Job Description

Hand Picked Hotels

Today, the family-owned group has 21 unique luxury country houses and coastal retreats, each hand picked for their individuality. Architecturally distinctive and quintessentially British, every hotel boasts an extraordinary location from Scotland to the Channel Islands, offering breathtaking views from vast countryside to expansive beaches, to lush woodlands.


Dedicated to creating unique and enchanting stays, curated personalised service runs through the heart of every hotel. Whilst each hotel is individual, each property fulfils the company values of family, individuality, community and care, with a team commitment to aiming higher and delight their guests with magical experiences that offer a true escape from the every day.



As part of ongoing transformation of the gardens at Hand Picked Hotels, we are currently recruiting for a Head of Garden Delivery.



This is a newly created role and will be responsible for leading the garden management across all our hotels within the Hand Picked Hotel portfolio, ensuring the highest standards of garden care and horticulture to enhance the hotel grounds and reflect the ethos of the group.This role will be responsible for the quality and performance of the gardening team, implementing the designs agreed by the Shareholder and Head of Garden Design for each division.



As this role will cover the 21 hotels within the collection, you can be located in the Midlands or South with a base location of the nearest Hand Picked Hotel.

About the role:

As Head of Garden Delivery, you will develop detailed garden maintenance plans, including planting, pruning, weeding, pest control and fertilization. You will oversee the execution of the plans (both maintenance and new designs from the Head of Garden Design) by the Regional Garden Managers and assist hands-on if required. Direct the Regional Garden Managers ensuring appropriate prioritisation of tasks. Responsible for Performance managing the gardening team to drive quality and accountability. Develop the annual budget for hotel gardens, to be presented and agreed with the Shareholder and CFO, and track spend against budget during the year. Ensure the gardens are consistently well-maintained to a high standard and contribute to a positive guest experience, potentially including public or private garden tours. Review and manage third-party landscaping contracts to deliver quality and commerciality.

About you:

To be considered for this role you must be an experienced and qualified horticulturist, RHS diploma level 3 or above, with knowledge of vegetable, herb & fruit tree growing. Have senior garden management experience, with excellent leadership and communication skills. Be able to drive an accountability culture and high level of standards within the gardens. Experience with historic listed properties and gardens is an advantage. You will be able to demonstrate your ability to lead a large team, across multiple sites, ensuring training and structured career development is in place. Develop a robust work force manning strucutre. Possess strong communication and interpersonal skills with a can-do attitude and a clear focus on execution and results. Up to date knowledge of public sector health and safety adherence requirements is essential. With knowledge of handling certification for garden machinery and chemicals. As Hand Picked Hotels are spread out throughout the UK and Channel Islands, you will need to be willing to travel for this role and have your own transport.

Our benefits package:

A competitive salary package, plus mileage discussed at interview stage. Company pension scheme with a generous employer contribution. Life assurance and private medical insurance. Employee Assistance Program to support you with whatever life throws at you. Company Sickness Scheme Benefit. 33 days including bank holidays. Discounted colleague stays in our hotels and on food & drink. Annual loyalty awards (e.g. afternoon teas and overnight stays) Online retail discount platform offering thousands of savings with high street retailers and restaurants as well as a health and well-being platform. Opportunity to make lifelong friendships and be part of team that celebrates Diversity and Inclusion.

Hand Picked Hotels is an Equal Opportunities employer Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.