Weekend Horticultural Assistant

About us

Our mission at Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum is to use our living collections to communicate to the widest possible audience how our future depends on plants. The Friends of Oxford Botanic Garden & Arboretum has around 3000 members, and their activities help to raise vital funds to support the work of Oxford University Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum.

About the role

Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum is seeking a Weekend Horticultural Assistant to help maintain the plant collections grown at the Botanic Garden, with occasional work at the Arboretum. You will contribute to the day-to-day watering of the glasshouse collections, and when necessary, those outdoors, working closely with Horticultural Supervisors and the Curator and Head of Horticulture (CHH) to achieve high horticultural standards.

This is a permanent, part-time role, working 12 hours per week.

About You

You should have a Level 2 (or higher) horticultural qualification, or equivalent practical experience, the ability to work outdoors in all weathers and the ability to perform manual labour, including bending, lifting, and kneeling. You will also have experience in using a range of garden machinery and equipment.

What We Offer

Your happiness and wellbeing at work matters to us, so we offer a range of family-friendly and financial benefits including:

• An excellent contributory pension scheme
• 38 days of annual leave
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Cycle loan scheme
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs
• Discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans

More information is available at https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits

Diversity

Our staff and students come from all over the world, and we proudly promote a friendly and inclusive culture. Diversity is positively encouraged, through diverse groups and champions, as well as a number of family-friendly policies, such as the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example, shared parental leave.

How to apply

You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting evidence form using the attached template as part of your online application. Your supporting evidence form should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. Both documents must be submitted to be considered.

We aim to provide a supportive working environment and are happy to discuss training and professional development opportunities. The Chair of this recruitment panel will be Heidi El-Megrisi, Head of Operations. General queries about the recruitment and application process should be directed to the Recruitment team within our Human Resources department (recruitment@glam.ox.ac.uk).

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (BST) on Tuesday 20 May 2025 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place during the week commencing Monday 16 June 2025.

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