85875 - Land Based Activities - Skilled Delivery (SD): Commercial Horticulture - HMP KIrkham

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.
This role involves supervising prisoners in Greenhouses, Polytunnels and outdoor planting. The candidate must have Horticultural experience and skills on a commercial scale as we produce Grade 1 seasonal produce for our prison kitchens and farm shop. The candidate will supervise prisoners in the Horticultural section and be responsible for the crops being grown, looking at the irrigation systems and ensuring that the plants we produce remain healthy up to harvest.
It is crucial that the candidate has Horticultural experience and qualifications - some additional mentoring will be given as required. Most of the prisoners will have limited or no experience in this field and it is key that you have the ability to be able to supervise and guide prisoners whilst they are in work.
The candidate will also be expected to cover other work areas as required, such as Amenities and Waste Management, during staff absence and staff leave. The right candidate should have a flexible approach to enable Land Based Activities to thrive and provide sufficient work spaces throughout the year.
Crops are not the only thing you will cultivate in this life-changing role. Leading a group of prisoners to maintain, harvest and cultivate the prison’s gardens, you will develop their skills and confidence, and assess accredited vocational qualifications.
We will rely on you and your team to ensure protected cropping is grown and harvested to the highest standards. This is a role with broad accountability, maintaining everything from field-scale soil husbandry, to plant and crop development, to biological pest control and any necessary chemical crop protection programs.
But the work you do with prisoners will have the longest lasting impact - and the most unique challenges. You will set tasks to match their ability, while ensuring safety and production is maintained at all times. Taking careful account of labelling, grading and presentation, you will see that produce grown on-site is prepared and packaged appropriately. Along the way, you could play a part in supporting entry to our annual best kept prison garden competition, judged by the Royal Horticultural Society. You will certainty discover potential for rewarding development of your career.
Ideally, you will bring to the role a relevant vocational qualification or equivalent suitable experience. We expect you to be familiar with soil and growing medium husbandry, crop protection, crop production and plant protection technology, and the preparation of fresh produce for sale.
You will certainly bring a caring and resilient approach to your work. While supervisory experience will definitely be an advantage, what matters most is that you demonstrate strong communication, persuading and influencing skills. We expect you to be committed to achieving quality within a safe and secure environment. Please note you may be required to work some evenings and weekends.
Overview of the job
This is a delivery role within an establishment requiring an appropriate trade.
Summary
The job holder will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the grounds and amenity areas within the estate.
This is a non-operational job with no line management or supervisory responsibilities.