We are seeking an enthusiastic and experienced Head Gardener for a prestigious role in Horatio’s Garden Stoke Mandeville at the National Spinal Injuries Centre in Stoke Mandeville. This garden was opened in 2018 and is a stunning, high profile garden designed by Joe Swift.
Key details
- Salary: £36,000 FTE
- Location: National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury
- Contract type/hours: Full time, permanent, 37.5 hours a week
- Closing date: 30 January 2025
- Start date: March 2025
- Interview dates: 3/4 February and 7 February 2025
Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS’s spinal injury centres. 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 the charity’s beneficiaries.
The fully accessible garden has been beautifully designed and includes a water feature and a large garden room to give patients a warm sheltered place to enjoy the garden in all weather. There is a large glasshouse, and an area of raised beds for patients where you will lead garden therapy sessions and a dedicated office space looking out over the garden.
The Head Gardener will join a team of seven other dedicated Head Gardeners across the charity’s existing projects. You will work with a part-time Garden Administrator and a team of volunteers to nurture the beautiful space for patients and their visitors.
You will be responsible for delivering a therapeutic gardening programme as well as arts activities for patients in the garden, supported by the charity’s Arts Programme Manager. With the Garden Administrator you will also arrange social events for patients and their families in collaboration with the rehabilitation centre’s team.
The 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.
We are looking for someone who has:
Essential
- Practical experience as a gardener, including experience of garden management
- RHS Level 3 or equivalent Diploma in Principles and Practices of Horticulture
- Experience of leading and managing teams
- Experience of working with volunteers
- Good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Excellent communication skills
- Confident public speaker
- Experience in managing budgets and petty cash
- Interest in wellbeing benefits of gardens
Desirable
- Post Graduate Diploma in Social and Therapeutic Horticulture
- Experience of therapeutic activities
- Working in the voluntary sector
- NHS experience or work in a health care setting
- Supplier management and ordering
- Digital photography
Qualities
- Professional and confident
- Empathetic and kind
- Calm under pressure
- Ability to prioritise and adapt to changing needs of each working day
- Able to meet the physical demands of the job
- 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
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.
See and download the full job description for this and our Head Gardener role in London here.
To apply, 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.
