Gardeners jobs

Job Title: Community Gardening Movement Builder (England & Wales) 

Location: Hybrid / home-based or based at an RHS site, with frequent travel (including overnight stays) 

Salary: £38,000  

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours per week) 

Contract: Permanent 

Closing date for applications:  26th November 2025 

Are you passionate about plants, gardens and nature? Do you believe in the power of gardening to support people, places and our planet? Are you excited about the idea of supporting, enabling and amplifying community action that will create green change at scale? 

If this sounds like you, join the RHS Communities Team as our new Community Gardening Movement Builder (England & Wales), as we expand our collective mission to champion, support and connect the UK’s vibrant community gardening movement.

Overview of the Role 

In this exciting new role, you will work closely with the Community Partnerships & Networks Manager to implement the RHS’ movement building plans for community gardening – and build lasting green change.

You’ll be part of a passionate, forward-thinking team dedicated to making horticulture accessible, inclusive and transformative. Your daily work will include creating and coordinating content, campaigns, projects and events that will support, connect and amplify community gardeners across England and Wales. The role will involve frequent travel across England and Wales, and regular opportunities to meet community gardeners, partner organisations and stakeholders, both in-person and online. 

To work for the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is to join a thriving charity, whose mission is to be there for everyone on their lifelong adventure with gardening. Everything we do is built on the transformational power of gardening – and the benefits it brings to people, places and our planet. And we couldn’t do this without our people. We’re proud of the knowledge, enthusiasm and ideas that each one of our team members brings. From working across our social media channels, to volunteering in the RHS Gardens, from serving customers in our garden centres to running national marketing campaigns, we believe that every member of the RHS team should have the opportunity to make a difference. Our careers portal here provides a comprehensive overview of what we offer, the teams that work at the RHS and our great benefits. Details of our great benefits can be found here. 

As Community Gardening Movement Builder (England & Wales) you will be responsible for:

• Leading the digital and in-person convening of community gardeners across England and Wales, to increase the engagement of community gardens, support groups to develop and thrive, and build the platform of the community gardening movement.

• Mapping key stakeholders, campaigns and movement-building activity underway in sectors and spaces relevant to community gardening, keeping colleagues up to date with developments, and flagging challenges and opportunities.

• With the Community Partnerships & Networks Manager, building strong relationships with community gardening groups, partner organisations and key external stakeholders in the policy sphere – such as local authorities, mayoralties and devolved governments.

• Working closely with colleagues in the Communities team and other teams across the RHS to plan, commission and platform a wide range of digital content that will encourage, inspire and enable the community gardening movement.

• Working closely with RHS colleagues, partner organisations and community gardeners to commission, collate and promote data, research and stories that will help amplify the voices of community gardeners and build the case for policy change. 

About you

You will be able to show: 

• A passion for growing, nature, and the role that community gardening can play in bringing people together and addressing social, economic and environmental challenges. 

• A track record of experience in a movement building, policy, strategy, public affairs or external communications role (or the ability to demonstrate similar levels of knowledge if you have not worked in one of these specialisms before). 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to present and creatively engage different audiences. 

• Adept interpersonal skills, with experience of building external relationships and collaborating with a wide range of contacts. 

• Strong digital literacy, and an interest in utilising a wide range of digital tools to connect, communicate and convene. 

• An eye for detail, with the ability to analyse, interpret and present complex data. 

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to use your initiative to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• The ability to work as an integral member of a small, high-performing team, and to work collaboratively and with agility across the team and the wider organisation. 

Safeguarding and Inclusion  

The RHS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all personnel to share in this commitment. We are an inclusive employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. 

Other information

We may review applications as soon as we receive them so if you see a vacancy that you are interested in, please apply straight away as the vacancy will be closed as soon as we hire the right candidate. If you require any additional support with making your application, please contact Sharon Ellis please ensure to include the job title or job reference number REQ (found at the top of the advert) when emailing.

October 2025

Job Title:  Gardener Project Officer for Young Marketeers Knowsley

Position Type: Freelance

Reports to: Project Coordinator

Based at:  Home-working and at schools in Knowsley

Working Hours: 17.5 days @ £165 per day from February – July (£2,887.50) plus 10 x school gardening sessions at £110 per session plus 1 day planning @ £220 (£1,320)

Contract: Temporary

Job Purpose

· To manage the delivery of Young Marketeers in Knowsley in five primary schools

Background to School Food Matters

At School Food Matters we believe that school food can unlock a happier, healthier, more sustainable future for every child. We want a school food system that delivers for all children, so they can enjoy nutritious, delicious and sustainable school food and leave school with an informed and positive relationship with food. To achieve this, we campaign for a better school food system, bringing the voices of children, parents, and teachers to government policy, and deliver fully funded food education programmes in schools across the country.

