Gardens & Parks Consultant

Do you share our aim to make our gardens and parklands accessible, truly inclusive and relevant for everyone? Can you provide specialist support, advice and inspiration to our property teams to make our places and plant collections the best they can be? Are you eager to respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis by supporting some of the UKs most special places? If so, we’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for someone who is a horticultural professional to provide specialist support and advice for our teams on gardens, parklands and plant collections to help us maximise their potential, so they continue to be cared for, accessed and enjoyed into the future.

You’ll be part of a regional consultancy team, as well as a team of gardens and parks regional and national consultants, working closely with property teams. Reporting to a Consultancy Manager you'll provide advice and guidance to teams at a variety of gardens across Northern Ireland, including the highly significant and special gardens at Mount Stewart, Rowallane Garden and Florence Court to name but a few.

What it's like to work here:You’ll be part of the Trust’s internal consultancy: a flexible resource of specialist skills and expertise. As one of a multidisciplinary team of experts, including curators, fundraisers and project managers, you’ll be working with others to help make things happen. Your contractual place of work will be Rowallane Garden, Saintfield, County Down. Our hybrid working policy means you can balance office and home working with site visits and meetings at other National Trust places. We’ll talk about this in more detail at interview, but you should expect to be at a National Trust site for 40-60% of your working week.

What you'll be doing:As a regional consultant for Northern Ireland, you will provide guidance for our gardens, property, and consultancy teams across a portfolio of properties. Your practical horticultural skills will ensure our gardens have standards of presentation relevant to their history and to reflect their own spirit of place. Mentoring and training our garden teams, you’ll share knowledge and expertise, providing support on all aspects of horticulture and garden management. You will lead and support teams to ensure our gardens are resilient and evolving in the face of changing weather patterns and climate impacts. You’ll work closely with curators, visitor experience and outdoor teams to ensure great access, visitor enjoyment, public benefit and conservation.

You’ll support project teams in design and planning phases of garden projects, including procurement, contractor liaison and maintenance planning. You may be working in a multi-disciplinary team providing advice on landscape features and significant changes or directly with a garden team on designs for a border.

You'll champion the work of the Trust externally, building partnerships, identifying funding opportunities and inspiring people. No two days will be alike. This is your opportunity to really make a difference, working with a national team of specialists to preserve these beautiful and significant gardens for everyone, for ever.

Please also read the full role profile and additional information, attached to this advert.

Interview Date: Friday 7 February 2025

Location: Rowallane House, Rowallane Garden, Saintfield, County Down, BT24 7LH.

Who we're looking forWe’d love to hear from you if you’re.
- an experienced Head Gardener, Garden Manager or Horticultural specialist with an up-to-date approach, with the latest trends and developments in horticulture
- have a strong understanding of current and future external legislation, policy, practice instructions and guidance relating to gardens and parks
- qualified to a higher-level horticultural standard or have equivalent experience
- a skilled communicator, who can build strong relationships within diverse teams, both internally and externally
- a flexible thinker and problem-solver, skilled at negotiating and building productive networks, and confident in using your expertise to influence decisions
- strong in consultancy skills, particularly active listening and stakeholder management
- understanding of current and emerging initiatives and innovation for enhancing access to and engagement through gardens and parks
- knowledgeable in Conservation Management Plans and/or Site Masterplans and their implementation, with experience of writing reports and preparing findings for different audiences
- familiar with commissioning or procuring services
- have experience of how places are used by, developed with and for people
- a leader for inclusion, who finds ways to create an inclusive culture

The packageThe National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value