Job opportunity at Plants For Europe Limited

VACANCY – MARKETING AND ADMINISTRATION EXECUTIVE (PART TIME)

ABOUT PLANTS FOR EUROPE…

Plants For Europe Limited is an independent plant breeders’ agent, established in 2003. We work with plant breeders to help them protect their new plant varieties with intellectual property rights in the UK, European Union and further afield. We promote and market these varieties, issue licences and collect royalties. Ours is an unusual business where no two days are the same, working in the wonderful horticulture industry that is filled with warm and friendly people.

ABOUT THE JOB…

We are seeking a part-time Marketing and Administration Executive to join our small, family-run business based in High Hurstwood, Uckfield, TN22.

The Marketing and Administration Executive will have a varied and interesting role. Duties will include:

• Promoting and marketing plant varieties in our portfolio. This will include social media work and maintaining our website content.
• Liaison with our plant breeder clients and licensed grower clients, mainly by email and telephone, but also in person on site visits and at trade events.
• Administration of licences and other contracts using standard template documents via our online contract administration system.
• Obtaining reports from licensed growers on variety evaluation trials and following up.
• Collating reports of sales from licensed growers and issuing invoices.
• Logging income and expenditure in Xero.

ABOUT YOU…..

Our new Marketing and Administration Executive will definitely:

• have strong written and verbal communication skills, with a warm and engaging personality. Our industry is dominated by SMEs, so people skills are really important – our clients are often also our friends.
• be confident with numbers, with good attention to detail.
• be able to use the major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X and LinkedIn. We also use WordPress to manage our website content.
• be confident in using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Access and Publisher.
• have some experience of using Xero accounting software.
• make better use of Zoho CRM than we do already!
• be happy spending quite a bit of time in front of a computer.
• be flexible about sometimes going out for a day or two to visit clients or trade events, which may include international travel and overnight stays. We always know the dates well in advance, so there is plenty of time to plan.
• be able to drive. We are based in a rural location, so you will need your car to get here.

It would be amazing if our new Marketing and Administration Executive also:

• has some horticultural knowledge. Being a keen gardener is great, but some experience in the horticulture industry would be even better, especially if you have worked in a commercial nursery. You will learn a lot about plants and growing as you work with us, particularly about the plants in our portfolio.
• has some proficiency in a foreign language. We have clients all around the world and nearly all of them speak excellent English, but it would certainly be an advantage to communicate with them in their native tongue.
• likes cats! We love cats here, and our geriatric cat Treacle is part of the family.

HOURS AND SALARY….

This is a part-time role, based in our beautiful garden office in High Hurstwood, Uckfield TN22. You will work with the company owner, Graham Spencer.

• Typically, you will work 15 hours per week. This may increase in the future as our business grows.
• Your core hours can be adapted to fit around other responsibilities such as the school run. We always try to be flexible on your hours to help you.
• Hybrid working is possible (after your initial training period) – most of our systems are online and we regularly use Zoom.
• Salary: £26,390 to £28,210 (full-time equivalent) gross, pro-rata, depending on your skills and experience.
• Employees benefit from a NEST stakeholder pension scheme.
• We are open to the possibility of the successful candidate working as a self-employed freelance contractor.
• Our office environment is friendly and informal. You’ll have views over the garden from your desk. And there’s a lovely pub next door!

NEXT STEPS…

Send your CV, along with a covering email telling us all about you and why we would be perfect to work together, to graham@plantsforeurope.com 

We would like to hear from you by Friday 8th September 2023.

We will arrange an initial discussion with selected candidates by telephone or via Zoom during the week starting 11th September, followed by in-person discussion here with the shortlisted candidates soon after that.

We will agree the start date with the successful candidate, which will likely be in mid-October.