Job Title: Assistant Gardener
Location: Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, Perry Green, Much Hadham, Hertfordshire SG10 6EE
Salary: £18,595 – £22,081.p.a. + 12.5% employer pension contribution and other benefits
Job Type: Full Time, permanent, 35 hours/week
The historic landscape of Henry Moore’s gardens provides the backdrop for the monumental sculptures of this world-famous artist. As our Assistant Gardener, you’ll play a vital role in ensuring our gardens are a wonderful place in which to spend time and enjoy art. You’ll help us find ways of bringing to life Moore’s sculpture in the gardens created by his wife Irena, and helping visitors of all ages to make new discoveries.
This is an excellent opportunity to work in an important role within a friendly team.
Responsibilities:
- Assist with maintenance of the gardens and grounds at Henry Moore Studios and Gardens, including lawns, formal beds, ponds, orchards, woodlands, kitchen garden, and cactus house.
- Maintain and use machinery and equipment, including garden tractors and quad bikes, chainsaws, hedge cutters and pedestrian mowers.
- Undertake occasional arboriculture work, including cross cutting (certificated training will be arranged and paid for by the Foundation as required).
- Assisting with planting, including sowing, cultivation and propagation of plants, trees and shrubs, and fruit and vegetables.
- Share knowledge of gardens with visitors and staff.
- Assist with repair of fences, gutters and outbuildings as required.
- Assist with trench-digging and irrigation as required.
- Carry out gritting, salt-spreading, snow-clearing as necessary, including the highway and footpaths across the estate.
- Adhere to Health and Safety requirements noting that all duties must be carried out to comply with current Health and Safety at Work legislation.
- Any other duties that may be required.
The Candidate:
Qualified at least to RHS level 2 or equivalent qualification, or with two year’s work experience in some aspect of gardening or horticulture, you will also have the following key skills:
- knowledge of a wide range of horticultural techniques and good plant husbandry skills
- basic knowledge of maintaining and fixing garden machinery
- good interpersonal skills
- ideally with some experience of working with volunteers and a willingness to talk about gardens and plants to visitors.
Our ideal candidate will also have basic arboriculture knowledge with NPTC Forestry and Arboriculture level 2, but if you don’t already have this qualification, then a willingness to work with a chainsaw and undertake some aerial work is just as important, as we can arrange and pay for your certificated training.
Staff Benefits:
- We want everyone to be the very best that they can be and we will work closely with you to agree some clear performance goals which provide you with continual development. We will support you in your development at work and your career goals.
- Enhanced benefits for maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
- Generous employer pension contribution of 12.5%.
- Time off for family emergencies (unpaid) and compassionate leave (paid) is awarded in the unfortunate event of the death of a direct family member.
- Free access to our 24-hour confidential personal assistance and counselling scheme offering a wide range of support services e.g. managing money, retirement, returning to work after a break, bereavement, advice with caring for relatives, divorce, abuse, etc.
- Company sick pay (includes SSP) on the completion of 6 months’ service.
- Income Protection insurance covers you should you be unable to work beyond the duration of your Company sick pay (subject to HMF terms and conditions and acceptance onto the scheme by the insurers).
- Interest-free loan of up to £1000 to assist with the purchase of annual travel tickets, a car, bicycle or personnel computer/laptop.
- Free tea and coffee!
- Rented accommodation is available on site at a competitive market rate.
If you are excited by this opportunity, we would be delighted to receive an application from you. A recruitment pack and application form are available on our website, where further information can be found about the Henry Moore Foundation.
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: 10am on Tuesday 24 January 2023.
Please note the company is not able to offer sponsorship or relocation assistance for this role so candidates must already possess the right to live and work in the UK to be considered.
Candidates with the relevant experience, qualifications, and job titles of: Garden Maintenance Team Leader, Ground Maintenance, Operative, Gardener, Experienced Gardener, Grounds Maintenance, Garden Designer, Landscape Gardener, Grounds, Garden Maintenance, Team Leader, Landscaper may also be considered for this role.
