Head Gardener

**Job role: Head Gardener**
**Reporting into: Growing and Fulfilment Director**
**Job Summary**:
Pertemps are representing a family owned and operated business based in the Shropshire countryside.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional to join and lead the **garden team**. The gardens are embarking on a period of substantial redevelopment in the aim of opening to the public over the up-and-coming years.
**Salary: £30,000 per annum**
**Working hours**:Monday-Friday 8am to 4.30pm
**The role itself**:

- To be responsible and accountable for the Gardens.
- To successfully deliver the current garden redevelopment and opening of the private garden to the public.
- Leading, Managing, Training and Mentoring the gardens team to ensure it is effective, efficient, well trained supported and motivated, allowing it to achieve the goals set following business policies and standard operating procedures.
- Working with the commercial team and outside designers on improvements to the garden design as required.
- Using good horticultural knowledge and experience to maintain the Gardens, and any other gardens as directed, to a consistently high standard, as directed by the business, and as environmentally sensitively as possible.
- To be responsible and accountable for key business goals and targets that may be assigned from time to time as and when required by the business.
- To continually look at and suggest how the business can increase its effectiveness in the areas of your responsibility.
- To fully understand the importance of being able to work productively in an open garden, whilst offering advice to gardens visitors - when asked.
- To look after our show rose collection in conjunction with the Show Team To provide support in specific key areas of the business as directed by the line manager

**Main Responsibilities**:

- Lead direct, train, manage, support and mentor the gardening team.
- To be part of the Gardens redevelopment team and to successfully deliver the gardens redevelopment plan.
- Responsible for ensuring that the gardens team are trained and supported to be able to competently answer questions from members of the public who visit the gardens.
- Accountable for ensuring that teams comply with all policies, Health and Safety procedures and any company or customer audit requirements.
- Responsible, as directed, for the inspection and maintenance of equipment used in operational functions.
- To communicate efficiently and effectively with managers, other supervisors and team leaders and advisers, as required, to ensure that the gardens are kept looking at their best and managed in a way that achieves the high standard of plant and soil carethat is required for plants to grow and perform at their best.
- To ensure that the members of the team are trained, mentored, and managed to maintain a standard agreed by the company that allows them to always perform their job efficiently and effectively.
- Responsible for delivering a continuous improvement culture within the team and proactively working with other teams and departments across the business, to make sure that this culture of continuous improvement is maintained in a sustainable and continuousway across multidisciplinary teams and other business departments.
- To be part of the gardens and commercial team that helps improve and develop the gardens so that they are reflective of the business goals and aspirations.

**Person Specification**:

- Has demonstrable experience in garden redevelopments and the development of new gardens.
- Must be able to lead and manage a team of diverse staff effectively and to achieve goals. Ideally have experience or capability of leading, motivating and developing teams preferably at supervisory level.
- Must be an effective, accurate and honest communicator up and down, both within and across departments.
- Must have PA1, PA6.
- Ideally experience of bio control.
- Ideally be proficient in the use of IT systems, including, but not limited to Microsoft Excel. Full training would be given as required.
- Good pest / disease / fertiliser knowledge and/or ability and willingness to learn.
- Should have a record of continual personal improvement.
- Must be well organised with excellent attention to detail and the ability to prioritise work.
- Must have a flexible approach to work and able to demonstrate problem solving skills.
- Must enjoy working with in a team and be able to motivate, mentor, train, support and develop their teams.
- Must have full UK (or equivalent) driving Licence.
If you are interested click to **APPLY