Gardener (105502-0726)

University of Warwick; Coventry; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave and Christmas closure

Flexible working

Training and development

Family friendly leave

Sports hub access

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Eye tests

Costco membership

Job summary

The University of Warwick is seeking a Gardener to carry out a wide range of horticultural duties across university gardens. You will plant trees, shrubs, and bedding schemes, maintain areas by mowing, pruning, digging and strimming, and operate specialised machinery.

You will also keep accurate records to ensure equipment safety and contribute ideas to improve the gardens as part of the wider strategy. Successful candidates will have a Level 2 diploma in horticulture or equivalent, experience

Qualifications

• Hold a Level 2 diploma in horticulture (or an equivalent qualification).
• Experience working in a residential, commercial or public garden.
• Able to understand landscape designs and bedding schemes.
• Wide knowledge of gardening.
• Able to complete necessary paperwork.
• Truly passionate about horticulture.
• Able to work well as part of a team.
• Educated to GCSE standards.

Responsibilities

• Carry out horticultural duties including planting trees, shrubs, grassland and bedding schemes.
• Maintain areas by mowing, pruning, digging and strimming and operate specialised machinery.
• Keep accurate records to ensure machinery is safe to use and in good repair.
• Contribute ideas to improve and develop the gardens as part of the wider strategy.
• Undertake challenging manual tasks and participate in rota-based weekend work when required.

Skills

Wide knowledge of gardening

Teamwork

Passion for horticulture

Complete paperwork

Education

Level 2 diploma in horticulture

GCSEs or equivalent

Job description

Informal Queries

• For informal queries about the role, please contact Dean Jackson, Operations Manager (Gardens), at [e-mail].

About The Role

In this role, you will carry out a wide range of horticultural duties, including planting trees, shrubs, natural grassland and bedding schemes. You will also maintain areas by mowing, pruning, digging and strimming. Both areas of work require the use of specialised machinery as well as accurate record keeping to ensure all machinery is safe to use and in good repair. Beyond maintenance, we’ll ask you to come up with your own ideas as to how we can improve and develop our gardens as part of our wider strategy.

You Will Be Required To

• Use a range of horticultural equipment, power tools and machinery.
• Undertake demanding manual tasks.
• Take part in the winter gritting and ice-clearing rota.
• Find ways to improve our gardens and bring our plans to life.

The role is a 5 over 7 day contract which will include occasional weekend working on a rota basis to cover University events, this will be discussed in more detail at interview.

We offer a variety of benefits including generous annual leave allowance (including four days at Christmas), flexible working, training and development, and family friendly leave. We also offer discounted membership to the Sports hub, a bespoke sports & wellness hub with amazing facilities and its own climbing centre, as well as access to an Employee Assistance Programme (24/7 confidential support delivering guidance and expert advice), free eye test and discounted membership with Costco.

About You

• Hold a Level 2 diploma in horticulture (or an equivalent qualification).
• Experience working in a residential, commercial or public garden.
• Able to understand landscape designs and bedding schemes.
• Wide knowledge of gardening.
• Able to complete necessary paperwork.
• Truly passionate about horticulture.
• Able to work well as part of a team.
• Educated to GCSE standards.

For details on the experience and skills required, please refer to the job description attached as a PDF below.

Closing Deadline

Thursday 20th August 2026 at 11:55pm (UK Time)*

About The Department

The University of Warwick has a world class reputation for learning with a vision that by 2030, it will be one of the world’s exceptional universities, helping to transform our region, country and world for the collective good. Our workforce spans around 7,000 staff from diverse backgrounds. Inclusion is one of the four strategic priorities which underpin everything that we do in our Research and Education offerings as we aspire to remove economic, social and cultural barriers that have prevented talented people from working and studying at Warwick. Our award-winning gardens, extensive borders and diverse ecology sit within a 715-acre campus, which is an important, highly visible element of our reputation. You will be responsible for maintaining and developing them as part of our ambition to create among the best university gardens in the UK. Our plans are backed by considerable investment, so not only will you be part of a significant project to add to your record, you’ll also receive high-quality training and development opportunities that are hard to find elsewhere.

About The University

We are a world-leading research-intensive university founded in 1965. We are ranked 74th in the world and 9th in the UK.* Additionally, 92% of our research is rated world-leading or internationally excellent.

Find out more about us at warwick.ac.uk/about/.

• World University Ranking 2026, Complete University Guide 2026
• Research Excellence Framework 2021

What we Offer

• An attractive pension scheme.
• 26 days holiday plus University Christmas closure.
• Generous parental/adoption leave policy.
• Onsite childcare facilities.
• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

We recognise the importance of a healthy work/life balance and offer access to flexible working arrangements.

Where possible, we offer hybrid working arrangements that combine office-based and remote working. Opportunities for hybrid working will depend on the requirements of the role, business needs of the department and can be discussed during the recruitment process.

For more information, see here.

We are proud to be a Living Wage employer.

The Commitment to Inclusion

To find out more about our commitments to equality, diversity, and inclusion, please see: Our Commitments | University of Warwick

Job Description

JD - Gardener (105502).pdf – 108KB Opens in a new window

Right to Work in the UK

We wish to advise applicants that this role is not eligible for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa. If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK you will need to check the UK Government Website to see if you are eligible to obtain the right to work in the UK through one of the other UK immigration routes before you make your application.