Full-time, permanent post, based in Edinburgh/hybrid working available

Salary £30,779 plus generous holiday entitlement, Civil Service pension and other benefits

RBGE is a world leading botanical institute and international visitor attraction taking positive action for plants and people; from local communities across Scotland, to more than 40 countries around the world. Our priority is to tackle the biodiversity crisis and the climate emergency, and to support the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Our work builds on our 353 year history as a scientific botanic garden and centre of education with internationally important botanical collections, and extensive international partnerships.  Our four Scottish gardens – Benmore, Dawyck, Logan and ‘The Botanics’ in Edinburgh – comprise one of the richest plant collections on earth.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Science division as Conifer Safe Site Manager.  This new post will care for the 280 Safe Sites for conifers, a critical conservation resource that forms the basis of the success of the International Conifer Conservation Programme (ICCP).

Conifers are of significant economic importance, and yet they are one of the world’s most threatened groups of plants - with over one third of species threatened with extinction. RBGE is widely recognised for its global leadership in conifer conservation - not least because our Safe Sites harbour more than half of the world’s threatened conifer species.

You will join a small, committed and motivated team that will help ensure that RBGE can fully harness the potential of the ICCP to generate impact, profile and income.

The purpose of this role is to continue to improve operations and sustainability of one of our flagship conservation programmes, maintain RBGE’s global leadership in conifer conservation, and ensure that the Safe Sites are utilised to maximum impact – for safeguarding threatened conifers, furthering horticultural knowledge, and for conservation and climate change research.

We are looking for someone with horticultural skills and a vision for the integration of science and horticulture in conservation projects. You will ideally have experience of managing tree collections and maintaining plant records and be comfortable engaging with a wide range of stakeholders. This role will require frequent travel throughout the British Isles and overseas as well as to our Edinburgh and regional gardens.

With a passion for sharing your knowledge and skills and building capacity, this is an exciting opportunity where you’ll use your communication skills to liaise with ICCP safe site managers and owners, support RBGE students with their fieldwork, and deliver training and workshops to diverse audiences.

Further information about the International Conifer Conservation Programme can be found here.

Although we see this as a full-time role, applications will also be considered from exceptional candidates looking to work on a part-time basis.

To apply please email recruitment@rbge.org.uk with:

• Your CV
• A covering letter outlining the skills, knowledge and experience you’d bring to the post
• A completed equal opportunities questionnaire: EOQ Form

Closing date:                                                Midday BST Friday 5 July2024

Interview date:                                            Week commencing 15 July 2024

Recruitment information:                            Job description and Person Specification              

If you haven’t heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume your application hasn’t been successful on this occasion.

No recruitment agencies please.

Paid traineeship, fixed term post (August 2024 – March 2025), based in Edinburgh with delivery sessions across Edinburgh and beyond

Planting Connection Project is looking for people who want to share with others the incredible world of plants and become our next biodiversity ambassadors.

A Biodiversity Ambassador is a paid trainee who will learn more about biodiversity and will share this learning with community groups in Scotland.

This paid traineeship opportunity could be for you if:

• you're eager to enhance your understanding of biodiversity
• Yow want to delve into the world of community engagement in the environmental field.
• You have no previous knowledge or qualifications.

We have six positions available for this traineeship. Applicants will have a passion for nature and a desire to share this passion with communities in Edinburgh and beyond. This role is part of the Planting Connections Project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is part of the Edinburgh Biomes Project, which will see the Edinburgh Garden’s glasshouses restored.

To apply please email recruitment@rbge.org.uk  or send a WhatsApp message to 07973635931, telling us: What excites you about this opportunity?

• You can submit your answer in video (max 2 minutes), audio (max 2 minutes), visual (such as sketch, digital artwork or mind map), or writing (max 1 page).
• Please add your name and contact information.
• A completed equal opportunities questionnaire: EOQ form

Closing date: 23:59 BST, Monday 21 July 2024

Interview date: Week beginning 29 July 2024

Recruitment information:

• Application pack can be downloaded here: Biodiversity Ambassador Application Pack
• Paid fee: 80 hours at £12.50 per hour split over duration of traineeship in 7 equal instalments. £1000 in total.
• Location: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, covering reasonable travel and subsistence expenses for training and delivery sessions. Delivery sessions will be delivered in Edinburgh and beyond.
• Training Hours: 80 hours, over seven-month period, with flexibility.
• No previous knowledge or experience is required.
• Successful Biodiversity Ambassadors will be required to complete either a basic disclosure or PVG record check.

If you would like this application pack in a different format (e.g., large print or audio file), please email pnino@rbge.org.uk

If you have any questions about access or the traineeship, please do not hesitate to email pnino@rbge.org.uk or message us on 07973635931

Full-time, permanent role, based in Edinburgh

Salary £30,779 per annum, plus civil service pension, generous holiday entitlement and other benefits

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are looking for keen and enthusiastic climbing Arborist with an interest in botanical collections to join our team. Our work builds on our 354-year history as a scientific botanic garden and a centre for education.  We grow over 1200 taxa of trees in the 70-acre Garden, and it is extensively planted and maintained to the highest horticultural standard. 

The Arboretum team are responsible for the tree collection as well as the Nepalese, Japanese, Rhododendron, Shrub and Herbaceous collections in the Arboretum areas.  A changing climate, new pests and diseases, and a major re-development project mean that this is a challenging task that can only be tackled through collaborative working.

We need a dynamic individual to join the team to maintain, conserve and develop the living collection. With a proven aptitude for carrying out tree pruning and dismantling works from a rope and harness, our ideal candidate will be comfortable taking the lead on site when carrying out these tasks. You should demonstrate expertise in tree health care, identification and management of pests and diseases, tree risk management, record keeping and sustainable compliant arboricultural practices.

You will need to be comfortable operating and maintaining a wide range of horticultural/ arboricultural machinery and should ideally hold a range of certificates that evidence competency.  Given the broad remit of the team, applicants must also be comfortable taking on a wide range of physical horticultural tasks and tree risk management surveys when not carrying out tree work.

Whilst the role will be based in Edinburgh there may be a requirement to provide support at our Benmore, Logan and Dawyck sites, or even overseas at times. 

To apply, please email recruitment@rbge.org.uk with:

• your CV
• a covering letter outlining the skills, knowledge and experience you’d bring to the post
• a completed equal opportunities questionnaire: EOQ form available on our website

Closing date:                                      midday on Wednesday, 17 July 2024

Interview date:                                  Tuesday, 30 July 2024*

*First stage interviews will be held via teams and successful candidates from this round will be invited to attend an onsite interview in Edinburgh at a later date.

Recruitment Information:            Job description and person specification

If you haven’t heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume your application hasn’t been successful on this occasion. No recruitment agencies please.