Gardener - Stourbridge Summary As a Gardener, you’ll be a hands-on member of the team, involved in every aspect of gardening at Kinver Edge & the Rock Houses. Responsible for day-to-day maintenance, and the highest standards of horticulture with good plant knowledge relevant to the property. You’ll also play a vital role in improving the experience of visitors to the garden and wider estate. This role is based on annualised hours, where the amount of hours you work each month may vary, however your salary will be paid in 12 equal instalments over the year. You'll work 780 hours per year, and you'll work more hours during the summer months and fewer over the winter. You'll be expected to work a Thursday with flexibility on the other days but will include working some weekends and bank holidays. A full driving licence will be required as the ability to drive estate vehicles is essential to the role. What it's like to work here You'll join a small, friendly staff team at the Rock Houses. The Rock Houses are set within Kinver Edge, 585 acres of woodland & heathland with much of it awarded a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific interest) for its ecological importance. The gardens are not formal gardens and have a very country cottage design and feel. There is a small orchard, meadow and 3 allotments and they are managed with the same ethos that the families who lived here would have used. What you'll be doing As the only Gardener, you'll be helping to keep the garden in tiptop condition. This might involve regular checks to make sure all areas are safe for people visiting, routine tasks such as weeding, pruning, mowing and mulching, and using machinery such as hedge cutters, leaf blowers, lawnmowers, chainsaws and tractors. You'll be responsible for leading a team of volunteer gardeners, all associated compliance tasks / risk assessments, garden maintenance planning, firewood supply & processing for the Rock Houses and working with other team members supporting our visitor programming. You'll be on the Duty Manager rota for the Rock Houses which means being the most senior person on site, ensuring the safe opening and closing of the site, dealing with any visitor escalations and leading on the fire / emergency evacuation procedure. Other duties might include some general maintenance tasks, propagation, preparing plants / produce for sale, tree safety work, garden design and restoration, supporting the property team with events and opening & closing of the car parks plus as part of a small team any other tasks that are needed to support the property. Working as part of the South Shropshire portfolio of NT properties you'll have the opportunity to work collaboratively with the other garden teams at Dudmaston and Benthall Hall as well as having support from our regional garden consultants. Who we're looking for We'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 ability to manage a team of volunteers able to keep to time, plan and meet deadlines The package The 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 Season ticket loan EV car lease scheme 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 Click here to find out more about the benefits we offer to support you.