Gardener

Overview

All Souls College has a unique blend of formal gardens with borders and planting providing year-round interest at its historic site on the High Street, combined with more informal grounds at other sites across the city.

The main site currently has two quads of fine turf, surrounded by paved/gravel areas.

There is an informal kitchen quad, with a large mixed flower boarder, three magnolias, a wisteria and other wall shrubs.

The Fellows’ Garden is backed by high stone walls on which figs, roses and other climbers grow.

The Warden’s private garden has a cottage garden type planting. Nearby is the famous 18th Century Sycamore on the High Street.

The large gardens at Beechwood, near Iffley, feature meadows with primroses, crocuses, bluebells, buttercups, and cow parsley. Mature trees include cherries, magnolias, liquidambar and hedges of Yew and Beech.

Manor Place, just a ten-minute walk away, is a small wild garden featuring a meadow of Oxeye daisies and apple trees, beautiful Wisteria and a well-established pear tree.

The College has recently adopted a policy to manage its gardens on a more sustainable basis, encouraging wildlife and pollinating insects in its informal gardens whilst maintaining aesthetic priorities in its formal gardens.

The Role

The Gardener will work as part of the gardening team to help prepare and maintain the gardens to the required high standard, under the direction of the Head Gardener. The

Gardener will work closely in a team with another Gardener already in post.

Key Responsibilities

• To complete regular tasks in the Gardens as requested, without need for supervision, working to agreed timescales and organising your own work within these.
• To complete more specialist garden tasks, with supervision as required: Pruning, planting, application of feeds and fertilisers, pest control and propagation.
• General lawn care.
• Hedge cutting and strimming.
• Weed and pest/disease control.
• Leaf, litter, and debris clearing.
• Water and irrigation as required.
• Using appropriate machinery as necessary.
• To assist the Head Gardener in developing new areas of the garden, through suggesting design ideas and through carrying out a range of the practical tasks of a new planting.
• To ensure understanding of, and adherence to, Health & Safety guidance at work.
• Communication with visitors, members of the College and colleagues.
• Promote and contribute to All Souls College’s high horticultural standards, ecological, conservation, health and safety and sustainability policies.

The above is not an exhaustive description, and other requirements may emerge as necessitated by changing roles within All Souls College and its overall objectives.

Essential Skills & Knowledge

• Possess a minimum qualification of RHS Level 3, NVQ 3, National Diploma or equivalent.
• Motivated team player who can take initiative, be proactive, and deliver to deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Effective communication skills to effectively engage different audiences within All Souls College.
• Good plant knowledge and interest in improving planting within the grounds.
• Capable of working to a high standard with minimum supervision.
• Proven experience of using and maintaining horticultural machinery, e.g., mowers, strimmers and trimmers. Any certificates would be desirable.

Desirable Skills and Knowledge

• An interest in sustainable garden practices.
• Possession of PA1/6 spraying and CS 30/31 chainsaw certificates.
• Full clean driving license.

Terms & Conditions

Salary Grade 4 (£28,437- £34,732)
Hours Full time, 36.5hrs
8am-4pm – or as agreed with the Head Gardener.

Holidays

You will receive a paid holiday entitlement of 20 days (or the equivalent of four working weeks) plus bank holidays. In addition, you are entitled to holiday during the College closed period at Christmas/New Year and at Easter.

Pension

You will be enrolled automatically in the University Superannuation Scheme.

Probationary period

Six-month probationary period.

Meals

A free lunch when working over the lunch period and the College Kitchen is open.

Benefits

Private medical insurance once probation period is completed.

Apply here