Are you a passionate horticulturalist with a flair for education and a knack for nurturing growth in people as well as plants? We are looking for a dynamic and dedicated Part-Time Horticultural Educator to join our team for a maternity cover position, working three days a week. The role will last for approximately twelve months with a possible option to extend.
The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society (The Caley) are Scotland’s national Gardening and Horticulture charity, charged with promoting and supporting domestic gardening and professional horticulture across the country.
This role requires a self-starter with a passion for delivering excellent horticultural education to our varied groups. The position will be primarily based at our office at Saughton Park, Edinburgh with occasional travel required to education sites. The job will commence on Monday, 11th August, 2025 to allow a handover period. The role is for 19 hours per week and is currently being undertaken on 3 days per week. There is some flexibility on days, providing they can be approved by the both the RCHS and our partners who are receiving support from this role.
In this varied and rewarding role, you will be part of a team developing and delivering engaging horticultural education programs. Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:
• Leading the Grow and Learn Award: Guiding groups through this accredited program, fostering their horticultural skills and knowledge.
• Running Educational Funding Projects: Managing these according to funder requirements and submitting reports as needed.
• Developing the Workshops and Courses Programme: Working alongside the Education Team to create an exciting programme of events for our members.
• Assisting at Shows: Representing our organization at various events, sharing the vision of The Caley and specifically the Education work alongside running the children’s activities programmes.
• Maintaining our Online Presence: Keeping the Education pages of our website up to date and relevant and using Social Media to advertise the courses, workshops and events of The Caley.
• Supporting our Volunteer Teams: The Caley is fortunate to have many dedicated volunteers and your role would include occasionally coordinating their work and supporting them where needed.
We are seeking someone with excellent communication skills, a strong understanding of horticultural practices, and a genuine passion for sharing knowledge with our learners. If you are organised, proactive, and enjoy working with diverse groups of people, we would love to hear from you!
This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact, contributing to The Caley’s mission of supporting and encouraging gardening in Scotland and promoting horticulture to the next generation of Scottish professionals.
Successful applicants will be required to be a PVG Scheme member, which will be paid for by the RCHS.
The role of Horticultural Educator is vital to the work of The Caley and its educational offering. The tasks listed below are not exhaustive but cover the main areas of work. Key Responsibilities of the Role: Leading the Grow & Learn Award The Grow & Learn Award is our flagship award scheme for learners across the UK. It is a person-centered award that recognizes individual progress and achievement in horticulture particularly for those that may struggle with mainstream learning. Leading this work involves: o Promoting and expanding the Award through marketing, to new and interested groups. o Managing the administrative process for the Award including answering enquiries, organizing registrations and verifications, invoicing and site visits as needed. o Run introductory sessions to the Award for enquiring and newly signed up groups. o Facilitate monthly Q&A sessions for Grow & Learn groups, providing ongoing support and guidance. o Develop and enhance the resources for the ‘Roots’ and ‘Nurture’ levels of the Award. o Conduct verifications of Grow & Learn portfolios for learners and groups. o Recruit, train and support volunteer verifiers across the country and coordinate the distribution of portfolios to local verifiers, arranging site visits where necessary. o Design, pilot, and deliver Grow & Learn training sessions for group leaders nationwide. o Produce and dispatch learner certificates along with a Caley badge to successful learners upon completion of verified portfolios. o Maintain and update the Grow & Learn pages on The Caley website as required. Running the Educational Funding Projects These projects vary from time to time depending on available funding and resources. The ones currently undertaken by our Educator are as follows: 1. Awards for All – Get Growing Funding is from the National Lottery Community Fund – Awards for All scheme. Runs until February 2026, funding 11 hours of staff time primarily to run the Grow & Learn Award with groups on site at Saughton but also to maintain the glasshouse and growing areas of The Caley site. Some specific tasks to be done in the funded time include: • Lead the Grow & Learn ‘Roots’ Award for the Garvald participants weekly from March 2025 to Dec 2025 / February 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed). • Maintain the Garvald group’s Grow & Learn portfolio, documenting core and additional activities, and ensure individual participant portfolios and personal goals are tracked by the group leader. • Manage the Grow & Learn Award nationally. • Maintain glasshouse and growing areas as required (e.g., watering, weeding, completing tasks not finished by groups). • Develop Grow & Learn training programmes using knowledge and insights gained from the on-site group work. • Compile and submit the final project report for the Awards for All funding. • Promote project activities and achievements to raise awareness of our work and the Grow & Learn Award. 2. Groundswell Leith Project in partnership with Thriving Greenspaces Funding will run from July/August 2025 to April 2026 and covers staff time of 4 days per month – additional days may be added, this is to be confirmed. The funding is allocated to train gardening groups in Leith to manage and maintain areas within three local parks (Dalmeny Street Park, Mill Lane Park and North Junction Street Park) and gain confidence in organising community gardening events. Key partners on this project include Groundswell (the funders), their researchers from Edinburgh University, the Thriving Greenspaces team from Edinburgh City Council who have been working with the group for two years, Inch Nursery to help plan and supply plants and bulbs for the parks and finally TCV (The Conservation Volunteers) who will assist in planting activities and hedging and wildflower meadow work. For this work the tasks are as follows: • Work in collaboration with the partner organisations listed above. • Communicate with all partners regularly providing updates on the project progress, session dates, evaluations, planting events, etc. • Plan and deliver planting, engagement and training sessions for the gardening groups across the three parks (this may involve occasional evening work). • Work with the Thriving Greenspaces team to create and disseminate promotional materials (flyers, adverts) for events for the local community. Also advertise via The Caley’s and Thriving Greenspaces’ social media platforms. • Lone working will be necessary as part of this project therefore risk assessments must be conducted and regularly updated throughout the project. First Aid training and carrying a first aid kit is highly recommended. Training can be organised. • Collaborate with the Groundswell team from Edinburgh University on developing project and evaluation tools, and conduct evaluations with the groups and sites. • Manage a database of group contacts, attendance records, and planting details (what, when, where) for the funding report. • Coordinate with partners for the timely purchase of plants, bulbs, and other materials for all three parks. • Coordinate with partners for the watering of newly planted areas, acknowledging the lack of mains water at the parks. • Manage the project expense budget, ensuring all claims are submitted promptly before April 2026. • Contribute to the final project evaluation and report, helping to identify next steps for participating groups. General Horticultural Educator Responsibilities: As the Horticultural Educator you will have input to into all educational awards, projects, workshops, events, etc. that are run by The Caley. Tasks include: • Support the volunteer Education Committee in organising paid workshops, including creating materials, branding resources, updating the website and coordination with the Administrator for online bookings / ticket sales. • Manage and maintain the Education and Grow & Learn pages on The Caley Website, including workshop listings. • Organise and run children's activities at The Caley Shows (Spring, Autumn, Apple Day), involving preparation of resources, volunteer coordination, setup, and delivery. This requires weekend work at least three times a year. • Represent The Caley at conferences such as the Grow Careers Conference (RBGE) and Trellis Conference to promote our work, student memberships, and the Grow & Learn Award. • Attend relevant conferences and training throughout the year to ensure continuous professional development. • Provide regular input for The Caley Newsletters, promoting projects, awards, recruiting volunteers, and updating members on educational activities. • Advertise events, awards, and workshops in local community magazines. Education Committee • Sit on the Education Committee as the Horticultural Educator and actively participate in meetings and contribute to the development of The Caley’s educational offerings. Work in addition to the above may be required from time to time as advised by your Line Manager and / or Education Committee Team.
To apply for the role please email a Covering Letter of not more than 2 A4 pages and CV to president@rchs.co.uk