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Join an esteemed global leader in botany as the Director of Gardens at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and make a significant impact on biodiversity conservation.
Overview
Salary
£130000 - £135000
Location
Kew Gardens
Expires
Expires at anytime
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is not only a renowned scientific research institute and the leading botanic garden in the world, but it also stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws 2.5 million visitors annually. With its two sites, Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, it boasts an unrivaled living collection and is dedicated to ending the extinction crisis and fostering a sustainable coexistence with nature. Kew's ambitious Manifesto for Change 2021-2030 guides its strategic priorities for the coming decade.
- Provide strategic leadership in horticulture and management of Living Collections.
- Oversee landscape design and promote horticultural education and community participation.
- Manage high-profile capital projects across both Kew Gardens and Wakehurst sites.
- Engage in collaborative efforts with senior figures across Kew's directorates.
- Communicate regularly with Trustees, securing their support for various initiatives.
- Proven leadership and expertise in horticulture or a related field.
- Experience in managing large-scale projects and multidisciplinary teams.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders.
- Commitment to conservation, education, and sustainability.
- A strategic thinker who can deliver on Kew's ambitious Manifesto for Change.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a globally recognised resource for plant and fungal knowledge, a scientific research institute, the world’s leading botanic garden, a major visitor attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, internationally respected for its outstanding collections of plants & fungi. Across its two main sites – Kew Gardens in south-west London, and Wakehurst in West Sussex – Kew attracts 2.5m visitors a year and is home to the most diverse living collection of any botanical garden in the world – a vital global resource with approximately 16,000 species.
Kew’s ultimate goal is to step up to help to end the extinction crisis and contribute to creating a world where nature is protected, valued by all and managed sustainably.
To deliver this mission, Kew’s Manifesto for Change 2021-2030 centres around five key priorities based on how Kew believes it can best deploy its expertise and other assets to make a distinctive and substantial contribution to solving these global challenges.
As a key member of Kew’s Executive Board, reporting to the Director of Kew, the Director of Gardens will support the delivery of Kew’s Manifesto for Change, providing strategic leadership and vision covering all aspects of horticulture, management of Living Collections, landscape design, horticultural education and learning and participation. They will also be responsible for high-profile capital projects across Kew Gardens and Wakehurst. They will work collaboratively with senior colleagues across all directorates of Kew and will liaise with and provide reports to Trustees on a variety of topics and initiatives, seeking agreement and support where needed.
