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Job description

Full time, permanent position

£23,754 - £25,564 pa

The Eden Living Landscapes team is looking for a tropical plant specialist, preferably with a B.Sc. degree in a natural related field, some rainforest experience and a good ability to exchange such knowledge with others varying from the public to students, team members and apprentices.

You will be mostly working in a tropical environment with plants from all tropical regions.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 31 May 2023

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Family Definition
Roles within Living Landscapes (Cultivation, Education and Landscape) job family are dedicated to understanding, developing, designing, protecting, sharing, teaching and managing Eden's living collection of plants, in a landscape environment where visitors and students are encouraged to experience and learn about plants, habitats and eco-systems and their importance in providing a sustainable future.

Role Purpose
Overview: You will be mainly working in a tropical setting with tropical plants, trees and crops. Knowledge and interest of the tropical world is needed, and previous tropical experience would be advantageous. This is a harsh (hot and humid) working environment requiring specialised training in working at height and use of a range of specialist equipment. The position may include opportunity to work with tropical collections at Eden’s international sites, including Costa Rica.

Purpose: Develop, teach and implement the effective propagation, cultivation and maintenance of plants, landscapes and ecosystems within Eden; protecting, enhancing and sustaining Eden’s living theatre as a leading green destination. Design, plan, develop and implement planting and landscape schemes. Design maintenance programmes. Educate and practically transfer these essential skills by example to a team of horticulturalists, landscapers, students and volunteers to the highest possible level.

Key Accountabilities
1. Teaches, guides and co-ordinates the living landscape exhibits and living landscapes Technicians and students in the cultivation, development, maintenance and conservation of areas, projects and events, ensuring plants, landscapes and habitats are well maintained. Deliver Eden’s long and short-term horticultural and landscape planning to be implemented on time and with quality expected as well as development of exhibits and projects working closely with the Manager considering the environmental strategy, ethical values and educational aspirations of Eden.

2. Plan, implement, monitor and evaluate maintenance programmes, ensuring the living landscape team deliver the appropriate soil preparation, cultivation, propagation, irrigation, amelioration and pest control activities to the required standards in terms of timescales, quality and budget. Assess and improve procedures using latest research, knowledge and best practice available from the Emergent Academy being set-up.

3. Allocates, monitors, records (plants), audit and evaluates the work of the team, students and volunteers ensuring the effective management, performance, development and attendance, whilst ensuring all activities are carried out with adequate training and instruction in compliance with company policy and Health & Safety regulations.

4. Determines the requirements for supplies and equipment; researches and specifies their procurement and co-ordinates distribution, ensuring compliance with Eden's sustainability standards and financial procedures.

5. Actively engages and interacts with external professionals, visitors and colleagues, providing professional guidance and imparting specialist knowledge to promote and enhance Eden’s reputation as a leading attraction in the area of agronomy, landscape design, green tourism and ethnobotany.

6. Actively promotes the work of living landscapes within other areas of the organisation, thereby developing and maintaining the culture of collaboration and co-operation across all departments and functions. Imparts specialist knowledge and skills to ensure the successful delivery of Eden’s programmes. Provides content for promotional material and publications.

7. Specialisation: The jobholder has a specialist skill they can provide to Eden to fit a specific need. For example in sustainability, conservation, logistics, machinery maintenance, plant propagation, eco-restoration, entomology, hydrology, ethnobotany.

Demands of the Role
Education & qualifications
Preferred level of education: Bachelors in the Horticultural field or closely related or HND Horticulture/Landscape or with related teaching experience/ ability to transfer practical / technical knowledge.
Knowledge & skills
Minimum of 5 years’ experience within the field of horticulture and/or landscape. An accomplished and knowledgeable practitioner within the subject field with practical and professional expertise developed within horticulture and landscape preferably with an identified specialized skill and proven teaching experience. Some years’ experience previously working at a similar level, where the role involved an element of staff supervision. The job holder must possess the team leadership skills required to motivate, develop and manage staff, apprentices, students and volunteers by example and action. Certificates for PA1, PA6 and MEWP operator’s licence are beneficial, although not essential as training can be provided.
Decision- making
Effective day-to-day supervision of staff, students and volunteers has to be balanced against knowledge transfer, plans and priorities, requiring the job holder to deploy and utilize their team effectively.
Resourcefulness
Collaborates with colleagues and senior staff to devise innovative and creative ways to improve planting schemes, habitats, landscaping and foremost knowledge transfer. The job holder will be required to be flexible and use creative thinking to resolve unusual technical challenges or situations.
People & asset management
Guides by example a small dedicated and knowledgeable horticultural/landscaping team, students and designated volunteers and providing on-the-job training and mentoring as required. A shared responsibility for the health, integrity, maintenance and presentation of Eden’s living collection; Identify procurement requirements as well as sourcing and ordering for approval by budget holders.
Communication & visitor experience
Effective oral and written communication skills are essential for this role which requires the job holder to engage and interact with a variety of visitors, colleagues and students in various situations requiring the use of a range of techniques and approaches. Visitor engagement includes some media, writing, public walk/talks, and alike.
Relaying information on varied topics to audiences of both professionals and amateurs e.g. lectures. Plans and writes editorial within own work area for students.
Operational environment
The role regularly requires physical effort and prolonged working on slopes within a variety of normal and harsh climatic environments.
Character

The job requires a decisive, intellectual, practically orientated, flexible, and communicative person with a social creative personality who cares about the world we live in and understands and agrees with the Eden mission. Someone with a positive responsible outlook wishing to make a difference in this world.

Additional Features

The job holder is required to continuously develop their technical expertise and team leading skills while keeping abreast of current Health & Safety regulations. The job holder may be required to travel nationally and internationally to work on specific assignments or projects.