Job Description

Title:                           Bankside Gardener

Remuneration:           £25,831

Hours of work:          Full-time: 35hrs/week, Flexible working hours. On-site. Will consider part time, a job share, or individuals/ companies with relevant experience.

Location:                    Better Bankside, Bankside Community Space, 18 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0FD

Duration:                    Permanent

Reporting to:             Placemaking Manager

Job Overview

We are looking for a passionate and proactive individual to lead the maintenance and help in the curation of our urban green spaces across the Bankside neighbourhood, delivered through our Bankside Urban Forest and Low Line initiatives.

Bankside’s network of green spaces is award winning, recognised by London in Bloom and Green Flag. The Bankside Urban Gardener will perform key gardening tasks to maintain and improve the green infrastructure in Bankside’s public realm. The role will involve establishing sound horticultural practices in the cultivation of these spaces, including improving the spaces for conservation and wildlife, reducing the use of water and championing good practice. The postholder will also help identify areas of opportunity for future interventions. The role will help coordinate third party contractors.

You will also coordinate opportunities for Bankside businesses to participate in small scale greening projects by leading volunteer working days and events, and continue to champion gardening and greening in Bankside.

Key responsibilities

Green spaces management

·        Create holistic planting and maintenance plans for all sites.

·        Weekly visits to all 20+ sites, to water, weed and perform any other maintenance tasks.

·        Conduct monthly audits of all sites maintained through external contracts.

·        Liaise with and manage external contractors.

Conservation and sustainability

·        Refine and maintain a management regime for planting in Bankside which is holistic, reduces the need to use water, reduces or eliminates the use of pesticides and promotes good horticultural practice.

Advocacy and volunteering

·        Grow the network of Better Bankside gardening volunteers through developing a programme of interesting and informative volunteering opportunities.

·        Lead the monthly volunteer sessions for Bankside businesses, enabling them to actively engage with nature. Where appropriate, produce supporting information for volunteer sessions including information about tasks being undertaken.

·        Lead on coordinating the judges’ visit for the annual In Bloom and Green Flag Awards, in partnership with Bankside Open Spaces Trust.

·        Conduct gardening workshops for member businesses (ie terrarium making, at home plant care).

General duties

·        Use and maintain a range of horticultural equipment.

·        Deal with members of the public in a professional customer focused manner.

·        Undertake any other responsibilities, that are suitable for Urban Gardener, may be asked by the relevant supervisor.

·        Ensure that Health & Safety procedures are followed, including undertaking risk assessments for the regular volunteer sessions.

·        Help shape BB’s greening strategy and future sites.

·         

Person specification

Skills and competencies

- A passion for community gardening and urban greening (Essential)

- Confident in dealing with the public (Essential)

- Ability to follow detailed instructions, and interpret plans (Essential)

- Ability to organise own workload and use own initiative, as well as a good team player (Essential)

-Ability to manage contractors (Essential)

- Self-motivated and able to motivate others (Essential)

- The role involves certain manual tasks that require physical ability and mobility. Candidates must be physically able and sufficiently able to undertake these manual tasks (Essential)

- A positive and enthusiastic attitude towards work (Essential)

- Horticultural understanding, ability to select plants that are fitting for the site (Essential)

- Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) (Desirable)

- Confident user of MS Office software packages: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook (Desirable)

- Understanding of Business Improvement Districts (Desirable)

Required experience and education

- At least 2 years’ hand-on experience working as a gardener (Essential)

- Level 2 Diploma in Horticulture or relevant qualification (Desirable)

-Experience of managing volunteers (Desirable)

About Better Bankside

Our vision - Powered by the people of Bankside, Better Bankside will be an agent of change, leading positive economic, environmental and social action in our neighbourhood that benefits businesses and Banksiders, now and into the future.

Our mission - We will improve everyone’s experience of the neighbourhood by co-creating our programme with Banksiders, responding inventively to urban challenges, and celebrating the differences that define Bankside as London’s Other Side.

Better Bankside was one of the first Business Improvement Districts (BID) in the UK, established in 2004.

We are a partnership of local businesses, working closely with other community stakeholders to co-create a programme of projects and services that benefits the whole Bankside neighbourhood. Our core purpose is to support local businesses and make a positive impact in our community.

As a BID, we are funded by a mandatory levy on businesses within a defined boundary. BIDs are established through a ballot process, and every five years must return to their members to secure a majority vote in favour of their continuation. Our last ballot took place in November 2019, achieving overwhelming support from the business community, with 92% voting for another five years of Better Bankside.

Better Bankside is an organisation where you can make a real impact; and where you can expect to get involved in a wide-ranging programme of work. We are a small team of fifteen in the Bankside office, plus our wardens and street cleaning teams. The way that we work with our members through our governance structure provides an extended network of regular collaborators and contributors.

Working arrangements

Better Bankside operates on a flexitime basis with mandatory core hours of 10am-4pm, Monday to Friday, with additional hours, evening and weekend work expected in accordance with the requirements of the post.

How to apply

At Better Bankside, we celebrate diversity and promote equality and inclusion amongst our staff. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of personal characteristics or background.

Applications will not be penalized for grammar. Answers are open format, please respond to the question how you are most comfortable. Please email Eliza at eld@betterbankside.co.uk if there are any questions regarding the accessibility of the application.

Closing date for applications: Midnight September 17 2023

First interviews: W/c September 29 2023

Incomplete applications will not be considered. We regret that owing to the high level of response expected we will not be able to contact unsuccessful applicants.