Job description

About us

A E Roberts LTD is a small business in Southampton. We are customer-centric, fast-paced, and rewarding. With over 115 years of experience in the fruit and horticultural industries, we take pride in growing fruit trees, soft fruit bushes, and ornamental trees at our nursery in the foothills of South Downs

We grow over 300,000 British trees as bare-root or in containers and supply wholesale to gardens centers, nurseries, and mail-order companies in the UK.

Our work environment includes:

• Family run business
• Small Teams
• Growth opportunities
• Casual work attire
• On-the-job training
• International workforce
• Customer focused

We are looking for a person to help out in our nursery picking & packing orders for wholesale dispatch. Over the last couple of years, we have seen significant growth in our business. We grow a wide range of soft fruits, trees and shrubs, supplying garden centers, nurseries, and online & mail-order customers.

Candidates must be eager and interested in learning about horticulture and willing to help out. You also must be motivated, have a keen eye for detail, and work well in a team. We give all the training needed to complete the daily jobs, which can range from plant picking, order preparing, packing orders in various containers from boxes to pallets, loading lorries, and much more.

Our main product is supplying bare root trees from November to May. You would be unloading, prepping, and loading pallets of trees efficiently and correctly to ensure we have high standards for our customers, working closely with our wholesale team supervisor and manager. Hours are typically 0800-1630, with the possibility of overtime.

The job can involve working outdoors in the rain and cold, bending over and getting muddy. Also, there is a potential for career and job development with this role in the horticultural industry. Your main role would be working at the nursery with the wholesale team to help with despatching orders, but with the opportunity to work at our field sites during the summer months which will give any new employees a great initial experience working for us and in the horticultural industry, opening doors within the business.

Responsibilities:
- Packing and loading of wholesale orders
- Assist with the cultivation and maintenance of plants in the nursery
- Operate and maintain various types of equipment, including power tools and hand tools
- Perform heavy lifting and manual labor tasks as required
- Utilise basic math skills to ensure orders are correct
- Maintain a clean and organised work area
- Monitor plant growth and health, identifying and addressing any issues that arise

Skills:
- Previous experience working in a garden or nursery setting is preferred but not required
- Ability to perform heavy lifting and manual labor tasks on a regular basis
- Basic math skills for counting products
- Familiarity with hand tools commonly used in gardening and plant care is preferred but not required
- Knowledge of plants is preferred but not required
- Ability to work as a team and to deadlines
- Good communication skills
- Strong attention to detail, ability to follow instructions accurately and a fast learner.

If you are interested in the job please send us your CV, and if you are an interesting candidate we will ask you in to an open day visit to see how we work and if you are a good fit.

No need for previous experience in horticulture, but an interest in gardening or the environment is beneficial as well as working previous experience in warehouse or order prepping would be ideal.

If you have a passion for plants and enjoy working in a hands-on environment, we encourage you to apply. By joining our team you will be helping to grow the next generation of trees to help save the planet!

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: £10.00-£11.00 per hour

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• On-site parking

Schedule:

• 10 hour shift
• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Holidays
• Monday to Friday
• Overtime
• Weekend availability

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Southampton: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 18/09/2023
Expected start date: 02/10/2023