As a Gardener for the National Trust, you’ll be a hands-on member of the garden team, involved in every aspect of gardening. Responsible for day-to-day maintenance, and the highest standards of horticulture, you’ll also play a vital role in improving the experience of visitors to the garden and wider estate. This fixed term role is a great opportunity to practice and develop your gardening experience and skills with our team, managing an interesting variety of garden areas in the beautiful and tranquil setting of Ightham Mote.
Salary: £27,612 per annum
Contract Duration: This is a fixed term contract due to end when the postholder returns to the role. At this point we cannot confirm exactly how long this contract will last, but it is unlikely to last beyond 29th July 2027.
Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week. You may be asked to work occasional weekends, bank holidays and evenings.
Interview Date: Friday 12th June
Provisional Start Date: Thursday 16 th July
Please apply for this role with your CV. Job-sharing may also be considered to cover the hours of this role, so please make your preference for full-time or job-sharing clear in your application.
What it's like to work here:With its 14 acres of gardens, moated mansion, and wider estate reflecting 700 years of history, along with our friendly, dedicated teams, it’s easy to see why visitors, volunteers, and staff love Ightham Mote. The variety of formal, informal, woodland, and semi-natural garden areas, along with water features, will offer you challenges and help develop your abilities across a wide range of skills.
Reporting to the Garden & Outdoors Manager and Senior Gardener, you’ll be part of a lively team of five staff, as well as our groups of volunteers, working to conserve, develop, and care for the gardens and surroundings, while putting visitors and nature at the heart of all we do. We’re a busy team who enjoy a challenge and work at a fast pace. We collaborate with the wider property teams to get the job done and are keen to share knowledge and ideas. We aim to inspire our visitors by delivering high standards, creating great experiences, and engaging them in conversations about our conservation work for the garden and nature.
Click here to learn more about this location
What you'll be doing:You'll love working outside and lead our volunteers to keep the garden in tip-top condition every day. This may involve daily checks to ensure all areas are safe for our visitors, as well as routine tasks such as weeding, pruning, mulching, caring for plants, and using machinery such as lawnmowers, hedge cutters, leaf blowers, garden vehicles, and tractors.
Other duties might include propagation, growing and cutting flowers for the house, or cultivating fruit and vegetables in the walled garden, preparing plants for sale, and carrying out soft and hard landscaping, garden design, and restoration work. You may also be involved in composting, managing waste and recycling, as well as supporting other teams and helping to prepare and deliver property events.
Who we're looking forWe'd love to hear from you if you’re:
- an enthusiastic horticulturist and hands-on gardener, who’s worked with hard landscaping before
- knowledgeable about plants, with a great eye for detail.
- experienced with machinery, including tractors, chainsaws, rotary and cylinder mowers, and with some knowledge of maintenance
- a driver with a full licence
- able to manage a demanding outdoor role
- good at talking to, and getting on with, all kinds of people
- equally confident working within a team, with volunteers or on your own
- able to keep to time, plan and meet deadlines
The packageThe National Trust has the motto ‘For everyone, for ever’ at its heart. We’re working hard to create an inclusive culture, where everyone feels they belong. It’s important that our people reflect and represent the diversity of the communities and audiences we serve. We welcome and value difference, so when we say we’re for everyone, we want everyone to be welcome in our teams too.
- Substantial pension scheme of up to 10% basic salary
- Free entry to National Trust places for you, a guest and your children (under 18)
- Rental deposit loan scheme
- EV car lease scheme (for roles that meet the salary criteria)
- Perks at work discounts such as gym memberships, shopping discount codes, cinema discounts
- Holiday allowance up to 32 days relating to length of service, plus holiday purchase scheme, subject to meeting minimum criteria.
- Flexible working whenever possible
- Employee assistance programme
- Free parking at most Trust places
Requirements :Compliance.Eligibility to Work in the UK
Fixed Term f/t or p/t (37.5 hrs pw to 29/07/27)
