Senior Gardener / Team Leader
Salary: £30,000–£38,000 per year
We are seeking an experienced and capable gardener to join our growing business in a senior/team-leading role.
This position is suited to someone with strong practical horticultural knowledge who is comfortable working independently, leading a small team, maintaining high standards, and taking ownership of sites without constant supervision.
Our work is primarily focused on recurring domestic and estate-style properties, ranging from medium-sized gardens through to larger grounds, with our largest site covering approximately 18 acres. Most work comes directly from our own client base via the Gardeners' Guild, alongside occasional collaboration with garden designers leading to soft landscaping and improvement projects.
The successful applicant will typically be responsible for running a van with an assistant, organising daily tasks, communicating with clients where appropriate, maintaining accurate work notes, and ensuring sites are presented to a professional standard.
This is primarily a hands-on role. While there are opportunities to contribute towards improving operational standards and systems, the core responsibility is delivering high-quality horticultural work and helping maintain a reliable, professional operation.
Operational systems, internal guides and structured workflows are actively being developed within the business, and senior staff will play an important role in maintaining standards, supporting less experienced gardeners and contributing towards consistency across the team.
Seasonal operational refreshers are also gradually being introduced within the business, primarily focused around changes in seasonal tasks, equipment, PPE requirements, safety considerations and working practices throughout the year.
Duties Include:
- High-quality garden maintenance
- Lawn care and seasonal lawn treatments
- Pruning shrubs, hedges and fruit trees
- Planting and border management
- Diagnosing and treating pests, diseases and deficiencies
- Soft landscaping projects
- Irrigation installation and maintenance
- Chainsaw and pole-pruner work (where qualified)
- Pressure washing and external maintenance
- Maintaining clear site notes and task records
- Completing pesticide application records where applicable
- Reporting accidents, incidents and maintenance issues
- Client communication on-site
- Servicing and maintaining tools and equipment
- Maintaining stock levels and van organisation
- Generating and submitting accurate timesheets
- Supporting and supervising junior staff where required
Essential Requirements:
- Full UK Driving Licence
- Strong practical horticultural knowledge
- Ability to identify a wide range of plants and demonstrate a working understanding of their management, seasonal requirements and long-term care
- Experience working independently to a high standard
- Good organisational and communication skills
- Ability to lead and supervise others
- Strong physical fitness and stamina
- Comfortable working outdoors throughout the year
Desirable Experience and Qualifications:
- RHS Level 2 or equivalent horticultural qualification
- PA1 / PA6 Spray Certification
- First Aid Qualification
- Team-leading or supervisory experience
- Irrigation experience
- Tool servicing and maintenance experience
- Chainsaw certification
- Experience towing trailers and transporting machinery
- Experience operating larger grounds-maintenance machinery
- Estate gardening or grounds maintenance experience
For the right candidate, support can be provided towards obtaining additional qualifications where required.
Applicants should be motivated, dependable, and capable of taking ownership of their work. We are looking for someone who takes pride in horticulture, enjoys working to a high standard, and can confidently represent the business when working independently or leading a small team.
Salary is dependent on experience, qualifications, operational capability and responsibilities undertaken within the role. Applicants should note that the upper end of the salary range reflects candidates who can demonstrate a strong combination of horticultural knowledge, practical qualifications, leadership experience and the ability to operate independently with minimal supervision.
Pay: £30,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
