1. About Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses

Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses (BPCG) is a community garden in the centre of Lambeth’s Brockwell Park. The site includes an orchard, a series of demonstration gardens, a walled herb garden, two large greenhouses and the recently built Brockwell Barn.

BPCG has a vibrant and committed community of volunteers who contribute to helping people grow through learning and learn through growing. A small team of five staff run the garden volunteering scheme, school visits, family events, courses and workshops. Visitors, volunteers, and members learn about conserving the environment and wildlife, appreciating nature, and understanding organic gardening and food growing – all within a friendly community atmosphere. We are currently finalising a new five-year strategy and volunteer engagement plan that will guide our work and growth in the coming years.

2. About the Role

We're looking for an enthusiastic and experienced educator to lead our Children and Families Programme at BPCG. This is an exciting opportunity to inspire the next generation through hands-on learning experiences that connect children and families with nature and growing. Each year we welcome around 6,500 participants through our popular schools programme, serving 45+ local primary schools with curriculum-linked sessions, as well as dedicated SEND provision and holiday workshops. We're particularly focused on reaching children who need us most, including those from low income households with limited or no access to green space and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities. You'll lead the development of activities, build partnerships with local organisations, and find innovative ways to expand and enhance a programme that makes a real difference to children's lives and connection with nature.

3. About You

You are passionate about educating children and young people about nature, growing and food. You are just as comfortable designing and delivering creative and engaging sessions, as you are about stepping back, training, and delegating delivery to freelancers and volunteers. You are not just a leader, but a team player. You find holding public events energising, but are just as comfortable developing comprehensive plans and managing budgets. You're genuinely curious about what works and what doesn't, and skilled at gathering honest feedback from diverse voices.

4. Responsibilities and Duties

Programme Leadership & Strategy: Lead the strategic development and overall vision of our children and family programmes to maximise community impact and engagement.

• Design and plan comprehensive children and family programmes that align with BPCG's mission, strategy, and community needs

• Develop and implement programme budgets, prepare fundraising proposals, ensure efficient resource allocation and financial sustainability

• Manage partnerships with local schools and community organisations to sustain, expand, target, or reduce programme reach, as needed

• Create annual programme evaluations to demonstrate outcomes and inform future planning

Educational Delivery & Content Development: Oversee the design, delivery and continuous improvement of high-quality educational experiences for children and families.

• Work with staff and freelance educators to develop and deliver engaging curriculum content covering gardening, food, sustainability, and environmental stewardship, in line with our 2026 - 2030 strategy

• Manage the Garden Educator role, providing training, support and professional development opportunities

• Coordinate and deliver holiday programmes and out-of-school activities that complement formal education

• Maintain and develop dedicated learning spaces and educational resources to support programme delivery

Community Engagement & Partnerships: Build and maintain strong relationships with families, schools, and community partners to ensure inclusive and accessible programming.

• Serve as primary liaison with families, addressing concerns and gathering feedback to improve programme quality

• Develop promotional materials and manage programme communications through website updates, newsletters, and social media

• Monitor programme participation and maintain detailed records of participant experience and volunteer contributions

Operations & Administration: Ensure smooth day-to-day operations while maintaining compliance with organisational policies and external requirements.

• Process bookings and manage participant data in compliance with GDPR and organisational procedures

• Coordinate programme logistics including scheduling, payments, and resource management

• Attend regular meetings with line management and participate in organisational planning activities

• Write and coordinate programme content for newsletters, reports, and funding applications

• Support opening and closing of facilities as needed, including security and maintenance responsibilities

• Undertake additional duties as reasonably requested to support BPCG's overall mission

Health, Safety & Safeguarding: Maintain the highest standards of safety and child protection across all programme activities and facilities.

Safeguarding Leadership

• Serve as the designated safeguarding lead for Child Protection during programme hours

• Provide vulnerable adult safeguarding cover and support to the Community Garden Manager when required

• Ensure all staff, freelancers, and volunteers comply with safeguarding policies and receive appropriate training

Health & Safety Management

• Ensure all health and safety standards are maintained across Children and Family Programme activities

• Conduct regular risk assessments and implement appropriate safety measures for all programme activities

• Manage safe storage and maintenance of all educational equipment and materials

• Maintain incident reporting procedures and coordinate with relevant authorities as required

• Take responsibility for health and safety compliance within your designated areas of work, and collaborate with other BPCG programmes to maintain health and safety of all shared spaces

5. Person Specification

Essential 

Experience

• Proven experience developing and delivering educational programmes for children and families

• Managing staff, freelancers and volunteers

• Partnering with schools and delivering curriculum-linked activities

• Managing budgets and programme administration

• Conducting risk assessments and ensuring health and safety compliance

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong understanding of safeguarding principles and child protection procedures

• Excellent programme development, planning and organisational skills

• Strong communication skills with children, families, colleagues and external partners

• Ability to write clear reports and communications for diverse audiences

• Competent IT skills including managing bookings, ticketing systems and databases

• Understanding of health and safety requirements in educational settings

• Financial management, reporting, and budget oversight skills

• Experience with GDPR and data protection

Qualifications

• First Aid qualification or willingness to obtain one

Personal Attributes

• Passionate about connecting children and families with nature, growing, and food

• Commitment to inclusive and accessible education

• Creative and enthusiastic educator

• Collaborative team player

• Highly organised with excellent attention to detail

• Flexible and adaptable approach to work

Desirable

Experience

• Experience working in community gardens, outdoor learning or environmental education settings

• Experience with volunteer management and training

• Experience liaising with funders and writing funding reports

• Experience with marketing and promoting educational programmes

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of the national curriculum

• Understanding of horticulture and gardening

• Experience using website content management systems

Qualifications

• Teaching qualification or relevant educational qualification

• Health and Safety qualification

• Safeguarding training/qualification

6. Additional Details

• Annual Salary: £30,000 – 35,000 pro-rata, depending on experience, plus 3% pension contribution

• Contract: 12-month, fixed term, with the potential for renewal

• Probation period: 6 months

• Working Location: BPCG, with consideration for hybrid working after 6 months

• Reporting to: General Manager

• Reports: Garden Educator, freelancers and volunteers

• FTE: 60-80%

• Hours: A working week is 37.5 hours. Hours generally range between 9:00am and 5:30pm, with some seasonal changes

• Days: Monday-Wednesday (or Thursday depending on FTE), with some flexibility to work on other days, including weekends / holidays for programme delivery or team coordination