For informal enquiries, please contact Charlotte Allender (Wellesbourne Campus Senior Experimental Officer - Head of UKVGB) charlotte.allender@warwick.ac.uk
Fixed term contract - There is funding to recruit a full-time Technician on FA4, currently restricted to end on 31.03.2027. There may be further funding available subject to confirmation from the funder.
We are recruiting a horticultural technician to join the UK Vegetable Genebank project team. This is a great opportunity to work in agrobiodiversity conservation and to contribute to a project which improves global food security. This exciting and varied role adds to the existing UKVGB team of one research fellow and three technical staff. You will help us to deliver effective and efficient management and conservation of seed in the UKVGB, an internationally significant collection of genetic diversity in vegetable crops. Our major crop collections include brassicas, lettuce and carrot, and you will manage seed production in our dedicated glasshouse facilities. The work centres on plant husbandry and managing the seed production cycle (sowing, propagation, plant nutrition, pest and disease management and harvest). There will also be opportunities to plan field trials and carry out data collection activities, as well as gain experience in other areas of activity within the UKVGB.
About You
You will be working as part of a small team of technical staff so good interpersonal skills and a flexible approach to this varied role are important. You will be comfortable working in glasshouse, field and potentially laboratory environments. You will have significant horticultural experience - we are particularly interested in someone who has handled and managed large numbers of plants or samples in previous roles or who has managed plant production cycles. The ideal candidate will understand the need for, and be able give examples of, key skills such as pest and disease management, keeping accurate records and the ability to plan your workload around seasonal factors. You will need to communicate effectively with the other UKVGB team members, and with other groups within the department as well. You will have a thorough understanding of plant biology/horticulture. There will be scope for training and development in different techniques and approaches as part of the role.
For further information regarding the skills required for this role please see the personal specification section of the attached job description.
About the Department
Find out more about the work of the UK Vegetable Genebank at
UK Vegetable Genebank (warwick.ac.uk)
School of Life Sciences
For further information about the School of Life Sciences please see our website at
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/lifesci
We believe that collegiality, openness, inclusivity and diversity are essential for an excellent environment; this ethic has enabled us to gain an Athena SWAN Silver award. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you are excited by this role, we encourage you to apply, even if your past experience does not match exactly. We also encourage applications from all groups with protected characteristics.
About the University
Born in the 60s with a mindset of boldness, imagination and collaboration, the University of Warwick is a world-leading research-intensive university with the highest academic and research standards. We’re one of the world’s top universities, ranked 67th in the world and 10th in the UK*, with 92% of our research assessed to be ‘world leading or internationally excellent’**.
You'll be joining a diverse, innovative and globally connected community committed to igniting real world progress. Here at Warwick, we offer you opportunities to follow your ambitions as long as you bring the energy and determination to succeed.
*QS World University Rankings 2024
** Research Excellence Framework 2021
To find out more about us visit our website.
How to Apply
CLOSING DATE: Monday 14th July 2025 at 23:55 (BST)
To apply, please click ‘Apply’ below and submit an application form by the closing date.
Please plan for any potential delays as you will not be able to submit an application form past this deadline (even if you opened the form at, say, 23:30).
You will have to attach a CV and a cover letter.
* Your CV should include your employment history (including your most recent employment), your education history, and any other relevant experience.
* Your cover letter should explain your motivations for applying to the role. It should also explain, using examples, how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria detailed in the Job Description PDF document below. Please note that all essential criteria must be met by candidates who are invited to interview.
Please see here for guidance on writing a cover letter. We highly recommend using individual criteria as headers and explaining below, using examples, how you meet the criterion, though you are free to format the letter as you wish.
To streamline our hiring processes, we can only accept applications submitted via our official careers webpage, warwick-careers.tal.net.
* Interview Date: To be confirmed
* Start Date: To be confirmed
What we Offer
We will provide you with a great range of benefits, which include an attractive pension scheme, 26 days holiday plus Christmas closure, excellent learning and development opportunities, and savings on a wide range of products and services. We offer a generous maternity/paternity/adoption/parental leave policy, and onsite childcare facilities.
We recognise the importance of a healthy work/life balance and offer you access to flexible working, for more information click here.
We are proud to say that we are a Living Wage employer .
Our Commitment to Inclusion
Warwick is committed to building an organisation of mutual respect and dignity, promoting a welcoming, diverse, and inclusive working and learning environment. We recognise that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non-visible ways, and that those differences are to be recognised, respected, and valued. Where possible, we go beyond legislation to provide a place where everyone can thrive, supporting all staff to achieve their full potential. We aspire to remove economic, social, and cultural barriers that may otherwise prevent people from succeeding.
We therefore welcome and encourage applications from all communities regardless of culture, background, age, disability, sex/gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion/belief, or sexual or romantic orientation. To find out more about our social inclusion work at Warwick visit our webpages here.
The University currently holds a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, Athena Swan Sliver Award and a Disability Smart Bronze Award. Further information on all of the University's Awards and Accreditations can be found here. The University of Warwick is also one of the six founder institutions of the EUTOPIA European University Alliance.
Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS)
The University of Warwick is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all those we work with.
In line with the DBS Code of Practice, the successful candidates for any roles involving regulated activity, will be subject to a DBS check at the appropriate level. The University will take all necessary measures to ensure that any individual subject to a barring order does not undertake any work with the barred group specified (i.e. children and/or adults).
We expect all employees, volunteers, and partners to share our commitment to safeguarding.
Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders
The University undertakes not to discriminate against anyone who makes a disclosure relating to a conviction. The information disclosed at application stage is only visible to the central DBS team (i.e. not recruiting managers) to ensure there is no bias during the shortlisting process.
Job Description
JD - UKVGB Horticultural Technician (60125).pdf – 168KB Opens in a new window
Right to Work in the UK
We wish to advise applicants that this role is not eligible for sponsorship for a Skilled Worker visa. If you do not yet have the right to work in the UK you will need to check the UK Government Website to see if you are eligible to obtain the right to work in the UK through one of the other UK immigration routes before you make your application.