We’re looking for a Senior Gardener with outstanding leadership and engagement skills to join the Gardens and Outdoors Team at Petworth House and Park. This is an exciting role to help in the delivery of a new vision for our Pleasure Ground Garden.

Our gardens and grounds are as significant as our mansion houses, collections, and our historical places, and teams like ours are pivotal in ensuring their conservation and maintenance for our visitors and future generations to enjoy.

As a team we manage a 40-acre Pleasure Ground Garden and 700-acre Deer park designed by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. The garden, though originally Brownian has undergone many changes by successive owners to bring us what we see today.

A garden of serpentine walks with specimen trees and shrubs with theatrical mixed borders, there is always something to see whether in the height of summer of the deepest winter. The garden lost a lot of its planting and specimens to time and the Great Storm of 1987 and we are working to deliver a program of interventions to reimagine the Pleasure Ground Garden in a way that reflects its ‘Brownian’ roots, its 250 years of changing design, and its Spirit of Place under the expectations of a modern audience.

We manage one of the largest collections of ancient and notable trees in the National Trust inside the garden and out, diverse wildflower meadows, vast seas of daffodils and other spring bulbs, and our ever-growing collections of specimen trees and shrubs and mixed theatrical borders.

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We’re a small team with a big remit and looking to grow in the future along with our planting. You’ll be assisting the Gardens and Outdoors Manager with delivering the ongoing projects of enhancements to the garden, coordinating the day-to-day operation of the garden team, working with and managing our teams of Horticultural and Grounds person volunteers.

We don’t just need you to help manage our beautiful gardens, although this is an important part of the role; we’d like you to help supervise the team too. As the Senior Gardener in our team, we’d like you to lead by example, building strong relationships across our team and volunteers as well as across the wider property operation. Pairing your exceptional gardening stills with an ability to coordinate and prioritise team workload and develop our staff and volunteers through horticultural training.

Competent in the usage of machinery in a garden setting, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the tools the team use are maintained and ready to use whenever required. You’ll also make sure that Health and Safety is upheld and compliance tasks relating to the outdoors are undertaken, and records kept. You’ll share your knowledge and love for Petworth, engaging with visitors, volunteers, and staff; growing support for our property and its conservation for generations to come.

You can view the full role profile for this role in the document attached. You don't need to have all of the knowledge, skills and experience listed in the role profile; this is just to provide a full picture of what’s possible in this role.

Applications from redeployees are assessed against the minimum criteria for the role. In your application, please provide details of how you meet the minimum criteria below:

• experience in practical horticulture and plant care
• confidence in team supervision and volunteer support
• skills in machinery use and adherence to safety compliance standards
• knowledge of project and programme delivery with measurable outcomes
• understanding of resource management and budget control
• skilled in visitor and stakeholder engagement, fostering positive relationships

For all other applicants, we’d love to hear from you, if you’re:

• someone who combines practical experience in horticulture with appropriate qualifications
• used to supervising others in a similar role
• highly knowledgeable about plants
• confident in using and maintaining garden machinery, including chainsaws, tractors, hedge-trimmers and mowers (both walking and ride-on)
• aware of relevant health and safety legislation and practices

The 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 difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.

• Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary

• Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)

• Rental deposit loan scheme

• Season ticket loan

• EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)

• Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts

• Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.

• Flexible working whenever possible

• Employee assistance programme

• Free parking at most Trust places

Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.