Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION - HORTICULUTRAL COORDINATOR HFG
Accountable to: Site Manager & Head of Horticulture
Responsible for: The effective management of high quality, person led services for people with learning disabilities around day opportunities, education, social enterprise, and employment.
Based: Across all services but based at Hemel Food Garden (HFG)
Working hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday 8-4pm but there will be some weekend and out of hours work required.
Reporting to: Site Manager / Head of Horticulture
The post holder with work as part of a team to ensure our services operate to a high standard and that the team receive the support and guidance needed. The post holder is responsible for supporting our trainees as the primary focus of our work and ensuring horticultural activity is planned and undertaken in line with the business plan.
Support will be provided in accordance with the highest professional standards in the following areas:
MAIN RESPONSIBILTIES:
- To work as part of the overall HFG team offering support to trainees, team, and volunteers.
- To complete a breakdown of all growing sites across HFG.
- To complete a thorough horticultural growing / business plan for each of these growing sites for the complete calendar year, in advance to allow work to be planned and completed. To be completed in collaboration with the Site Manager and Head of Horticulture.
- Horticultural plans to include watering, planting, growing, weeding, harvesting, maintenance of structures, feeding of soil and plants, and anything else that effects the short and long-term horticulture activity at HFG.
- To work positively across all three Sunnyside Rural Trust sites ensuring we work collaborative and consistently as an organisation.
- In collaboration with Head of Horticulture manage several large bedding contracts, ordering, delivery, care, and distribution of bedding plants.
- To maintain, develop and lead on the garden centre aspect of the farm shop and the frontage to HFG to ensure it is neat, tidy and showcases our plants and gardening work.
- To develop and maintain the perennial offering at Sunnyside Rural Trust and monitor all sites for this activity.
- To maintain and develop the supply of fresh produce for the farm shop and Café.
- To work alongside the social enterprise working group and its members to ensure we are supplying and responding to customers.
- To work alongside the Plants Coordinator (sales) and Perennial Lead to ensure we are supplying and responding to customers.
- Work with Site Manager to ensure all outside/offsite contracts are managed, scheduled in the shift plan efficiently, in a timely manner and staff are trained to deliver quality work.
- To ensure a zero-wastage policy of plants, veg, trees and materials.
- To keep up to date with sustainable and organic growing techniques
- To take remedial action as necessary to solve problems. Ensure any problems are reported to site manager/Head of Horticulture as soon as they are identified.
- To advise on the most appropriate growing methods across all sites, participate in organisational horticulture and contract meetings.
- To complete all work within an agreed budget including getting accurate quotes and ensuring value for money.
- To ensure stock is accounted for and participation in stock checks.
- To advise on the most cost-effective methods of working and efficiency.
- To liaise with other external organisations and build positive relationships.
- In collaboration with Head of Horticulture ensure all outside/offsite contracts are of a high quality and signed off by the customer. visit (where reasonable and possible) customers in liaison with Head of Horticulture, to further ensure quality and customer satisfaction.
- To work in a positive and constructive and responsive manner with all trainees, trustees, colleagues, manager, volunteers, external agencies, and the public.
- To participate on shift as is necessary.
- To linkwork trainees and ensure horticultural training is included across all link working at HFG.
- To undertake all other reasonable work as requested
PERSONAL SPECIFICATION – ESSENTIAL CRITERIA
- Two years’ experience of supporting people with learning disabilities in any setting.
- An ability to effectively manage a service as well as a team with an enjoyment of supporting people to reach their potential and an ability to manage in a supportive and inspirational way.
- Horticultural experience and passion for gardening, growing and local food.
- A good working knowledge of current legislation around social care, health and safety, environment, and human resources.
- The ability to empower people with learning disabilities.
- Responsive, problem-solving attitude with an eye for detail.
- Commitment to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and Statement of Values and an understanding of how to implement these within the team.
- Ability to communicate effectively (both written and verbally) with a wide range of people, including people with learning disabilities, their families, colleagues, and a variety of professionals.
- Experience and commitment to providing effective supervision, appraisals, and an ability to manage performance issues and motivate others.
- Ability to identify and address own and team training needs; to facilitate team development sessions as required.
- Effective time management skills, delegation, and an ability to carry out administrative duties effectively including report writing, rotas, etc.
- The ability to manage a budget.
- Excellent and competent IT skills, familiar with office software including use of spreadsheets.
- A thorough knowledge of health and safety issues, managing risk, and a commitment to developing service and organisational standards.
- Willingness to participate in direct support to service users, including working evenings and weekends as appropriate.
- Current driving license and a willingness to drive the Trust’s vehicles.
DESIRABLE CRITERIA
- Recognised qualification in gardening or horticulture.
- Experience of fundraising including at a local/community level and larger grant applications and competitive tendering.
- A sound understanding of the sustainability and environmental issues and an ability to implement these across the organisation.
- A management or social care qualification
- Social enterprise or related retail experience
You will work individually and collectively to promote a constructive, fair and sensitive approach to working with others from a variety of cultures and backgrounds. All employees are expected to carry out their tasks within the terms and intentions of the Equal Opportunities, Core Values, policies and procedures and relevant legislation.
This job description is a guideline only and is subject to review. A degree of flexibility is required in this position and the post holder may need to undertake work not specifically referred to above, such work will be consistent with the post.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £24,000.00-£27,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
- Store discount
Schedule:
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Hemel Hempstead: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Horticulture: 2 years (required)
- supporting adults with learning difficulties: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (required)
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 09/06/2023
Reference ID: HFG 2023