Work with us
People and plants have shaped Chelsea Physic Garden since 1673. The people who currently work or volunteer in the garden still believe in the power of plants.
Current vacancies
Gardener/ Herbaceous & Hardy Manager
Position: Permanent, full-time, 35 hours per week (including some evenings and weekends).
Salary: £27,063.
About the role:
The Herbaceous & Hardy Manager will collaborate with the Head and Deputy Head of Plant Collections to develop the outdoor collections, ensuring they are displayed to the highest standards. The successful candidate will possess excellent knowledge of herbaceous plants and be motivated to play a practical role in future-proofing our collections against climate change and soil degradation. The individual will be enthusiastic and knowledgeable about ecological gardening and capable of creating stunning horticultural displays. The horticultural team is focused on renewing and refreshing the outdoor collection to address contemporary challenges in our four-acre, Grade I listed, 350-year-old botanical garden.
To apply: Please complete the job application form below, and equal opportunities form and email to: .
If completing the application form would present a barrier to you applying for this role, please contact: , providing brief details of the issue for you and we will do our best to agree suitable alternative arrangements for your application.
Closing date for applications: 11.59pm, 24 October 2024.
Provisional first interview date: 30 October, 2024.
Community & Youth Engagement Manager
Position: Permanent, full-time (average 35 hrs per week).
Salary: £27,000 – £29,000
About the role:
If you’re passionate about offering young people and local communities access to green spaces and fostering a love for plants, the Community and Youth Engagement Manager role is the ideal opportunity for you. We are seeking an experienced engagement professional who is confident in their ability to connect with a diverse range of people and help make Chelsea Physic Garden a Garden for all. The Community and Youth Engagement Manager (CYEM) plays a crucial role in delivering grant-funded programmes, increasing access for underrepresented communities, and supporting our dedicated team of learning and engagement volunteers. The CYEM will be responsible for delivering a variety of engagement programmes throughout the year, with a particular emphasis on building strong partnerships with our partner organisations. Please see the Job Description for more information about this role.
To apply: Please use the Application Form below, and email to: , with role in the title of the email. Please also fill in an Equal Opportunities Form and send this too. If any aspect of the application process poses a barrier to you, please email us and we will do our best to help.
Please note that the email address above will not be monitored from 21 December 2024 to 2 January 2025. If you have any inquiries regarding the role, someone will get back to you as soon as possible.
Closing date for applications: 11.59pm, Sunday 19 January
First interview date: Friday 24 January
If required, a second interview will be held on: W/C 27 January
Gardener/Plant Records Manager
Position: Full-time (average 35 hrs per week).
Salary: £27,063.
About the role:
Are you looking for a next step in your career? Do you manage plant records/data as part of your work in an historic or botanic collection open to the public? Chelsea Physic Garden has this key role to fill.
You will be one part of a small team of horticultural specialists (6 full-time) as well as trainees, interns, and volunteers, who care for and present the Garden and its plant collections (4,500 taxa). You will work closely with colleagues to ensure high standards of presentation of the areas of the Garden for which you are responsible alongside maintaining the meticulous records on the plant database (IrisBG).
You will need to be able to work at pace and juggle several priorities to ensure that you can meet the needs of the role, the horticulture, and a pride in accurate data input and producing reports supporting the needs of the Head of Plant Collections and wider colleagues for information from the database.
Please review the role profile carefully and apply using our application form.
Closing date: 11.59pm, Monday 19 August, 2024.
1st Interview: first week of September.
To apply:
Please complete the job application form and equal opportunities form and email to .
Chair of Trustees – volunteer role
About the role:
The Board of Trustees are now embarking on the search for a dynamic new Chair to provide strategic guidance and inspire Chelsea Physic Garden as it embarks on this next phase. The role involves collaborating closely with the Director and the Board of Trustees to steer the Garden towards achieving its mission. The successful candidate will lead the Board in reviewing strategic aims and objectives, work alongside senior staff, and engage in public and community activity programmes. Your leadership will be instrumental in ensuring the Garden’s continued impact and growth.
The ideal candidate will have a passion for horticulture and a deep appreciation for the curatorial and heritage significance of the Garden. You will understand the importance of fundraising and be eager to act as an Ambassador, particularly in relation to current and future capital projects, for one of the world’s most historic botanical gardens.
Saxton Bampfylde is co-ordinating this appointment on the Garden’s behalf. For more information and to apply for the role, please follow the link below.
To apply:
Please visit Saxton Bampfylde’s website, linked below, and not via the standard application form.
Closing date: Tuesday 10 December 2024.
Our Application form is available to download, please use it for the job you wish to apply for, clearly stating the role you are applying for. Also, please complete and send us this equal opportunities form with your application. Please note, that we cannot accept applications via a CV or resume, and we can only consider applications from UK residents or those with the right to work in the UK.
Chelsea Physic Garden is an inclusive employer. If any aspect of our application process poses a barrier to you, please get in contact via and reasonable adjustments can be arranged.
Chelsea Physic Garden is a London Living Wage Employer
Chelsea Physic Garden has existed on the banks of the Thames since 1673, delivering its founding mission to demonstrate the importance of medicinal and herbal plants to the well-being of humankind.
The Garden has a successful education programme, a thriving membership and annually welcomes over 50,000 visitors. As a financially self-supporting charity, the Garden’s challenge for the future is to reinforce its relevance and popularity whilst strengthening its diverse income streams.
Chelsea Physic Garden is an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from everyone, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, and people from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Working at Chelsea Physic Garden is rewarding; not only do you get to work in an iconic and beautiful location, a number of benefits exist for employees. To view them click below.
Become a Horticultural Trainee
Horticultural traineeships give trainees a chance to experience the various aspects of working in a small botanic garden, gaining experience in practical horticulture and the management of a unique plant collection, with scientific research and educational applications, both outdoors and under glass.
Our 2023/2024 Horticultural Trainee is generously supported by the Rick Mather and David Scrase Foundation.
An additional two-year entry-level trainee post is funded as part of our National Lottery Heritage Fund project to restore our historic glasshouses, our thanks go to all the funders.
We also rely a large network of volunteers
Are you a people person dedicated to a high standard of customer service, who would like to spend time in London’s oldest botanic garden?