NEW ROLE
Accredited by BALI, Grant Horticulture Ltd is a dynamic horticulture led garden design, build and management company, based in Harrogate, with over 25 years experience. We are a growing, friendly company. Our reputation is founded in our dedication and attention to detail, as well as our skilled, personable work force.
OUR VALUES
We’re a diverse team, and we all share the same core values. If you’re a talented landscape professional who believes trust, excellence, and creativity matter, we’d love to hear from you. Dean Bolton-Grant, founder of Grant Horticulture Ltd has worked in horticulture for over 25 years, Dean’s focus has always been to deliver an excellent horticultural service to all our clients.
Our products and services include garden design, landscaping, garden care and management and the supply of plants and associated materials. We endeavour to work in harmony with the natural environment. Wherever feasible we aim to work with the priority being to help nature thrive... we don’t do Astro-turf!
Our objective is to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We work with our sister companies, Urban Grow and The Northern School of Gardening so that all commercial and service opportunities can be maximised.
HORTICULTURAL OPERATIONS MANAGER JOB SUMMARY
Operations is a key role within Grant Horticulture, managing the day-to-day running of the gardening team.
Utilising your extensive and exceptional horticultural knowledge you will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the garden management projects, you will lead our gardening team, assisted by our Senior Gardener. You will have an eye for detail to carry out the operational element of our garden management projects.
Specific to this role:
- Location: Harrogate, Grant Horticulture's Head Office
- Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week), Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm
- Report: Directly into the Managing Director and work closely with the garden design and commercial department
Though this role is primarily based from the Grant Horticulture Head Office in Harrogate, some travel around the UK and abroad may also be required.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES
The Operations role is vital to the efficient running of Grant Horticulture. This role covers all public facing aspects of the company from managing stock levels through to overseeing the realisation of new projects.
Your week will be spent with an approximate split of 50% of time spent gardening and 50% managing the horticultural operations. You will lead, motivate, and efficiently manage the gardening team with the support of the Senior Gardener.
Day to Day Activities:
- Ensuring all stock levels in the company are correct and re-ordering where necessary
- Ensuring work schedule is up to date
- Introduce and monitor KPI’s
- Point person for customers of GHL garden management
- Manage hand over of projects from design team to gardening team
- Provide supervision to team members
- Make recommendations for the repair or replacement of equipment to the Directors
- Maintaining accurate and up to date records, at all times, including work completed documentation
- Manage the maintenance of machinery and equipment
- Order plants for clients at the correct time of year
- Collaborate with our design team to plan, design and order plants/ bulbs for seasonal displays in a timely manner
- Promoting a positive image of the Company at all times
Financial Operations:
- Monitor job costs and report weekly to Commercial Manager
- Drive the accurate creation of monthly Work In Progress (WIP) reports with Commercial Manager
- Generate purchase orders/requests
- Accurately complete all paperwork related to the position.
Field Operations:
- Undertake on site horticultural assessments, measuring and calculating quantities of materials required for projects
- Horticultural appraisals to ensure no pest and disease issues take hold
- Ensure all equipment and materials required for a particular job arrive on site, on time and in the right quantities
- Identify problems and proactively strive to resolve them
- Ensure all work is completed to a high standard, on time to specification and within budget
- Strive to achieve zero defects, however where defects are reported resolve these as quickly as possible
- Responsible for scheduling and leading pre- and post-job meetings with key team members
- Places high level of priority on evaluating crews, seeking opportunities for continuous improvement, and creating and maintaining a consistent standard of work for GHL
- Monitor the process of getting crews out the door in the morning and managing workloads and scheduling needs
- Monitors all daily paperwork and ensure that key procedures are followed on a daily basis
- Effectively communicates within the team, ensuring communication is thorough and consistent throughout the business
People Operations:
- Identify and proactively implement training programmes for gardening team members with the aim to have team members who are capable of independent working
- Implement, monitor and manage a training and personal development plan for each member of the garden team
- Monitor and take responsibility for all Health and Safety aspects of any work and for all team members
- Lead by example in all tasks, always showing GHL’s “Passion for Detail” and setting high expectations for new and existing crew members
- Committed to continuous improvement through being open-minded to implementing creative and innovative industry best practices and improvement initiatives
- Adheres to and administers company policies and procedures and promotes company core values
- Perform other incidental and related duties as required
QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS
The ideal candidate will have exceptional, demonstrable horticultural attention to detail, covering everything from client interaction to working in the garden to completing paperwork. Our new team member will have horticultural expertise especially in regard to plant identification. They will be a proactive self-starter. Using initiative and solving problems will be vital in this role as every day is different. A willingness to learn and adapt is beneficial.
Previous Job Experience:
- Project managing
- Customer facing roles
- Head gardener level employment
- Minimum 5 years knowledge of the horticultural industry at a senior level
Educational:
- RHS Horticulture level 3, or 5 years head gardener level experience
- PA6AW
Required:
- Good attention to detail
- Microsoft Office proficient
- Good telephone and written manner
- Ability to critically assess gardens, spot issues before they arise and plan to resolve
- Commercially aware, ability to upsell
- You must possess a full, clean UK driving licence
- Have strong organisational and leadership skills
- You will be a team player, respectful towards clients and fellow team members
- Experience of being customer facing and focused as all of our work is for domestic clients
- Effective communication and organisational skills
- Ability to work to agreed targets, deadlines whilst ensuring high standards
- Reliability – delivering on promises and excellent timekeeping and attendance
- Planning, systematic and organised, follow a schedule and organise others to deliver effectively against that schedule
- Ability to read garden designs and drawing quickly and accurately
Ideal:
- Apple Mac proficiency
- Flexible attitude to working time and duties undertaken, with availability to work weekends/ bank holidays if required by the needs of the business
- Ability to work autonomously and adapt plans should the need arise and relay changes
- Experience of Microsoft Planner
Positions that report into the Horticultural Operations Manager:
Senior Gardeners
SALARY AND BENEFITS
Holiday
Benefits
- Birthday may be taken as an additional day off (this is in addition to your holiday allowance)
- Company pension with 5% contribution from Grant Horticulture
- Ability to purchase stock from Urban Grow at wholesale price + VAT (after 1 year employment)
- Subsidised cost of cultural / sporting event per quarter up to the value of £50 (e.g.Museum/Gallery/Sports match etc.)
Salary