Young Marketeers

This much-loved programme was started in London in 2012. It is now running in 16 cities across England.  We have been commissioned to deliver the programme in Knowsley by Knowsley Public Health. The programme provides hands-on opportunities for children from primary schools to grow fruit and veg from seed to sell at their local market. Young Marketeers is also a platform for School Food Matters to promote food education to schools and communities as a way to support children to live happy and healthy lives. Children learn the art of growing veg from seed, and market traders will share their secrets on how to create a winning market stall. Primary schools will be visited by our gardener in March/April and then again in May/June and receive further tips on how to ensure a bumper crop. Then in July, they head to the market to sell their produce, and to meet the Mayor!

Key Tasks include:

· Assist with recruitment of five schools to take part in Young Marketeers

· Build and maintain relationships with teachers, teaching assistants and senior leaders to ensure the smooth running of the project

· Build and support relationships with contacts in partner organisations

· Schedule, organise and deliver

o One assembly in each school

o Two food growing sessions in each school

o One market trader training session in each school

o Market Day in the city centre in July for all schools

· Maintain accurate records relating to the programme

• Complete monitoring and evaluation forms in accordance with instructions from our Evaluation team
• Take photos of workshops and events where possible
• Keep Project Coordinator fully updated on progress

· Keep up to date with safeguarding requirements and reporting procedures

• Maintain the ethos of the charity and positively promote our work at all times

Person specification

 Essential

· Experience of delivering food growing sessions to children

· Knowledge of fruit and vegetable growing

· Excellent administrative and organisational skills with great attention to detail

· Excellent IT skills including excel, word and email

· Experience of building relationships with partner organisations and individuals

· Ability to work in a team, and seek help when needed

· Self-motivated and optimistic with a can-do attitude

Desirable

· Experience of working for a charity or not for profit organisation

· Experience of working in primary schools and engaging children

Could you help people improve their health and well-being through gardening? Do you have experience of working in a community gardening or health and social care setting?

At Thrive, our Practitioners work with plants and people to improve an individual’s physical and psychological health, social interaction, skills and confidence.

are looking for an STH Practitioner to provide high quality and effective Social and Therapeutic Horticulture programmes for adults in our gardens in Beech Hill, near Reading and outreach settings.

Working alongside volunteers this role will support people with learning disabilities, autism, long term health conditions or disabilities.

Based at Thrive’s Reading Centre in Beech Hill. The role may include occasional work undertaken off-site in Reading and surrounding areas and occasional travel to the Thrive Centres in London and Birmingham. There could be an opportunity to work with children and young people with disabilities or PMLD.

Full or part-time options considered

Purpose

Horatio’s Garden is a nationwide charity creating and nurturing beautifully designed gardens in NHS’s spinal injury centres.

The Patient Experience Manager will be instrumental in supporting patients and families use of the garden. 

Along with the Head Gardener, you will be responsible for the smooth running of a thriving, vibrant garden ensuring the patient and their family are appropriately supported throughout their time in the spinal unit. 

This role requires you to manage a team of volunteers and work closely with the Head Gardener who maintains the horticultural standard of the garden and delivers therapeutic horticulture sessions.  You will be managed by the national Patient Experience Lead.

You will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with clinical and non-clinical NHS staff, corporate sponsors, funders, the Fundraising team, the Communications team and the Events Programme Manager. 

The gardens have been beautifully designed and maintained, and the role of the garden needs to reflect an appropriate environment for patients and their families at all stages of their stay.  From the initial welcome, to ensuring the contact and relationship is consistent with activities to suit their needs.

You will be responsible for developing and delivering social activities, supported by the charity’s Events Programme Manager and in collaboration with the wider Spinal Injuries team in Glasgow. These activities will mainly need to be held on a weekend afternoon which is a critical time in the garden when most patients are available and often have friends and family to visit. Currently the Events programme includes seasonal celebrations and social and craft activities. External facilitators also deliver photography, printing, painting, ceramic workshops and live music performances.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a confident, proactive individual who is efficient, well organised and has outstanding communication and relationship building skills. You will need to be adaptable and friendly and confident working with a wide range of people including people with spinal injuries and their families, NHS staff, volunteers and many different teams within the charity.
 

