Contract start date: Provisionally 20 April 2026Shape the future of one of the world’s most iconic landscapes. This role leads the planning and design of high-quality horticultural developments and landscape features across Kew Gardens, the world’s leading Botanic Garden, delivering strong aesthetic impact, resilience, and a cohesive style across the site to enhance the visitor experience and Kew’s global reputation. The role helps balance increasing visitor pressure and the need for greater self-generated income with the delivery of world-class horticulture, collections care, and the responsibilities of World Heritage Site status.We are seeking a qualified designer or landscape architect with strong plant knowledge and hands-on horticultural experience, who is motivated by working in one of the world’s most significant landscapes. Kew Gardens is the world’s leading Botanic Garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a major visitor destination welcoming over two million people each year.The successful candidate will bring strong planning and stakeholder management skills, enabling them to manage growth sensitively while continually improving landscape quality and the visitor experience, alongside the care and presentation of a globally important living plant collection. With many competing demands on the Kew landscape, the role requires excellent written and verbal communication skills, as well as a patient, resilient, and collaborative approach.You will have a proven track record in planting design, landscape specification, cost planning, and project management, with experience delivering projects of varying scale and complexity. The role also includes working with external consultants and providing specialist advice, so confidence in both leading and supporting multidisciplinary projects is essential.The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) is a leading plant science institute, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and major visitor attraction. Our mission is to understand and protect plants and fungi for the well-being of people and the future of all life on Earth.We are working to end the unprecedented extinction crisis and to help create a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably. We will achieve these goals by drawing on our leading scientific research, unrivalled collections of plants and fungi, global network of partners, inspirational gardens at Kew and Wakehurst, and our 260 years of history.Join us on our journey as protectors of the world’s plants and fungi. Our fantastic benefits package includes opportunities for continuous learning, a generous annual leave entitlement, flexible working to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance, an Employee Assistance Programme and other wellbeing support such as cycle to work scheme and discounted gym membership. We also offer a competitive pension, an employee discount scheme and free entry into a wide range of national museums and galleries, as well as access to our own beautiful gardens at Kew and Wakehurst.If you are interested in this position, please find out more by clicking “Apply”.We are dedicated to equality of opportunity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to interview disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.No agencies please.
