Stamford School’s gardens form a vital part of the estate for pupils, parents, staff and visitors to enjoy. Within the estate there is a mixture of private gardens, landscapes, as well as a number of smaller residential and feature gardens that require a high level of direction to ensure that they achieve their full potential. These areas form the schools ‘kerb appeal’ and therefore their high-quality presentation at all times is essential.The Head Gardener supports the Head of Grounds and Gardens by managing the day-to-day delivery and management of the gardening and landscaping across the school sites. They will maintain service standards, providing extensive horticultural and management experience to produce and oversee annual work schedules, as well as propose seasonal and long-term planting and maintenance strategies. They help drive continuous improvement and ensure the service operates efficiently and professionally.Key Responsibilities:Develop and implement long-term landscaping, planting, and maintenance strategies, including proposals for the development of the gardens in keeping with the schools landscaping and kerb appeal plan.Lead and motivate a team of gardeners and volunteers to ensure that the gardens and grounds are maintained to the highest standard. Effectively allocate tasks, monitoring performance and identifying development opportunities for the gardeners.Assess resources, review overall workload and put together detailed seasonal work schedules to ensure the care and maintenance of all school gardens and landscapes. This includes ensuring that the many trees and hedges within the estate are kept in a safe and healthy condition.Ensure all footpaths, tracks and fences are appropriately monitored and maintained.Manage the gardens teams’ environmental impact, including energy and chemicals.Lead the design, planning and implementation of planting and landscaping schemes, including liaising with contractors and consultants when required.Ensure all borders, lawns, hedges and ornamental features are kept to a high standard throughout the year. Including managing planting, propagation and cultivation ensuring that they are healthy and thriving.Keep and maintain records of all work carried out in the gardens such as planting schedules, maintenance records, and inventory records.Work closely with the Head of Grounds and Gardens to develop and implement a long-term sustainable plan for the garden and grounds.Maintain an inventory of all tools and equipment used for gardening and landscaping, ensuring that they are in good condition and that replacements are ordered as required.Work with other departments where use of the gardens is required or may be affected, including the support of school events through floral displays and garden presentation.Participate in public and community engagement events when required, including local initiatives such as Stamford in Bloom.Candidate Specification: Essential Criteria Level 3 or above RHS horticultural qualification and/or equivalent.Experience as a Head Gardener within a similar size landscape, ideally within an historic or educational setting.A strong knowledge and vision of horticulture.Leadership experience, with the ability to motivate and develop a team.Strong organisational skills, able to plan seasonal work schedules.Up-to-date knowledge of Health and Safety and COSHH regulations.Experience of writing and reviewing risk assessments and assessments.IT literate MS365 and ability to manage budgets.Experience managing teams and volunteers.Good presentation skills and personable, with a friendly approach.Able to interact with stakeholders, residents, staff, visitors and volunteers.Good communicator and experience of speaking with the public, parents and Governors.Adaptable to different working conditions.Understanding that you are part of a community.Desirable Criteria Experience managing heritage landscapes.Knowledge of sustainable horticultural practices.Knowledge of conservation management