Lead Horticulturist - Nursery

Chester Zoo; Chester; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading wildlife charity is seeking a Lead Horticulturist to assist with horticulture operations and plant collections management. Candidates should have practical horticultural experience, strong plant knowledge, and supervisory skills. This role offers a chance to work in an inspiring environment and contribute to conservation initiatives.

Benefits

33 days annual leave

Staff pass for zoo visits

Cycle to work scheme

Healthcare plan

Discounted gym membership

Pension scheme with up to 9% contributions

Qualifications

• Have good horticultural skills and knowledge.
• Experience supervising a team is essential.
• Hold PA1 and PA6 spraying certificates.

Responsibilities

• Assist with daily operations of Horticulturists, Volunteers, and Work Placements.
• Manage nursery operations including plant collections and maintenance.
• Ensure adherence to Health and Safety procedures.

Skills

Practical horticultural experience

Good plant knowledge

Supervisory experience

Good communication skills

Experience with horticultural machinery

Networking skills

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Horticulture

Job description

Overview

We are Chester Zoo. We’re not just an amazing, award-winning visitor attraction that’s home to 30,000 incredible animals inside 128 acres of stunning gardens. We’re not just the UK’s most popular zoo. We’re a major wildlife charity that’s committed to the recovery of endangered species, globally. And, as the world faces an extinction crisis, we’re making a hugely significant contribution to conservation at a time when it’s needed most. We are Chester Zoo and we prevent extinction.

The Role

We now have an exciting new role for an outstanding Lead Horticulturist Reporting to the Assistant Team Manager with the support of the Team Manager.

Responsibilities

• To assist Assistant Team Managers (ATM) with the daily operations of Horticulturists, Voluntary Work Placements (VWP’s) and Volunteers.
• To assist ATM with the nursery operations, including Plant Collections, Native Species programmes, daily maintenance of various growing environments and feature gardens.
• To ensure team members including Horticulturists and VWP’s adhere to Health and Safety procedures and safe working practices.
• To further develop our Plant Heritage National collection of Nepenthes.

What makes Chester Zoo a great place to work?

Well, where do we start? Here goes… We’re a huge team of conservationists, scientists, educators, animal welfare experts, marketeers, visitor experience professionals, environmental policy influencers; the list goes on. Each and every one of us is on a mission to make Chester Zoo the best in the world, and our planet a better place. As the UK’s biggest and best zoo, we have ambitious goals, exciting plans, and there’s always lots going on here. We’re an inclusive and diverse organisation, made up of over 600 permanent and 500 temporary team members, and we know how important it is to invest in our colleagues to help boost their career development. We have ambitious goals, and we want you to be with us for the long term on our exciting journey. Our working environment could not be more different from a typical office – where else can you see critically endangered orangutans from your office window, or stroll among rare giraffes and tigers on your lunch break?

The Package

• Contract Type – Permanent
• Working 10 days in 14 including weekends and bank holidays as rostered. 7:30am - 16:20 all year round.
• Salary £28,000-£29,260 per annum depending on experience
• 33 days annual leave plus the option to buy or sell up to 5 days
• Staff pass so you can visit the zoo during your time off, plus multiple complimentary tickets for your friends and family
• Cycle to work scheme
• Healthcare plan and employee assistance programme
• Discounted gym membership
• Discounts on cinema tickets, restaurants, high street shops and more via Perks
• Pension scheme with generous employer contributions up to 9%

Our Requirements – Lead Horticulturist

• Have proven practical horticultural experience with a wide range of horticultural skills and have good plant knowledge.
• A NVQ Level 3 qualification in Horticulture or equivalent experience.
• Have some experience supervising a team.
• Hold PA1 and PA6 spraying certificates.
• An ability to network with other partners to develop our plant collections.
• As Chester Zoo has recently been accredited as a ‘Botanic Garden – Conservation Practitioner’ to have current best horticultural practices related to conservation initiatives.
• Experience of using horticultural machinery and monitoring Health and Safety compliance.
• Hold a full driving licence valid in the UK.
• Good communication skills to engage with other staff and deal with visitors, public talks and requests for information from outside sources.

Desirable

• Have experience working with a specialist plant collection including Nepenthes and other carnivorous plants.
• Experience with plant record databases.

Please be aware we reserve the right to close our vacancies earlier than the listed date if we have received a high level of applications. We would recommend that if you do wish to be considered that you complete the application as promptly as possible as shortlisting and interviews may be taking place whilst the advert is live.