Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Community Garden and Engagement Officer
Grade: E
Salary: £15,660 - £17,144.40
Contract: Fixed Term Contract until October 2026
Hours: Job share (14.4 hours per week – 2 days per week)
Closing date: 24th February
Interview dates: Week commencing 3rd March
About us
At Kensington and Chelsea, we’re investing in access to nature for our communities. Our Ecology Service works in partnership with local people to improve and transform underused and neglected areas of land. As we recover from the impacts of the pandemic, increasing access to nature has never been more important - for the health and wellbeing of our communities, and for the protection of our green spaces. By promoting activities that benefit people and places, we’re putting the health and wellbeing of our communities first and working towards a greener tomorrow.
About the role
As the Community Garden and Engagement Officer, you’ll develop and deliver training and volunteer activities in community garden sites, including in areas where access to green spaces is limited. You’ll work to maximise the health and wellbeing benefits for our residents, supporting the development of new and expanded community gardening facilities to provide people with opportunities to learn new skills and take part in community activities. Collaborating with colleagues, health partners and the voluntary sector, you’ll promote the programme to residents, working to reduce historical health inequalities. On a practical level, you’ll ensure that greenhouses are well maintained, keeping an up-to-date inventory of equipment and resources, and ordering seeds, compost and equipment as required. This role is a job share (14.4 hrs per week), and you’ll have the collaborative skills to work with the other officer in post to deliver a comprehensive programme of activity.
About you
You’ll have at least 1 year of experience gained within a Parks or horticultural environment, and horticultural and horticultural therapy qualifications or equivalent experience. You’ll also have experience developing and delivering a variety of horticulture/ gardening volunteer activities, including evaluating and reporting on activities, and an understanding of Health and Safety at work policy and practice. With experience of managing greenhouse growing activities, you’ll have the ability to undertake manual work including gardening activities and be able to develop and deliver small workshops and events as necessary. Fundamentally, you’ll be passionate about the environment and about improving the health and wellbeing of residents.
Additionally, you will collaborate with NHS groups, Council services, and park contractors while also meeting the physical demands of the role, including digging, lifting, and carrying heavy materials. You will have the ability to support adults in need, demonstrating natural empathy when working with individuals who require extra care and understanding.
The Process
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea are working in partnership with Hammond Clarke on the recruitment of this role. For further information please contact Chris Macdonald on cm@hc-exec.co.uk or 0203 762 2207
Please apply with your CV outlining your experience in relation to the role before the 24th of February.
In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays.
We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
Closing date: 24th February
Interviews: Week commencing 3rd March