Summary
Bishop's House is the residence of the Bishop of Chester and his family. The garden at Bishop's House extends to about half an acre, and is mainly laid to shrubs and lawn, with a herbaceous border and some climbing plants. The Bishop's House and gardens are used for hosting many events throughout the year.

About the Bishop

Mark Tanner has served as the Bishop of Chester since 2020. Prior to coming to Chester, Mark was Bishop of Berwick in the Diocese of Newcastle, following a number of years as Warden of Cranmer Hall training church leaders and others. Mark has served in local churches in Ripon, Doncaster, Coventry, and on the Wirral, and done various forms of chaplaincy including school and Army.

What you'll be doing

The main focus of this role will be the upkeep and proactive management of the garden and curtilage of Bishop's House including boundary fences, including.

• General gardening tasks; including but not limited to mowing grass, hedge-trimming, pruning, weeding, planting and lawn care.
• Working in partnership with the Bishop, independently and under direction, to develop the garden space as desired.
• Assisting with functions at Bishop's House, both in the gardens and in official rooms. This may involve setting out furniture, helping to serve refreshments and such general duties as may arise.

Key role requirements:

• knowledge and proven experience of garden cultivation and maintenance.
• demonstrable experience of working in a professional or commercial context.
• ability to work within a small team and as part of a close-knit and well established household.
• qualification in gardening/horticulture or equivalent

About You

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minoritised Ethnicities (UKME)/Global Majority Heritage (GMH) and other under-represented groups. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to recruiting disabled people. We offer interviews to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Please refer to the Job Description/person specification for more information about the role and our requirements.

What we offer

Your Salary

• A salary of £14,337.62 (FTE £26,627), plus age-related pension contributions between 8-15% of salary. We will also match any pension contributions you make up to an additional 3% of your salary.

Your Benefits

• 25 days annual leave plus eight bank holidays (pro-rated for working part-time).
• Automatic enrolment and access to Medicash (one of the UK's leading health cash plan providers), providing you with many services including reimbursements of routine dental treatment, optical, specialist consultations, and therapy treatments. Unlimited access to virtual GP & Private prescription service and health & Stress related helplines.

• Access to Occupational Health, and an Employee Assistance Programme 
• Apply for eligibility for an Eyecare voucher.

We try to be as flexible as we can in your work pattern to support you with other commitments, and to give a good work-life balance.

The closing date for applications is Monday 27 January 2025.

Interviews will be held in person on Friday 07 February 2025.

Please note: You must have the right to work in the UK to be considered for the role.