THE RARE BREEDS CENTRE AND CANTERBURY OAST TRUST

The South of England Rare Breeds Centre is a busy tourist attraction with more than 110,000 visitors a year. The Farm is a great day out to see traditional rare breed animals, play in the parks, and visit the Discovery Garden and Butterfly Tunnel.

This supports the work of the Canterbury Oast Trust, a leading local charity providing high quality care and support for adults with learning disabilities across Kent and East Sussex. It also provides valuable training opportunities for the adults with learning disabilities enabling them to develop their animal management or horticultural and customer service skills.

THE DISCOVERY GARDENER VACANCY

o Annual salary £18,818 - £19,305 pa
o The role is 37.5 hours per week (Monday - Friday)


We are seeking to recruit a great Discovery Gardener; a person who share our values:

o A commitment to quality and being the best they can
o To show dignity and respect to the people that they will be working with
o Who will work well as part of a team
o Would like to make a difference to the lives of adults with learning disabilities


IT IS A DRIVING REQUIREMENT FOR THIS DISCOVERY GARDENER ROLE THAT YOU HAVE A FULL MANUAL DRIVING LICENCE, BE OVER 21 AND HAVE HELD YOUR FULL DRIVING LICENCE FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR

THE ROLE

As a Discovery Gardener you will develop and maintain the Discovery Garden, Wildlife Garden, Propagation Tunnel and seasonal Butterfly Tunnel. You will create a safe, interesting and friendly environment for both visitors and service users. You will be working alongside our service users and providing advice and information to our visitors and particularly school children.

Discovery Gardener responsibilities will amongst other duties include the following:

o Responsibility for the daily management and upkeep of the Discovery Garden, Wildlife Garden, Propagation Tunnel and seasonal Butterfly Tunnel
o To provide support and training for service users working in the Discovery Garden
o To coordinate and work with volunteers and seasonal workers in the management and development of the garden
o Responsibility for the operation of the seasonal Butterfly Tunnel
o To engage and enhance visitor\'s understanding of the garden and the wider environment
o Provide planned and ad-hoc activities and educational sessions to visitors, including school groups
o Driving farm vehicles which may include towing trailers


ABOUT YOU

As a Discovery Gardener, in addition to having values and behaviours that match our own, you will ideally have:

o 5 years experience covering a broad range of plant species and appropriate horticultural techniques including some tropical plant species
o Basic knowledge of supporting, supervising and training adults with learning disabilities all of whom have differing abilities and needs
o A friendly and approachable personality with excellent customer service skills in a similar tourist environment.


BENEFITS INCLUDE:

o 22 days annual leave plus statutory bank holidays; Additional annual leave for 3,4 and 5 years continuous service
o Paid DBS check
o Contributory pension scheme
o Healthcare Cash Plan
o Excellent training and development opportunities
o Free entry to Rare Breeds Centre - 2 adults and 2 children


ELIGIBILITY

All appointments are subject to:

o proof of eligibility to work in the UK
o an enhanced check with the Disclosure and Barring Service
o two satisfactory references (one of which must be from your current or most recent employer)
o a full and detailed employment history


INTERESTED?

If you believe you have the right values and behaviours for our organisation and you meet the requirements of this Discovery Gardener role then we would love to hear from you.

Interviews will be held by Zoom or face to face in a socially distanced environment and in adherence with Covid-19 protocols.

This advert will close on 27th April 2021. However we reserve the right to close this vacancy early.