Vacancies

About Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a world-leading centre for plant science, horticulture, conservation, education, and public engagement. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden for the study of medicinal plants, it attracts around one million visitors each year and holds one of the world’s most diverse botanical collections.

We have four gardens in Scotland; Benmore, Dawyck, Edinburgh and Logan. Through a wide network of national and international partnerships, we pursue our mission to Explore, Conserve and Explain the World of Plants, addressing global biodiversity loss and climate change.

RBGE is funded by Scottish Government Grant-in-Aid and self-generated income, reflecting our dual role as a public institution, charity and an enterprising organisation. The continued growth of commercial activity, philanthropic support, and consultancy work is a key strategic priority for ensuring long-term sustainability and impact.

The opportunity

RBGE is seeking to appoint an inspiring and forward-thinking Director of Horticulture to join its Executive Team at an exciting point in the organisation's development. Reporting to the Regius Keeper, this pivotal leadership role will shape the future of horticulture across RBGE's four gardens, champion the stewardship and development of its globally significant Living Collection and strengthen connections with partners in Scotland and internationally.

Combining strategic leadership with operational oversight, you will lead talented horticultural teams across the organisation, act as Custodian of the National Living Collection and play a leading role in ensuring RBGE remains at the forefront of conservation horticulture, biodiversity recovery and climate resilience. You will also contribute to the wider leadership of the organisation, helping to shape the next phase of RBGE's strategic direction and its ongoing work to deliver real impact in response to the biodiversity and climate emergencies.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the strategic direction of horticulture across RBGE, develop long-term plans for the organisation's four gardens and ensure they continue to evolve in response to climate change and conservation priorities.
• Provide leadership for the care, development and curation of RBGE's internationally important Living Collection, maintaining the highest standards of horticultural excellence.
• Lead and develop horticultural teams across RBGE, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement while ensuring the expertise, leadership and capacity required to sustain and enhance the Living Collections and garden landscapes for the future.
• Drive innovation in conservation horticulture, working closely with scientific colleagues to support biodiversity conservation, species recovery, plant health and climate adaptation initiatives.
• Lead and contribute to organisational strategic projects, including Edinburgh Biomes and wider capital development programmes.
• Act as a visible advocate for horticulture, representing RBGE across professional networks, government, conservation organisations, media and public forums both nationally and internationally.
• Promote horticulture as an exciting and inclusive career, supporting skills development, training and engagement with future generations of horticultural professionals.
• Lead the development of horticultural consultancy activity and identify mission-aligned opportunities that support both impact and long-term financial sustainability.
• Contribute as a member of the Executive Team to organisational strategy, governance, performance and culture.

Person specification

• Proven senior leadership experience within horticulture, ideally gained within a botanic garden, conservation, heritage landscape or similarly complex environment.
• Exceptional leadership and people management capability, with experience of leading and developing large, multidisciplinary teams.
• A recognised qualification in horticulture, plant science or a related discipline.
• Extensive expertise in living collections management and conservation horticulture.
• Outstanding communication, influencing and advocacy skills, with the ability to act as an effective ambassador at senior stakeholder, policy and media level.
• Strong strategic and commercial awareness, including experience of budget management, organisational planning, risk management and leading change.
• A collaborative and inclusive leadership style, with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• A passion for the future of horticulture and a commitment to widening access to horticultural careers and skills.
• Experience of master planning for gardens or conservation sites, consultancy development, biodiversity policy or multi-partner conservation projects would be advantageous.
 

Watch our film to discover more about the opportunity to lead horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

How to apply

Applications should be made by way of CV and covering letter, and submitted by 09:00 on Friday 16 October via applications@fwbltd.com

For a confidential discussion, please contact Kirsten Hendry at FWB on 0131 539 7087 or at applications@fwbltd.com

Fixed term to 31 March 2027, based in Edinburgh
Starting salary £49.2k pro rata, plus civil service pension scheme, generous holiday entitlement, flexible working and other benefits

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a world-leading centre for plant science, horticulture, conservation, education, and public engagement. Founded in 1670 as a physic garden for the study of medicinal plants, it attracts around one million visitors each year and holds one of the world’s most diverse botanical collections. 

Through a wide network of national and international partnerships, we pursue our mission to explore, conserve and explain the world of plants, addressing global biodiversity loss and climate change.

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced people professional to join our dynamic People & OD team. This is a generalist Partner role, supporting two of our Divisions plus our trading company and will cover a wide variety of people-related activities. The role will focus in particular on the delivery of the diversity aim of our current People Strategy. 

Applicants will need to have past experience of similar generalist roles, ideally within a small team. A keen influencer, you’ll be an excellent communicator, able to develop and maintain relationships successfully at a variety of levels within an organisation, and comfortable working autonomously as part of a small team. This will be a busy role, and you’ll be someone who thrives on managing a host of competing activities, able to ride the challenge of priorities changing at short notice in the face of business needs.

Although we see this as a full-time post, we would also welcome applications from individuals looking to work on a part-time basis. If this applies to you, please specify the part-time hours you would be looking to undertake. We would be happy to consider a job share.

As this is a short-term contract, we will be looking at applications on a regular basis and may opt to close the application window before the closing date. 

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 GMT on Monday, 12 October 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.

Casual Worker vacancy running from 19 November to 30 December, based onsite in Edinburgh

£15.07 per hour (including holiday pay) 

Up to a maximum of 30 hours per week (evening shifts 4pm to around 10pm)

We have an exciting opportunity to join our Botanics Trading Company to support our retail offer during our upcoming Christmas at the Botanics light event at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The event runs from Thursday 19 November 2026 to Monday 30 December 2026.   

As part of our seasonal team, you will play a key role in delivering an exceptional visitor experience, assisting customers with purchases, processing transactions, replenishing stock, and maintaining high standards of presentation throughout the event.

Successful applicants will be rostered on evening shifts between 4pm and 10pm, up to a maximum of 6 hours per shift. Shifts will include weekends, Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, and we are ideally looking for a minimum commitment to three shifts per week. 

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: EOQ form

Closing date:                            9am on Thursday 15 October

Interview date:                         23/27 October

Recruitment Information:     Role profile

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.

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.