Work with us
People and plants have shaped Chelsea Physic Garden since 1673. The people who currently work or volunteer in the garden still believe in the power of plants.
Current vacancies
Interpretation Manager
Position: Fixed Term contract – 18 months, full time
Salary: £33,000 – £35,000
About the role:
The Interpretation Manager plays a pivotal role in enhancing the onsite visitor experience by creating engaging, educational and thought-provoking interpretation. The position is responsible for developing and implementing interpretation that communicates complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences. The plants and stories within the Garden’s collection sit at a cross section of horticulture, botany, plant science and medicine, biodiversity, socio-cultural history, geography, art and more.
Chelsea Physic Garden is committed to becoming a Garden for All. Representing our audiences through the stories we tell is an important part of this. The postholder will need to collaborate with community partners to provide credibility and authenticity through global voices within the interpretation.
To apply:
Please complete the job application form and equal opportunities form and email to: .
Closing date for applications: Sunday 5 November
1st Interview: Tuesday 14 November
2nd interview (if required): Tuesday 21 November
Voluntary Advisory Committee member
Do you have a specialism in learning or community engagement?
Do you have an understanding of up to date curriculum based education across all key stages, or maybe your experience is in the higher or further education sector?
Are you experienced in or understand community partnerships and the benefits of close and meaningful community engagement?
Could you bring your experience to bear in optimising the potential of curriculum based learning in a charity?
Chelsea Physic Garden has a vacancy for a member of its Advisory Committee who has specialisms in learning, preferably in one of the areas above.
This is a voluntary role (out of pocket expenses reimbursed), with two meeting to attend per year at the Garden (May and October). We are keen to encourage applications from the widest possible community within which we work and will support and encourage candidates who may not potentially think it is “for them”.
More detailed information can be found in the Recruitment Pack below.
If you would like an informal discussion in advance of considering whether to apply please call Sue Medway on 0207 349 6470 or email .
Closing date: Thursday 30 November 2023, 5pm.
Christmas Elf
Position: Freelance position (Sat & Sun 2,3,9,10,16 &17 December)
Salary: £15 per hour
About the role:
We are looking for Christmas Elves to support our Father Christmas storytelling experience. Christmas Elves will chaperone families from the meeting point to Father Christmas and ensure the event timings are adhered to. They will be a joyful face for families to interact with whilst at the Garden and will support Father Christmas create a memorable experience for everyone who visits. The Christmas Elves will also help Father Christmas hand out gifts and assist families for photo opportunities. This role requires outside working, and an elf costume will be provided
To apply:
To apply: Please submit an up-to-date CV and a brief cover letter to
Your cover letter should include:
• Why this role is of interest to you
• How your experience relates to the role overview
Closing date for applications: Midnight Monday 2 October 2023
Membership Manager
Position: Permanent contract, full time 35 hours per week (including some evenings and weekends)
Salary: £25,000-£28,000 (dependent on experience)
About the role:
The Membership Manager (MM) ensures that all day-to-day activity associated with running a membership program for a botanic garden, both front and back of house, are of the highest standard. They will be responsible for developing excellent relationships between the Garden and the various membership levels. They will ensure that the data kept on these groups is stored in accordance with General Data protection or other applicable legislation and to the highest possible standard.
The MM works closely with the Commercial Director, Visitor Experience Manager and Marketing Manager to maximise revenue from sales of membership categories.
They collaborate with Head of Learning & Public Programs to ensure that the public program offers a wide variety of events that serve the interests of the Friends and Patrons and to ensure that these events are promoted effectively to these groups. They will also work with this team to coordinate the delivery of member only events.
The MM will work closely with the Marketing Manager to develop an effective communications strategy for Friends and Patrons that both keeps them informed and maximises secondary spend.
Through their own efforts and by supporting the Visitor Experience Manager and their team they will maximise the take up of Direct Debit as a payment method and secure Gift Aid declarations where possible.
Closing date: Friday 8 September, 11.59pm.
To apply:
Please complete the job application form and equal opportunities form and email to .
