(APPLICATION PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED)
Position: Garden Manager
Employer: Dr Neil’s Garden Trust (Scottish Charity No SC028097)
Location: Dr Neils’ Garden, Old Church Lane, Duddingston, Edinburgh
Salary: £27,150 plus pension contributions and professional membership fees
Working Hours: Full time (37.5 hours per week, generally Monday to Friday)
Closing date: 12 February 2024
A rare opportunity has arisen on the retirement of our Gardener after 22 years of service. This position will provide the right person with the chance to work in one of the most unique gardens in the country, and to use their own initiative to continue moving the Garden’s development forward. Now administered by a small charity, the Garden was started 60 years ago and created out of rough ground – it was handed over to our Gardener who has, with her flair and enthusiasm, turned it into the beautiful space it now is.
Sitting by the loch side at the foot of Arthur’s Seat with a view across Duddingston Loch to the Pentland Hills, the 2.5-acre site is walled on 3 sides and drops steeply to the loch side on the 4th. The Garden shares its boundaries with a 12th century church and 2 other gardens with which we have close ties and consists of a mix of trees and herbaceous borders, grass, ponds, hard landscaping and paths. It also boasts a recently renovated 200-year-old Tower where the rules of curling were purportedly first written and which is now used for small receptions and art exhibitions.
The applicant should be willing to work independently, be able to manage a small group of volunteers, and have a genuine interest in developing relationships with the wider community. This post would suit a person with real drive and enthusiasm who has excellent horticulture and arboriculture skills, and who is ready to take their career to the next level. The right person for this post will have great communication skills, be able to get on with people, and will share our vision to have a garden that is a place that people want to come to – and come back to.
Read the full Job Description here
This role at its current number of hours is partly funded by the National Lottery Communities Fund. It requires Disclosure Scotland checks to be carried out.
Please apply with a copy of your CV and covering letter (max 3 pages) saying why you think you are a suitable candidate by emailing banderson456@hotmail.co.uk by 12 February 2024 using GARDEN MANAGER as the Subject Line. Also, please contact the same email if you have any questions or would like to know more about the role.
If you require any adjustments to the appointments process, please include this in your covering letter.
Interviews will be held in Edinburgh on a date in February.