Head Gardener

Salary: 28,759-£33,966 plus discretionary points up to £37,099 (Grade 5) per annum
Contract Type: Full-time, permanent
Location: Balliol College, Oxford
Department: Gardens
Responsible to: Domestic Bursar; Gardens Committee
Responsible for: Two gardening staff, apprentice, and contractors
Hours: 37.5 hours per week. Whilst the normal working hours are 8.00 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday, work outside of these hours may occasionally be required for which time-off in lieu will be granted.
Start Date: As soon as possible

Balliol College

Balliol was founded in 1263 and is now one of the larger Oxford colleges, with about 400 undergraduates and a similar number of graduates in residence at any one time. The College takes academic work very seriously, but visitors are generally struck by the informal and friendly feel of the place. The College occupies a historic site in the middle of Oxford.

Balliol is a constituent college of the University of Oxford and employs some 80 fellows, 50 lecturers and around 170 non-academic staff with Dame Helen Ghosh as its current Master. The gardens are maintained by a core team of Head Gardener and two further gardeners, with occasional support from contractors. Balliol College also maintains a Sports Ground; this is managed separately to the gardening team.

Further information about the College is available at www.balliol.ox.ac.uk.

The Gardens and Grounds

As well as the well-known location on Broad St, there are a further four satellite sites of the College which are the responsibility of the Head Gardener and his/her team: the gardens of Holywell Manor Graduate Centre, the beds and landscaping of the College’s residential buildings of Jowett Walk and the Master’s Field, the gardens of King’s Mound, a Victorian house owned by Balliol, and occasional care to Balliol’s Nursery, located in North Oxford. Glasshouses are also located in North Oxford for plant propagation.

Role Description:

Reporting to the Domestic Bursar, the Head Gardener will be responsible for maintaining and creating beautiful & biodiverse gardens across all of Balliol’s sites. This is a wonderful opportunity to be actively involved in renewing gardens in historic & modern sites across Oxford. The gardens are a vibrant part of Balliol, ensuring beauty and tranquillity in our green spaces for all who study, teach, work and visit our College. We are looking for someone who is committed to biodiversity, championing our aspiration to enable greater biodiversity and renewal of nature in centre of Oxford.

Key Responsibilities

Garden Development and Maintenance

• Recommend and design new areas or redevelopment of existing areas, in consultation with the Domestic Bursar and Garden Committee.
• Ensure the garden and grounds are kept and presented to the very highest standards.
• Choose and source plants for all areas of the gardens, ensuring interest throughout the year.
• Develop programmes of work to maintain, conserve and renew borders, trees, herbaceous and climbing plants.
• Maintain all lawns, ensuring they remain healthy by implementing a specific turf programme encompassing works such as mowing, edging, weed control, scarification, aerating, fertiliser applications, pest control and watering.
• Manage the tree population including carrying out regular tree inspections both on and off site and ensuring that a Tree Survey is in place.
• Work collaboratively with students, fellows, faculty, staff to ensure smooth running of activities, events, and daily life at Balliol.
• Organise and respond to ad-hoc garden maintenance requests.

Management

• Manage a small team of committed gardeners, ensuring a positive environment for all members of staff. Carry out regular review and appraisal, along with ongoing training and development.
• Manage an annual gardens budget, proactively monitoring income and expenditure.
• To project manage enhancements to the gardens which have been approved by the Garden Committee.
• Support the training of an apprentice horticulturalist when trainee is in post.

Health and Safety

• To ensure all staff in the garden/grounds are trained and competent in the use of machinery and equipment.
• Ensure that adherence to all Health and Safety legislation, keeping records such as Risk Assessments, COSHH Assessments, Safe working procedures, Spray Records and machine maintenance records, First Aid, Manual Handling and safe use of pesticides.
• To be a member of the College Health & Safety Committee.

Other Duties

• To undertake any other duties, consistent with the purpose of the post, as may from time to time be assigned by the Domestic Bursar.
• Ensure that all machinery is in good working order and arrange repairs and regular servicing by a horticultural engineer. Research and advise upon the purchase and hire of additional machinery.

Person Specification

Essential

FURTHER PARTICULARS

Holiday: The postholder will receive paid leave entitlement of 30 working days (in addition to Bank Holidays) during a complete holiday year, five of which are taken around Christmas and New Year. The College reserves the right to require staff to work on Bank Holidays during full term, receiving a day in lieu.

Probation and notice: The probationary period will be twelve months, during which time the length of notice is one month on either side, given in writing. The length of notice thereafter will be three months on either side, given in writing.

Pension: Staff are eligible to join the Oxford Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS), which has flexible contribution rates including an employer’s contribution of up to 10% of pensionable salary.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Staff meals: a free two-course lunch is available in the Hall, when the kitchens are open.

Travel: benefits include interest-free loans enabling the purchase of bus passes, annual rail season tickets to Oxford, and discounted bicycles and accessories.

Healthcare: benefits include free eye tests, free flu jabs, free use of the College’s onsite gym and the University swimming pool, and preferential rates for other University sports facilities.

University Club: staff are eligible for free membership of the University Club, which offers food, drink and accommodation in an exclusive space for staff, postgraduates and alumni.

Learning and personal development: resources are available from the University in addition to training organised by the College and Development Office

Visitor access: staff benefit from free visitor access to the 45 colleges and halls of the University and the University’s Libraries, Botanic Gardens, Arboretum and Museums.

Employee discounts: available at local and national retailers and online services using exclusive discount codes for University staff and with a TOTUM (formerly NUS) card.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Informal enquiries: Candidates wishing to have an initial conversation about the role should in the first instance contact Jennifer Smith, Domestic Bursar (domestic.bursar@balliol.ox.ac.uk) to arrange a confidential discussion.

Written applications: Applications should be made by 9.00 am on Friday 12th April 2024 online at https://www.balliol.ox.ac.uk/careers.

Interviews: Candidates selected for interview will be notified by 18th April 2024.

Right to Work: Shortlisted candidates will be expected to supply original documentation proving that they have the right to work in the United Kingdom (UK).

Equal Opportunities: Balliol College is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants are asked to complete a separate confidential Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form to help us fulfil our duties in this regard. Applicants are encouraged to ask if they require reasonable adjustments for any part of the recruitment process.