintain productive and collaborative relationships with NHS clinical teams, estates and voluntary services
Volunteers
- Recruitment and training of new volunteers
- Manage the team of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden
Horticulture
- Maintain high horticultural standards at all times to keep the garden looking it’s best all year round
- Work to the garden maintenance plan, agreed with the designer, to develop and implement seasonal growing plans to ensure all year round colour
- Run a varied programme of therapeutic gardening sessions for people with spinal injuries
People with spinal injuries
- Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay
- Maintain a consistent activities programme appropriate for the current patient group, liaising with the National Patient Experience Manager and Arts Activities Assistant
- Work with the Impact Assistant to monitor patient experience and the impact of the garden
NHS staff
- Develop and maintain productive and collaborative relationships with NHS clinical teams, estates and voluntary services
Volunteers
- Recruitment and training of new volunteers
- Manage the team of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden
Person Specification
Essential:
- Practical experience as a gardener, including experience of garden management
- RHS Level 2 or equivalent Diploma in Principles and Practices of Horticulture
- Experience of leading and managing teams
- Experience of working with volunteers
- Confident to work with and supervise contractors
- Stakeholder engagement and networking
- Good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Interest in the wellbeing benefits of gardens
Desirable:
- RHS Level 3 or equivalent
- Experience of delivering Social and Therapeutic Horticulture sessions
- Experience of volunteer recruitment and training
- Experience of building maintenance
- Experience of using SharePoint
- Budget management experience
- Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events
- Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting
- Voluntary sector experience
- Digital photography
Qualities:
- Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to successfully develop new working relationships
- Professional and confident
- Excellent communication skills
- Proactive, can-do attitude
- Empathetic and kind
- Calm under pressure
- Ability to prioritise and adapt to the changing needs of each working day
- Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when required
- Able to meet the physical demands of the role
Job Description
Job Title: Head Gardener (maternity cover)
Location: London Spinal Cord Injuries Centre, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore
Salary: £38,000-£42,500 FTE depending on experience
Contract: Part time, 30 hours a week, maternity cover
Closing Date: 21 June 2026
As a Charity we are committed to creating and promoting a culture that protects and preserves the welfare of the vulnerable people in our care. Our safer recruitment practices support this by ensuring that there is a consistent and thorough process of obtaining and evaluating information from and about candidates including criminal record checks, to ensure that all persons appointed are suitable to work for our Charity.
APPLICATION
Please write a one page covering letter, explaining why you would be suited to this role and send this along with your CV to kath.moss@horatiosgarden.org.uk
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all sectors of society.
NOTE: DBS, medical and reference checks will be conducted as part of the recruitment process.