Head of Productive Gardens

**Head of Productive Gardens - Head of Edibles**

**Up to £50,000 per annum depending on experience and qualifications plus annual performance bonus and fantastic benefits**

**Our Head of Edibles**

Reporting to the Head Gardener, you will be responsible for Estate’s productive growing operations and the day-to-day running of 12 acres of vegetable growing a wide range of crops. You will be focusing on crop planning and forecasting and the ongoing expansion of the field production. You will also support the grower managers in all things related to growing high-quality crops. You will be supporting in training for up-and-coming growers and looking at projects to continually improve the growing operation and ensuring that monthly and annual budgets are met.

You will be an accomplished, expert grower having successfully run a similar scale of field production or commercial growing enterprise and will understand crop rotation and large-scale planning of crop production to ensure all of our intimal customers are happy.

Whilst being very much a hands-on role, the Head of Edible Gardens is responsible for a small team of permanent market gardeners as well as part time pickers/harvesters and apprentices. You will be confident in working towards targets and passionate about driving the team forward.

**Our Edibles Team**

The edible team work closely alongside our hotel and Garden Café chefs to supply fresh seasonal produce to all the food outlets on the Estate as well as the Farm Shop and our Ecommerce business, focusing on high quality as well as the interesting, unusual or locally relevant.

The Newt in Somerset aims to practice and demonstrate horticulture/agriculture of the highest standards and the productive fields are central to that objective.

**Benefits**: Excellent Benefits package available from day one including:

- Exceptional working environment
- Complimentary fresh estate grown meal provided each day
- Garden Membership plus complimentary guest passes and access to our partner gardens
- 30% online shop discount and free delivery
- 30% discount in the shops across the estate
- 30% discount at restaurants across the estate
- 30% discount on Newt cyder and Babylonstoren wine
- 50% discount in the Spa
- Access to free weekly fitness classes, including yoga
- Discounted hotel stays
- Family Estate Events
- Access to internal/external training qualifications and programmes
- Experience and Cross Training opportunities

**Skills And Qualifications**
- First-hand experience of managing a large-scale successful field production at the highest level.
- Experience and proven ability in the management of a team of up to 8 people.
- Broad-ranging horticultural/agricultural expertise with evidence of appropriate academic qualifications.
- A thorough, precise, and well organised individual.
- An eagerness to provide the highest level of visitor experience.
- An excellent understanding of vegetable production and it's seasonality.
- The ability to manage a fast-paced workload efficiently and in an organised manner.
- A can-do, will-do attitude where you're willing to be flexible to get the job done.
- Adequate IT skills for implementing efficient management systems and records are an essential requisite.
- Full and clean UK driving license.

**The Newt in Somerset**

The Newt in Somerset is a country estate with ancient woodland, historic gardens and far-reaching views; a new and unique destination with luxury hotel, spa, restaurants and an abundance of homegrown produce. Visitors can take a tour of the gardens, deer park and cyder press, dine in the Garden Café or browse our farm shops. Attracting some 200,000 visitors per year from all over the world, our vibrant and thriving garden attraction is animated throughout the seasons by special events, workshops and educational programmes.INDHORTICULTURE