Arborist Wanted - Edinburgh
About the job
Full-time (35 hours), permanent role, based in Edinburgh
Salary £30,779 per annum, plus civil service pension and other benefits
Are you a dynamic individual with a proven aptitude for carrying out tree pruning and dismantling works from a rope and harness? Do you have an interest in botanical collections? If yes, we want to hear from you!
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. Works are planned and managed to improve the biodiversity the garden supports, improve ecosystem service delivery, conserve, and develop the research collection and improve the visitor offering.
The Arboretum team expertly care for our tree collection as well as the Nepalese, Japanese, rhododendron, shrub, and herbaceous collections in the arboretum areas. 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.
Our ideal candidate will have a skillset that compliments that of the existing team. You should be an experienced climber with a good amount of practical experience and be looking to further develop your expertise in tree health care, identification and management of pests and diseases, tree risk management and record keeping. You will have access to tree decay detection equipment (PiCUS and Resitograph). Previous experience using this equipment would be beneficial but not essential as training will be available.
You should be comfortable operating and maintaining a wide range of horticultural/ arboricultural machinery and ideally hold a range of certificates that evidence competency. Given the broad remit of the team, applicants must also be happy to take 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. This is optional but can be very rewarding. Colleagues have been involved in the delivery of training, seed collection, consultancy, and tree work in countries such as: China, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Japan, UAE, and Jamaica.
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 (this can be submitted electronically on the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh website)
Closing date: Midnight (GMT) on Sunday 29th September 2024
Interview date: Interviews will be held early October with first stage interviews held via teams. Successful candidates from the first stage will be invited to attend an onsite interview and practical tree climbing assessment in Edinburgh
Recruitment Information: Full details including links to the job description/person specification and employee benefits can be found on our Vacancies page https://www.rbge.org.uk/about-us/working-with-us/vacancies/
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.