Job Description

Full Time, Permanent

Start date - To be agreed subject to notice period.

We are looking for an enthusiastic, people-focused Retail Manager to lead the team at Blaise Plant Nursery, located within the picturesque and historic Blaise Estate in North Bristol.

Blaise Plant Nursery is a well-loved part of the local community, offering a wide range of high-quality plants, grown on-site by our dedicated team. The nursery supports Bristol's parks and green spaces, and provides residents with plants, garden supplies, compost and expert gardening advice. Set within the beautiful surroundings of Blaise Castle Estate, the nursery combines horticultural excellence with a welcoming, community-focused retail experience.

This is a brand-new hands-on leadership role that blends day-to-day retail operations with warm, knowledgeable customer service and a genuine passion for plants. You'll oversee a small, friendly team and play a key role in the continued success and growth of our thriving nursery shop.

What you'll be doing

Leading the daily operations of the plant shop, ensuring a smooth and welcoming customer experience Creating and managing staff rotas, including holiday and weekend cover Supporting, motivating, and supervising a close-knit team Serving customers with expert product knowledge and friendly, helpful advice Managing enquiries for hire and the delivery of workshops for our new onsite bookable repurposed glasshouse Maintaining plant health, presentation, and stock levels across the shop Handling administrative tasks, including performance reporting and stock control Contributing ideas for marketing, local partnerships, and initiatives to grow sales and community engagement

What do I need to have

Experience in retail or customer-facing roles, ideally with team leadership or management experience Experience managing stock and retail systems, including the use of EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale) systems for inventory control, sales tracking, and reporting Organised, proactive, and confident in running a small team Warm, approachable, and committed to delivering excellent customer service A genuine love of plants, gardening, and outdoor living - horticultural knowledge is a strong advantage Hands-on and willing to lead by example, actively involved in daily operations Comfortable working some weekends and bank holidays is essential

Key Responsibilities

Oversee the horticulture retail operations, whilst creating a unique customer focused environment Planning plant & garden product offers Identifying new opportunities to drive sales Ensuring all health & safety regulations are followed Recruitment, training, and development of plant nursery staff Record keeping, analysing costs, and management of budgets Planning & costing of staff schedules




Please see the attached and Person Specification for further details on the role and the eligibility criteria for application. If you have the knowledge and experience to undertake this role and the vision and ambition of the plant nursery, we look forward to hearing from you.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation.

Join us and you'll receive an excellent rewards package including membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you'll be working in a supportive environment where you'll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.


To be shortlisted for interview you'll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

We're a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We'll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact Rod Pooley, Plant Nursery Manager, on

rod.pooley@bristol.gov.uk

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applications from Young People, Black and racially minoritised, Disabled, LGBTQ+, and Female candidates who are currently under-represented within this Service of Bristol City Council. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you'll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.