Advisory Committee – volunteer role
About the role:
The Physic Garden has one vacancy for an Advisory Committee member who has a specialism in Learning & community engagement.
To apply:
Applications should be made in writing addressed to the Gardens’ Director stating the applicant’s relevant experience and motivation for applying for the role (no more than two sides of A4). This should be sent by email to by the closing time and date below. Please ensure that your email is headed “Advisory Committee”.
Dates:
Closing date for applications: Tuesday 25 July 2023, 5pm
1st Interview:
Remote: Tuesday 15 August, times to be allocated
2nd Interview:
In person TBC
Volunteer Manager
Position: Full- time 35 hours per week (including regular Sunday working and some evenings)
Salary: £29,000 per annum
About the role:
The Volunteer Manager is a key role in our commitment to invest in our people at Chelsea Physic Garden. Our 130 current volunteers contribute to almost every area of our operations, and we want to ensure that we are supporting them and developing their skills effectively.
The postholder will support the delivery of our Volunteer Development Strategy (2020 – 2024) and develop the next Volunteer Strategy for the organisation. The postholder will work with appointed Volunteer Leads across the organisation to ensure volunteers are supported in a consistent and fair manner. They will ensure that volunteering opportunities are enriching for applicants.
To help us create a Garden for All, the post holder will work with Volunteer Leads to support the recruitment of a broader cultural and socio-economic demographic of volunteer than is currently represented at the Garden.
To apply:
Please complete the job application form and equal opportunities form and email to .
Closing date for applications: Sunday 9 July 2023, Midnight
1st Interview: Tuesday 18 July 2023
2nd Interview: Monday 24 July 2023
Site Caretaker
Position: Part time (average 18 hours per week), permanent
Salary: £11,557 (FTE £22,378)
About the role:
The Site Caretaker is an important part of the Physic Garden community. They are reliable and proactive and take pride in the presentation of the building and associated infrastructure. site. The Site Caretaker is approachable and a good communicator internally and externally. Although there is a planned programme of facilities and maintenance works, the nature of the buildings and the age of some of the facilities means that unplanned jobs will arise ranging from quick fixes to longer term projects.
Download the role profile below.
To apply: Please complete the job application form and equal opportunities form and email them to
Applications close: 28.02.2023, 11.59pm.
Interview: Tuesday 7 March
Our Application form is available to download, please use it for the job you wish to apply for, clearly stating the role you are applying for. Also, please complete and send us this equal opportunities form with your application. Please note, that we cannot accept applications via a CV or resume.
Chelsea Physic Garden is an inclusive employer. If any aspect of our application process poses a barrier to you, please get in contact via and reasonable adjustments can be arranged.
Chelsea Physic Garden is a London Living Wage Employer
Chelsea Physic Garden has existed on the banks of the Thames since 1673, delivering its founding mission to demonstrate the importance of medicinal and herbal plants to the well-being of humankind.
The Garden has a successful education programme, a thriving membership and annually welcomes over 50,000 visitors. As a financially self-supporting charity, the Garden’s challenge for the future is to reinforce its relevance and popularity whilst strengthening its diverse income streams.
Chelsea Physic Garden is an inclusive employer. We welcome applications from everyone, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disabilities, neurodiverse people, and people from all ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.
Working at Chelsea Physic Garden is rewarding; not only do you get to work in an iconic and beautiful location, a number of benefits exist for employees. To view them click below.
Become a Horticultural Trainee
Horticultural traineeships give trainees a chance to experience the various aspects of working in a small botanic garden, gaining experience in practical horticulture and the management of a unique plant collection, with scientific research and educational applications, both outdoors and under glass.
Our 2023/2024 Horticultural Trainee is generously supported by the Rick Mather and David Scrase Foundation. We are also currently hosting a New to Nature Trainee, which is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, and part-funded by the Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust.
An additional two-year entry-level trainee post is funded as part of our National Lottery Heritage Fund project to restore our historic glasshouses, our thanks go to all the funders.
We also rely a large network of volunteers
Are you a people person dedicated to a high standard of customer service, who would like to spend time in London’s oldest botanic garden?