Gardens Keeper

**Posted**:12/01/2023 17:08**Start Date**:Not Available**Salary**:£21,883 per annum**Location**:Horniman Museum and Gardens, Forest Hill**Level**:Entry Level**Deadline**:27/01/2023 10:00**Hours**:35.00**Benefits**:See "Working for us" on the Home menu**Job Type**:Full time**Job title and reference: Gardens Keeper (2 posts) CCE1.23**

**Salary: £21,833 per annum**

**Hours of work: Full time - 35 hours (5 days) per week, on a rota. Start and finish time vary according to season**

The Horniman Museum and Gardens is a unique attraction in south east London where world cultures and the natural world are brought together for everyone to enjoy. The Museum holds internationally important collections of anthropology and musical instruments, as well as a popular natural history gallery and Aquarium. The 16 acres of beautiful Gardens feature a tropical Butterfly House and offer stunning views across London.

We are looking for two Gardens Keepers who will help give a warm welcome to our visitors, provide information about activities and events taking place in the Gardens and the Museum and contribute to the general maintenance, security and safety by carrying out patrols and attendance duties.

You will be able to carry out routine grounds maintenance including refuse collection and recycling as well as some horticultural duties, including driving gardens utility vehicles, strimming and hedge cutting and the use of a ride on Mower. You will have practical experience of moving and setting up equipment and be able to supervise delivery traffic.

Previous experience of working with the public would be ideal, together with the ability to encourage public compliance with our by-laws. You should be able to follow and promote safe systems of work under Health and Safety guidelines.

Start and finish times will be seasonally adjusted to follow the opening times of the Gardens.
- 8 **February 2023.**

**How to Apply**

**P**lease provide an overview of no more than 2 pages describing your experience relevant to the role as outlined in the Job Description and Person Specification.**

**JOB DESCRIPTION**

**Job title** Gardens Keeper

**Section** Gardens

**Reports to** Head of Horticulture

**Responsible for** No responsibility for staff

**Hours of work **35 hours per week, 5 days per week on a rota. Daily hours vary according to season.

**Main purpose of the job**

Provide a welcoming and customer-focused service that provides assistance to all visitors and support for Horniman Gardens events and activities. Undertake security duties together with general gardens maintenance.

**Section description**

The main role of the section is the maintenance of the Gardens within the Horniman alongside working with other sections developing projects through the year.

Duties include refuse collection, recycling, compost management, turf care and more general horticultural duties such as hedge cutting and weeding. In addition you will help look after the nursery, support the horticultural team with the general maintenance of the gardens and manage the opening and closure of the grounds. In addition to this the role involves a customer facing element offering advice and informing the public of our byelaws.

The team work closely with the Gardens Supervisor and Head of Horticulture to make sure that the gardens are maintained as a safe, beautiful and informative space for our visitors.

**Main responsibilities**

**Gardens Maintenance (50%)**
- Carry out ground maintenance tasks such as mowing, sweeping, weeding, cleaning and clearing the litter and dog waste bins
- Drive gardens utility vehicles as required (appropriate training will be provided)

**Security Duties (25%)**
- Assist with the opening and closure of the Gardens.
- Conduct patrols to ensure a safe environment for all those that use the Gardens and to protect the property of the Trust
- Assist visitors in observing the by-laws in order to contribute to the enjoyment of the Gardens for all

**Logistical support (15%)**
- Provide logístical support for Horniman operations and activities, e.g. moving and set up of equipment and Gardens furniture (including packed lunch and picnic furniture), supervising delivery traffic and locking and unlocking Gardens buildings
- Provide logístical and operational support at special events as required including support for set up and delivery of equipment and products and other support duties as requested by the events manager

**Dealing with Incidents (5%)**
- To deal effectively with emergencies as they arise in the Gardens and to complete basic written reports following such incidents.
- To coordinate incident responses to the Gardens as required, escalating to the Horniman Incident Controller during the week or the Weekend Duty Manager when appropriate.

**Other Duties (5%)**
- Liaise with visitors to the Horniman and respond to requests for assistance in a courteous manner.
- Keep up-to-date with events and activities in the Museum