Senior Gardener
Vacancy – Senior Gardener
Closing date: 5pm on Friday 17th May 2024
Salary: £24,000-£28,000 depending on experience.
Job type: Permanent, full time. 35 hours per week, including weekend working on a rota April–September.
Location: Isle of Gigha, located 3 miles west of the Kintyre peninsula.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, creative, and skilled craft gardener to join our small team at Achamore Gardens and help us restore this important garden.
Achamore Gardens is owned and managed by the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust (IGHT). The Isle of Gigha was purchased by the community in 2002, and IGHT was established to manage the assets of the island on behalf of the community.
The 52 acres of woodland and ornamental gardens that make up Achamore are home to a notable collection of species and hybrid Rhododendrons, as well as a wide range of specimen and ornamental trees, shrubs, and other plants. The garden includes a 2-acre walled garden, where, thanks to Achamore’s extremely mild microclimate, we can grow and propagate some remarkably tender plants that are rarely found growing in Scotland. The garden is currently undergoing an ambitious restoration project, and you will be joining us as we enter phase 2 of this programme.
Our gardening team carry out all aspects of maintaining and improving the gardens, from weeding and mowing, through plant propagation and cultivation, to ditching, path construction and forestry works. The garden is open to the public year-round, and providing a great visitor experience is essential to the role.
You will be an enthusiastic and passionate gardener, with a love for plants, good horticultural knowledge, and a wide range of craft skills. You will play an active role in leading both staff and volunteers, supporting and deputising for the Head Gardener on a day-to-day basis, so good leadership and organisational skills are a must. You will be a great communicator, happy to engage with people of all ages, and able to share your skills and passion with them. You will be happy to work outdoors in all weather, and willing to turn your hand to a wide range of tasks. There is the potential for future promotion for the right candidate, and accommodation will be available.
For an application pack or if would like to talk to us about the role before you apply, please email our Head Gardener, Bryony White at gardens@gigha.org.uk
An in-person assessment and interview day will be held on Gigha the week commencing Monday 3rd June.