Main Duties and Responsibilities

People with spinal injuries

· Develop relationships with patients and families to ensure the best experience for them in the garden at every stage of their stay

· Maintain a consistent social and arts activity programme appropriate for the current patient group, liaising with the Events Programme Manager and managing the volunteers accordingly

· Organise a programme of seasonal events, reflecting the needs of patients

· Work with the Impact Manager to monitor patient experience and the impact of the garden

· Ensure the garden is managed to allow the correct balance is in place to benefit both patients and external parties (major donors, trusts, corporate groups and other visitors) 

NHS staff

· Develop and maintain productive and collaborative relationships with NHS clinical teams and voluntary services
 

Volunteers

· Recruitment and training of new volunteers

· Manage the team of volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the garden with patient experience at its core
 

Fundraising and Communications

· Work with fundraising managers, Head Gardener and volunteers to develop opportunities to generate income in the garden through friends, corporate friends and third-party fundraising

· Support corporate sponsor events and fundraising opportunities

· Represent the garden and charity at key events

· Promote the local social media accounts and provide regular updates for content

· Interviews with press/media as required
 

Administrative

· Ensure all administrative tasks associated with the role are monitored, completed and maintained

· Assist with ensuring the garden rooms are kept clean and tidy at all times
 

Safeguarding

· Comply with all safeguarding policies and report any concerns to the Safeguarding Lead immediately

· This post is subject to an enhanced PVG check
 

Assist the Patient Experience Lead with any other tasks as required. It should be noted that the list above is intended to give an overall view of the position and should be taken as guidance only.

Person Specification
Key Criteria

Knowledge and skills
Essential
Experience of leading and managing teams
Experience of working with volunteers
Stakeholder engagement and networking
Delivering social events
Budget management experience
Good IT skills, specifically proficient with Microsoft Office 365: Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint

Desirable
Experience of volunteer recruitment and training
Voluntary sector experience
Experience of working with the NHS or in a health care setting
Knowledge and experience of managing petty cash
Experience of SharePoint
Knowledge of using social media to promote activities and events
Interest and understanding of wellbeing benefits of gardens
Experience of therapeutic activities
Digital photography

Qualities
Outstanding interpersonal skills, with the ability to successfully develop new working relationships
Excellent communication skills
Proactive, can-do attitude
Empathetic and kind
Calm under pressure
Ability to prioritise and adapt to the changing needs of each working day
Self-motivated and capable of working with the minimum of direction but understanding the limits of your knowledge and able to seek advice when required 

Other requirements
Flexible and able to work one weekend afternoon every week

CPAG is seeking an AI Coordinator for a two-year fixed term to support our work in the responsible use of AI. In this role, you will lead on planning, delivering, and monitoring AI projects in collaboration with our partner organisations. This work involves the ongoing protection of CPAG's intellectual property and reputation as a sector leader. You’ll carry out regular evaluation of each project and regularly update stakeholders with performance metrics, user feedback, and impact assessments.

This new role also involves developing training materials and delivering sessions to upskill CPAG staff in AI technologies, with tailored materials for the needs of different teams. You will ‘own’ and maintain the relevant internal policy documents and processes for AI use and will oversee the use and optimisation of AI tools across the organisation. Alongside colleagues, you’ll manage risk and compliance (including legal and ethical standards) to ensure responsible AI adoption that is fully compatible with CPAG’s mission. You’ll monitor developments in AI, assessing new products for risk and opportunity, and share lessons learned across the charity.

We’re looking for someone with strong project coordination skills, experience of managing multiple stakeholders, and a keen interest in and experience of AI and emerging technologies.

This is an exciting opportunity to shape CPAG’s AI work, helping the organisation innovate and support the sector responsibly while building practical AI capability across teams.

We welcome applications from individuals with the skills and experience outlined and we can be flexible about working arrangements. We operate a hybrid working system and would be happy to discuss any flexibilities required. CPAG is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion which you can read more about in the job pack.

For more information about this post and to apply, download the AI Coordinator job pack.

If you have questions or need specific arrangements or reasonable adjustments to take part in the selection process please contact us.

Closing date for applications: Monday 1st December 2025 (midnight)

Interviews will be held on: Wednesday 10 December 2025