Find your place in the field of good food

Our goal is to connect good people with good food. We advertise sustainable food jobs and training opportunities to help jobseekers and employers find each other.

Horticultural Officer

Propagation Place
Bristol

Posted: 4 Jan 2023

Deadline: 31 Jan 2023

Compensation: £21,968 - £23,600 pro rata, depending on experience.

Paid Part-time

Job description

St Werburghs City Farm connects people through land, nature and food. Each year, we engage 60,000 people in spaces and services that build resilience, reduce isolation and strengthen community. Our activities include accredited gardening placements for adults with learning disabilities, animal husbandry courses for inner-city children, woodland mindfulness for adults experiencing poor mental health and conservation courses for people looking to develop new skills and connections. We pride ourselves on supporting people, from all walks of life, to learn, grow and thrive.  We are a community-focused employer that values all forms of diversity.

Overview of project

Propagation Place is St Werburghs City Farm’s online Community Business. A small team of staff and local volunteers grow and dispatch over 2000 orders of vegetable plug plants, amounting to over 100,000 individual plants, both locally and nationwide each year. All profits from sales are used to fund the work that we do in the community through year-round volunteering and educational programmes.

Job description

This is an essential horticultural role within the Propagation Place team. You will be responsible for the sowing, growing, and health of our vegetable plug seedlings, and for the maintenance of the polytunnel and nursery area. You will need to keep detailed records of plant stocks, disease prevention and IPM, and oversee on-site sales. 

You will be overseeing the organic sowing and growing programme for our community garden and helping to facilitate volunteer sessions. Part of your role will be to ensure that the garden is as productive as possible and is also maintained to a high standard to ensure that our horticultural education programmes can be effectively delivered.

You will also be involved in the packing and postal delivery of our online plug plant sales, working with a small team of seasonal workers and alongside managers to fulfil our customer orders on time.

Your horticultural knowledge and experience will be invaluable at St Werburghs City Farm and you will have the opportunity to advise and deliver practical on-site support to members of the public, volunteers, apprentices, allotment holders, and other staff.

Details

Contract type: 2 years, subject to funding Salary:  From £21,968 - £23,600 pro rata, depending on experience. Hours of work: 20 hrs p/w (Mon- Thurs) which may include some hours before 9am and after 5.30pm and occasional weekend work Place of work: St Werburghs City Farm Annual leave: 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata) Probationary period: 2 weeks Must be over 18 to apply

Closing date for applications: 31st January 2023 (midnight). For more information about the role, drop-in sessions will be held on 25th January at 11am and 6pm, either online or in-person.  If you’re successfully shortlisted, we’ll see you at an interview on:  w/c 6th February  

Person Specification

• RHS Level 2 Horticulture or equivalent qualification/ demonstrable knowledge 
• Confident understanding of good gardening practises and organic principles 
• Experience in vegetable growing 
• At least 2 years experience of working in or managing a plant nursery 
• Interest in working with people who may be experiencing disadvantage  
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills 
• Excellent organisation and record-keeping, 
• Interest in working outside in all weathers 
• Ability to self-manage and to work under pressure  

St Werburghs City Farm is a Registered Charity (No. 297091) and Limited Company (No. 2114442)

Application information

To Apply, please download the Application Form from our webpage and return it by the deadline. C.V.s will not be accepted.

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