Gardening Team Leader
Overview
On behalf of our client, we’re looking for an experienced Gardening Team Leader with strong engineering and mechanical skills to take responsibility for the day-to-day running of a 24-acre private estate in Staffordshire, UK.
Set within beautiful parkland and grazing, the formal gardens are divided into four key areas: the drive and lawns, the rear lawns, the formal gardens with herbaceous borders, and the pool area.
The Head Gardener will combine excellent horticultural knowledge with practical engineering and mechanical skills, overseeing both garden maintenance and the repair, servicing, and safe operation of machinery across the estate.
Job duties
Responsibilities of the Gardening Team Leader in Staffordshire include:
- Lead the daily operations of the gardens, ensuring all areas are maintained to high standards
- Provide hands-on management and mentorship to two full-time gardeners and two part-time contractors
- Maintain and enhance formal planting, herbaceous borders, lawns, and seasonal displays
- Oversee care of the pool garden area and presentation of the main drive
- Take responsibility for all estate machinery, including tractors, mowers, pumps, and pool equipment, ensuring they are serviced, repaired, and maintained to a high standard
- Disassemble, inspect, and repair motors, engines, pumps, and other mechanical equipment as required
- Plan and deliver seasonal horticultural and mechanical tasks, working with winter and summer schedules
- Monitor plant health, pest/disease issues, and apply appropriate treatments
- Uphold exceptional horticultural standards while ensuring the smooth and safe running of all estate machinery
- Liaise with the Principal as and when required
Candidates must be / have:
- Proven experience as a Senior Gardener on a private estate or formal gardens
- Horticultural qualifications preferred; extensive hands-on experience will also be considered
- Strong mechanical and engineering skills, with experience repairing and maintaining motors, pumps, tractors, and other machinery
- Ability to diagnose faults, disassemble and rebuild mechanical components, and perform routine servicing
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and support a small team
- Highly practical and hands-on
- Excellent plant knowledge, particularly in relation to formal gardens and herbaceous borders
- Organised, proactive, and able to work independently
- A positive communicator with a collaborative approach and team spirit
Accommodation
This is a live-out position, so no accommodation is provided.
Location
Staffordshire, UK.
Hours
Full-time, Monday – Friday. Seasonal hours apply (shorter working hours during winter).
Salary
Up to £35,000, depending on experience.
£5,000 performance bonus available for exceptional candidates (total potential package up to £40,000).
Job ref
CP954: Gardening Team Leader for private estate in Staffordshire, UK.
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