Description:
Who We Are
Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV) employs over 240 staff overseeing two beautiful world-class gardens, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne. The organisation fosters an understanding and appreciation for plants and the natural world through arts and culture and education programs, world-leading scientific research, plant conservation programs, and promotes health and wellbeing in nature. For further information please visit https://www.rbg.vic.gov.au/
What You'll Do
We are seeking an experienced Director Horticulture to lead the operations and strategic direction of Cranbourne Gardens horticulture. This role oversees horticultural maintenance, plant collections, and sustainable landscape management while driving key initiatives in conservation, biodiversity, and climate resilience. As a senior leader, you will manage site operations, risk, and stakeholder engagement, contribute to major garden development projects, and collaborate with internal and external partners to achieve world-class horticultural standards. You will also mentor and develop a team, ensuring excellence in plant health, biosecurity, and sustainable practices. If you are a passionate leader with expertise in horticulture, landscape management, and environmental advocacy, this is a unique opportunity to shape the future of Cranbourne Gardens.
What You'll Bring
The ideal candidate will be an experienced and strategic leader with a degree in horticulture, botany, natural sciences, or equivalent experience. You will bring significant gardens management expertise from botanic or public gardens, with a strong track record in developing and overseeing plant collections, horticultural maintenance, and landscape development programs, including nursery and irrigation operations. As a proven people leader, you will have experience managing large teams, setting priorities, and driving performance to achieve strategic objectives. Your ability to translate vision into action, track progress, and apply innovative solutions will be key to success in this role. Strong financial management skills and experience handling branch budgets are essential. With advanced planning, organisation, and creative problem-solving skills, you will effectively oversee strategic initiatives, business planning, and major projects. Your high-level leadership and stakeholder engagement skills will enable you to provide expert advice, build strong partnerships, and drive successful outcomes for Cranbourne Gardens horticulture. All other key selection criteria can be found in the position description which is located under the attachments heading on the Victorian Government Careers website.
Working with Us
At RBGV you'll be part of a nationally-recognised organisation that makes a genuine impact on a local and international scale. As an employee you will benefit from flexible working arrangements to assist in creating genuine work/life balance, annual leave loading, access to an Employee Assistance Program and much more.
How to Apply
To apply for this role, please visit the Victorian Government Careers website at http://jobs.careers.vic.gov.au .You must submit a recent resume along with a document responding to each of the Key Selection Criteria as stated in the position description prior to the deadline. Enquiries can be directed by email to recruitment@rbg.vic.gov.au . Applications will only be accepted via the Victorian Government website.