Vacancies

Full time (35 hours), permanent, based in Edinburgh
Salary £31,080 (pay award pending) plus generous holiday entitlement, Civil Service pension and other benefits.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a world-renowned institution dedicated to plant science, horticulture, and biodiversity conservation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where innovation thrives, and diverse perspectives are valued.

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Science division as Conifer Safe Sites Manager.  In this role you will oversee the 325 Safe Sites in the UK for growing globally threatened 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 occasionally 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 excellent 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.

We welcome applications from candidates interested in flexible working arrangements, including part-time hours or job-sharing.

RBGE is unable to sponsor applicants without the right to work in the United Kingdom for this role. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure eligibility to work in the United Kingdom for the duration of the appointment.

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

•    Your CV
•    A covering letter outlining the skills, knowledge and experience you would bring to the post

Please also electronically complete and submit an equal opportunities questionnaire using the following link: EOQ form. This form should not be included with your email application.

Closing date:                           10am Monday 12 January 2026
Interview date:                        Week commencing 26 January 2026        
Recruitment information:    Job description and person specification    

If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has not been shortlisted. No recruitment agencies please.

Permanent, full-time (35 hours) post, based in Edinburgh (onsite)
Salary £37,265 (pay award pending) plus civil service pension, generous holiday entitlement and other benefits

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading botanic gardens, based on its scientific research, plant collections, public engagement, and education. We are seeking a qualified and engaging individual to teach and support learning related to plant biodiversity science for our undergraduate horticulture programmes. In addition, you will contribute to improving courses, modules, and student experiences to support the department and division’s strategic aims.

This wide-ranging role involves all aspects of delivery, including lesson planning, resource development, assessment, and course evaluation. You will provide student support, through project supervision, field excursions, and pastoral care, while collaborating closely with colleagues and academic partners.

We’re looking for applicants with a strong background in plant biodiversity science, excellent communication skills, and the ability to employ diverse teaching methods to engage students. Flexibility, effective time management, and teamwork are essential as you’ll be joining a small, busy team. You must be able to teach both in-person and online and demonstrate a sound understanding of higher education in Scotland and the UK. A recognised teaching qualification, and prior knowledge of botanic gardens and horticulture, would be beneficial.

While this is 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 role

Please also electronically complete and submit an equal opportunities questionnaire using the following link: EOQ form. This form should not be included with your email application.

Closing date:                        Midday (GMT) Thursday 22 January 2026
Interview date:                     Week commencing 09 February 2026
Recruitment Information: Job description and person specification 

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

Full – time (37 hours), permanent position based in Edinburgh
Salary £28,500 per annum

We have an exciting opportunity to join Botanics Trading Company Ltd (BTC) as a Retail Stock Manager, based within the Botanics Shop at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

We’re looking for someone with solid stock control experience in a busy retail setting (or something similar!). You’ll be hands-on with all aspects of stock management, so confidence and great communication skills are key.
You’ll work closely with our fantastic retail teams in Edinburgh and across our regional gardens, as well as liaise with external suppliers—so being a people person really helps!
If you’re super organized, great at prioritising, and can tackle stock challenges head-on to keep sales flowing and targets on track, we’d love to hear from you.

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

Please also electronically complete and submit an equal opportunities questionnaire using the following link: EOQ form. This form should not be included with your email application.

Closing date:                          12pm (midday) on Tuesday 20 January 2026
Interview date:                       w/b 2 February 2026
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.

Full-time, permanent post, based in Edinburgh with some opportunity for hybrid working
Salary £31,080 (pay award pending), plus generous holiday entitlement, Civil Service pension and other benefits.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) is a world-renowned institution dedicated to plant science, horticulture, and biodiversity conservation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where innovation thrives, and diverse perspectives are valued.

We are looking for someone to join our dynamic and busy team in a multi-disciplinary Research Assistant role, within the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants (CMEP), part of the RBGE. where you will have the opportunity to contribute to a range of to a range of research and consultancy work across our 4 core areas of work:

•    Generation of taxonomically robust, accessible and useable resources to enable plant identification, conservation assessment and environmental planning across the Middle East 
•    Delivery of programmes linking biodiversity conservation, restoration, sustainable use and livelihood benefits.  
•    Identification of priority areas for conservation and restoration 
•    Developing human and institutional capacity

The preferred candidate will have an MSc (or equivalent experience in a relevant area) in plant science, conservation, or a related field, with a strong interest in sustainable use of natural resources and plant or habitat conservation. Taxonomic and plant identification skills and experience in managing botanical datasets are essential.

The successful applicant will demonstrate a dynamic and collaborative approach, excellent time management abilities, and meticulous attention to detail.

We welcome applications from candidates interested in flexible working arrangements, including part-time hours or job-sharing.

RBGE is unable to sponsor applicants without the right to work in the United Kingdom for this role. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure eligibility to work in the United Kingdom for the duration of the appointment.

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

Please also electronically complete and submit an equal opportunities questionnaire using the following link: EOQ form. This form should not be included with your email application.

Closing date:                          Midday Wednesday 14 January 2026
Interview date:                       Week commencing 26 January 2026
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.