Senior / Acting Head Gardener

Position: Senior / Acting Head Gardener

Employer: Moray Feu Gardens, c/o Whitelaw Wells, 9 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6AR

Location: Moray Feu Gardens, Edinburgh, EH3

Salary Range: £26,000 to £31,000 plus an attractive benefits package.

Contract: This is a full\-time permanent position (subject to a 6 month probationary period) – 36\.25 hours per week, Monday to Friday.

A rare opportunity has arisen for the role of Senior Gardener / Acting Head Gardener to join our gardens team. This position offers the right person, with a strong work ethic, the opportunity to join our small gardens team responsible for the conservation, maintenance, upkeep and development of our unique group of four distinct historic private gardens within the Edinburgh New Town World Heritage Site and to use their initiative to contribute to the development of the gardens at an important juncture in its long history with the need to plan and develop strategies to transition the gardens to address climate change, to meeting current best practice in horticulture and health and safety, to ensure the gardens sustainability in an evolving environment.

The Moray Feu (www.morayfeu.com), including its gardens, was laid out over 200 years ago to a detailed design by Gillespie Graham, architect to the Earl of Moray. The gardens are the common property of over 450 mainly residential proprietors. From the outset, a Gardens Management Committee made up of owners of the gardens (“GMC”) was appointed by the owners in common to oversee the management of the conservation, maintenance, upkeep and development of the gardens.

Located towards the western edge of the New Town, our four gardens extend to \[4\.8ha.] The Moray Place garden is laid out in formal lawns with shrub beds and mature, semi\-mature and young trees round the outer perimeter and in the lawns. Ainslie Place garden is more simple in design with mature and younger trees, but in recent years we have been developing shrub and flower beds to provide further interest. The Randolph Crescent garden is primarily laid out in lawns with a number of mature and semi\-mature trees. The Bank garden runs down to the Water of Leith and is quite unique as a woodland garden in the City Centre.

The applicant will ideally be qualified to RHS Level 3 or equivalent, have a minimum of 10 years practical experience, possess a strong work ethic and be willing to work independently. This post would suit a person with real drive and enthusiasm, who has excellent horticultural and arboricultural skills, will possess excellent communication skills, be able to get on with people using the gardens and their dogs and be prepared to work with and manage our full\-time gardener and Summer temporary students from the RBGE.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

· Planning for climate change.

· Upkeep of all flowers, shrubs and trees throughout the year, improving the gardens in line with the best current organic practices and developing the planting throughout the various diverse areas of the gardens.

· Propagation of plants for planting out throughout the year.

· Mowing and strimming grass.

· Hedge cutting and shrub pruning.

· Routine machinery maintenance

· Monitoring of our large collection of trees, identifying possible hazards and acting on any concerns.

· Overseeing and / or executing all maintenance required in the gardens, including organising maintenance of paths and other hard landscaping.

· Any other similar tasks and horticultural works as may reasonably be required by the GMC.

· Be cordial to garden users and share knowledge of horticulture with them.

· Implement and adhere to the Gardens’ Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding Policies.

· Develop existing relationships with the community within which the gardens are located.

· Preparing brief reports on the gardens for the regular Management Committee meetings. Preparing an annual report on the gardens in conjunction with the Horticulture Convenor for the AGM of the Gardens Owners.

· Preparing an annual operating budget in conjunction with our Horticulture Convenor for approval by the GMC and thereafter managing the allocated funds.

· Purchase all machinery required for the gardens and submitting proposals for any additional expenditure to the GMC for prior approval.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE JOB

Essential Qualifications \& Knowledge

· Level 2 RHS in Horticulture or equivalent.

· A good understanding of gardening organically.

· Good arboriculture knowledge.

· Good propagation skills.

· Good knowledge of relevant health and safety regulations.

Desirable Qualifications, Skills and Knowledge

· Level 3 RHS in Horticulture or equivalent.

· Chainsaw operation certification.

· Spraying certification.

· Propagating plants.

· Basic First Aid training.

· Driving Licence

Essential Experience

· 10 years’ experience of working in a large garden.

· Planning and planting out borders.

· Operation and routine maintenance of garden machinery.

· Manage a budget.

Desirable Experience

· Experience of gardening sustainably.

· Supervising and training garden staff.

· Organising and undertaking building and maintenance of infrastructure, including paths, steps and walls.

· Record keeping.

Essential Characteristics

· Strong work ethic.

· Adaptable and resourceful.

· Able to work efficiently without supervision and on own initiative.

· Excellent time management.

· Able to communicate well with the GMC and garden users.

· Able to meet the physical demands of the job.

Please apply with a copy of your CV and covering letter setting out why you think you are a suitable candidate by e\-mailing SThomson@whitelawwells.co.uk using HEAD GARDENER as the subject line. Also, please contact the same e\-mail if you have any questions or would like to know more about the role.

If you require any adjustments to the appointments process, please include this in your covering letter.

Interviews will be held in Edinburgh.

Job Types: Full\-time, Permanent

Pay: £26,000\.00\-£31,000\.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension

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