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4-year fixed term, based in Edinburgh with extensive travel required throughout Scotland

RBGE are one of the world’s leading scientific botanic gardens, holding knowledge gained over centuries that the world needs today. All known life depends on plants and fungi, and it is our mission to explore, conserve and explain the world of plants for a better future. Our four Scottish gardens – Benmore, Dawyck, Logan and ‘The Botanics’ in Edinburgh – attract over a million visitors every year. Together, these gardens comprise one of the richest plant collections on earth.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Education Outreach Officer to join our Education team as the result of recent funding secured through the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support our Diversity too! project.

Diversity too! is part of the wider Edinburgh Biomes project – an ambitious restoration and engagement project that aims to ensure the long-term future of our living collection. Diversity too! focuses specifically on the interpretation of Glasshouse 4 to 8 including the refurbishment of the Victorian Palm Houses that sit at the heart of the visitor journey. Diversity too! is shaped through engagement with 4 key themes:

1. Importance (need and utility) – How we rely on plants for our survival, wellbeing, and spirituality

2. Conservation – How plants are affected by our actions and what we can do to help them:
• Plants threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and many other factors
• The role of botanic gardens in securing the future of plants

3. Solutions – How plants can help us solve the challenges we face:
• The role of biodiversity in food security
• Adaptation to climate change and the role of plants in carbon sequestration

4. Buildings’ significance and restoration – How plant conservation has and is relying on glasshouse environments

As Education Outreach Officer, it will be your responsibility to translate these 4 key themes into learning resources for delivery across Scotland’s schools and at other public events. You will work closely with the Skills Development Manager (Schools) to develop material for both online use (both virtual delivery of sessions and self-led materials) as well as creating new sessions to deliver to schools. You will also work in partnership with each of the 3 regional RBGE gardens to increase educational provision at each site (Benmore, Dawyck and Logan) and, therefore, extensive travel and overnight stays may be required. As a key deliverer of the NLHF activity plan you will work in partnership with the Diversity Too! project manager and Community Engagement Coordinator to ensure key messaging is aligned, and with the Head of Education to ensure adequate reporting on progress and budgets can be provided to the funders.

Applicants should hold a teaching qualification or have extensive relevant teaching experience (preferably outdoors) and have in-depth knowledge of Curriculum for Excellence. We are looking for someone who has previous project and budget management experience, who shows creativity in their approach to teaching, displays a flexible approach to delivery across a wide range of ages (nursery to secondary) and for you to have experience of using learning technology within current practice. Key to this role will be excellent planning skills and a genuine love of the outdoors.

This post would be considered as regulated work with vulnerable children and/or protected adults as specified in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The successful candidate will therefore be required to become a PVG Scheme member, or undergo a PVG scheme update if they are already a member, prior to employment commencing.

Full details of the post, including a job description and person specification can be downloaded from our website.

Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter which outlines your suitability for this post as well as a completed equal opportunities questionnaire to recruitment@rbge.org.uk by midnight on Thursday, 23 September 2022. Interviews will likely take place on or around week beginning 3rd October.

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.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is committed to providing a fair and equitable working environment and supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to these posts. We have a range of initiatives to promote diversity and inclusivity, including flexible working for staff with, for example, parenting and carer responsibilities, and proactive celebration of diversity among our staff, students and volunteers. RBGE holds an Athena SWAN Research Institute Bronze Award in acknowledgement of our commitment to the advancement of gender equality.

Application Deadline: Friday 23/09/2022