Victorian Palm House Engagement Assistant

ASVA: Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 25,000 - GBP 30,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading botanical garden in Edinburgh is seeking a Victorian Palm House Engagement Assistant. The role involves planning events, managing customer inquiries, and leading tours. Ideal candidates have strong communication and organizational skills, proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, and a passion for horticulture or community engagement. This full-time, fixed-term position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to work in a historic setting, contributing to vibrant community activities.

Benefits

Civil service pension

Generous holiday entitlement

Other benefits

Qualifications

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Confident in working with community groups and supporting volunteers.
• Comfortable managing competing tasks.

Responsibilities

• Assist with planning event schedules.
• Manage customer enquiries.
• Lead Palm House tours for visitors.
• Raise purchase orders and update budgets.
• Coordinate resources for events.

Skills

Strong communication skills

Organisational skills

Administrative skills

Proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel

Knowledge of horticulture, arts, culture or heritage

Job description

Victorian Palm House Engagement Assistant

Organisation: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Salary: £25,424 (pay award pending) plus civil service pension, generous holiday entitlement and other benefits

Location: Edinburgh

Full-time (35 hours), fixed term (1 April 2026 – 28 February 2027) post, based in Edinburgh
Salary £25,424 (pay award pending) plus civil service pension, generous holiday entitlement and other benefits

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is one of the world’s leading botanic gardens and a global centre for biodiversity science, horticulture and education. Our vision is of a positive future for plants, people and the planet. With the replanting of our stunning Victorian Palm House underway, with a view to fully reopening in Autumn 2026, we are looking for a friendly, organised and proactive Engagement Assistant to help us deliver a vibrant programme of events, workshops and tours.

In this varied role, you’ll work closely with our Engagement team, volunteers, community partners and internal colleagues to support the smooth running of our cultural and community activities. Every day will be different: from helping plan event schedules and managing customer enquiries, to assisting with set‑ups, welcoming audiences, gathering feedback and even leading Palm House tours for a range of visitors. You’ll also play an important part behind the scenes — raising purchase orders, updating budgets, coordinating resources and ensuring our events meet high standards of accessibility, safety and inclusion.

We’re looking for someone who is a strong communicator with excellent organisational and administrative skills, who is confident working with community groups and supporting volunteers. You’ll be comfortable managing competing tasks and proficient in Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as being knowledgeable and enthusiastic about horticulture, arts, culture or heritage and committed to delivering safe, welcoming and inclusive experiences for all.

If you’re excited by community engagement, love working as part of a team, and want to help create unforgettable moments in a beautiful historic setting, we’d love to hear from you.

Closing date: 12pm (GMT) on Thursday 19 February 2026
Interview date: Monday 2 March 2026

For more information, including job description, person specification, and to apply please visit our website.

Application Deadline: Thursday 19/02/2026