Location
Worthing, Hove and Arundel

Hours
Full Time - 37.5 hours per week

Salary
Grade 4 - £28,026 per year (pro rata for part time roles)

About the Role
As a Lead Gardener at Southern Hospice Group, you will play a vital role in shaping and maintaining welcoming, peaceful outdoor environments that offer comfort, reflection, and calm for patients, families, and staff. Our hospice grounds provide a highly varied and rewarding setting, including propagation in the polytunnel, kitchen gardens, wildflower meadows, woodland walks, wildlife ponds, private contemporary patient gardens, and expansive green spaces.

In this role, you will take both a hands-on and supervisory position, leading garden staff and volunteers while maintaining the highest horticultural standards across all areas. Your work will directly contribute to wellbeing, offering a strong sense of purpose, pride, and job satisfaction.

You will be responsible for planning and coordinating workloads, ensuring compliance with health, safety, and environmental standards, and working collaboratively with the Grounds Manager to deliver high-quality outcomes. Alongside practical gardening duties, you will guide and support volunteers and corporate groups, creating a positive and well-organised experience for everyone involved.

If you are an experienced gardener with strong leadership skills, a passion for horticulture, and a desire to make a meaningful difference, this is a rewarding opportunity to combine responsibility, creativity, and purpose.

Key responsibilities include:
- Supervising garden staff and volunteers, providing clear directions, guidance, and support to maintain high standards across all sites
- Carrying out a full range of horticultural and grounds maintenance tasks independently
- Ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations
- Maintaining lawns, flower and vegetable gardens, including watering, fertilizing, and caring for trees, shrubs, turf, irrigation systems, and water features
- Managing teams of volunteers and corporate groups weekly, supporting gardening staff to deliver high standards of supervision
- Working with external suppliers
- Overseeing upkeep of garden sheds, workshops, tools, and machinery, ensuring cleanliness, organisation, and safety
- Leading grounds compliance checks, including playground inspections and water feature treatments, with accurate documentation
- Identifying and treating pests, diseases, and plant health issues
- Reporting and updating the Grounds Manager on progress and issues
- Responsible for seasonal growing of vegetables and plants
- Developing and coordinating work schedules for the gardening team in collaboration with the Grounds Manager

Experience
Minimum of 1 year experience in gardening with experience of powered garden machinery. A broad understanding of garden maintenance is desirable. Experience of crops within a polytunnel, including planting, watering, feeding, and harvesting. Experience in team leadership or supervising staff.

About you
Passionate about horticulture with strong leadership skills. Able to work independently and as part of a team. Committed to maintaining high standards of health, safety, and environmental compliance. Enthusiastic about supporting volunteers and corporate groups. Reliable, organised, and proactive in managing workloads.

Qualifications
Not explicitly stated, but relevant horticultural qualifications or certifications would be advantageous.