Note from Storm: The Eden Project is one of the greatest examples of environmental and economic renewal on the face of the Earth. They took an ugly, abandoned old china clay mine and turned it into an environmental education center that’s now the premier tourist attraction in County Cornwall, as well as being the largest private employer in this economically-distressed county. I visited a few years back and met with their executives, in order to write about them in my upcoming third book, Resilient Prosperity. This Head of Gardens position would be a dream job for a restorative horticulturalist.
From the job posting: Over the last 15 years Eden has grown and inspired in a challenging and changing horticultural environment. This has led to the unique place that Eden is today. Our Rainforest biome housing the largest rainforest in captivity, the Mediterranean biome, gardens and wider estate are world renowned. Eden has attracted more than 17 million visitors since opening in a former china clay quarry in 2001 and among a multitude of awards, it was acclaimed last November as Best UK Leisure Attraction for a record-breaking fourth year running at the prestigious British Travel Awards. The award is by public vote.
In a new and exciting phase of our development we seek a unique person to manage the Horticultural operations that cover the whole site. You will oversee the daily management of a multidisciplinary team of both hands on horticulturalist and specialists, together with a science team and Eden’s nursery and quarantine operation; ensuring that horticultural content is enhanced and maintained to the highest standards. You will report to The Director and through him the Board, as well as being a key member of Eden’s Senior Management Team. With a keen eye for detail, a creative mind and drive for world class standards you will deliver a garden that Eden and its visitors can rightly be proud of, together with pro-actively reviewing new areas for income generation and fundraising.
It goes without saying that you will be passionate about horticulture and leading a team that can deliver world class standards. You will play a key role in developing the horticultural landscape at Eden in conjunction with our core values and objectives, moving Eden forward to be successful for decades to come.
You will have excellent horticultural knowledge supported by an appropriate formal qualification, and proven experience in developing, setting and delivering horticultural projects and strategy. You will also have exceptional people skills, equipping you to develop and build the team and influence colleagues and external partners. Eden is a very special place; it has soul, energy and a commitment to connect us with each other and the living world through the main gardens and projects that we support. Our sustainable credentials are well known and we seek someone that holds these values as highly as we do and is able to evidence how they display that in the delivery of their role and success of the team.
Salary up to £55,000, plus benefits for an exceptional candidate.
Full time, permanent position based at the heart of Eden in Cornwall.
The closing date for this position is Thursday, July 23, 2015.