Fresh Horticultural Careers are thrilled to be working with The Royal Household in order to source for a Gardens Manager for Buckingham Palace.
Leading a talented team, you’ll oversee the maintenance, presentation, and evolution of all gardens across the London Estate, including the extensive garden at Buckingham Palace.
Although steeped in history and retaining features that reflect their unique settings, the Palace gardens include many contemporary additions, and they continue to evolve with a particular focus on biodiversity and environmental sustainability.
The gardens are also in regular use, hosting thousands of people every year at garden parties, events, and when Buckingham Palace is open to the public each summer. No two days will be the same and this variety brings a busy schedule, but one that is full of rewarding challenge.
Key Responsibilities:
- You’ll lead, manage and motivate the talented gardens team, introducing apprenticeship and training opportunities to grow skills and expertise.
- As an expert horticulturist, you’ll develop and enhance the gardens and grounds, which includes expansive lawns, as well as the care of shrub, herbaceous, and rose borders, ensuring that our gardens remain a breathtaking backdrop for events and visitors.
- With an eye for continuous improvement, you’ll drive forward innovative projects aimed at conserving and enhancing the garden’s rich biodiversity.
- Day-to-day you’ll oversee budgets, resource allocation and external contractors, ensuring compliance with horticultural and health and safety regulations.
- Working as part of the wider Royal Household, you’ll regularly collaborate with internal teams and external partners to support high-profile events, ensuring that every detail is executed to the highest standards.
About you
Essential Criteria:
- You’ll be an expert in horticulture management, backed up with a relevant qualification (such as HND, ND / NVQ 3 or RHS Level 3 or even a Botanic Diploma in Horticulture).
- With experience of managing large scale historic garden environments, amenity horticulture and wildlife, you’ll have an excellent knowledge of lawn maintenance, and of cultivating a range of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants.
- A great people leader with lots of management experience, you’re keen to develop others through mentorship, apprenticeship, and training opportunities.
- Able to manage budgets, contracts and projects, and with high professional standards when it comes to horticulture and Health and Safety regulations.
- With an adaptable communication style and a collaborative approach, you’re used to working with a wide range of stakeholders at all levels.
- Organised and with great time management skills, you’re adept at juggling multiple priorities to coordinate tasks.
- With lots of initiative and a creative eye, you'll also be keen to contribute new ideas for developing the gardens and grounds.
Benefits
We know that to deliver our best work; we need to feel at our best. That’s why at the Royal Household we offer a generous benefits package designed to support your well-being and life priorities.
Enjoy 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days (plus bank holidays) dependent on the length of time you have worked for us.
Our excellent non-contributory pension plan (we’ll contribute 15% and you can contribute more if you wish) is highly valued by our employees, as is complimentary lunch on-site to keep you fuelled throughout the day.
We also offer a range of leave options to support your life priorities, such as parental pay and leave and volunteering days, as well as benefits to support your physical and mental well-being.
Other perks include 20% off at our Royal Collection Trust Shops and complimentary admission tickets across all our locations, along with many more exclusive employee discounts.
