College Teacher – Horticulture – Teagasc Botanics

Post Type:

Maternity Leave Cover – Indicative duration of 10 months.

Location:

Teagasc, College of Amenity Horticulture, National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

Reporting To:

College Principal and/or other nominated managers.

Basic Function:

The successful candidate will be required to operate as part of a team in the development and delivery of land-based education in general horticulture to a wide range of courses/programmes within the College of Amenity Horticulture. The person appointed to this post will be assigned to the teaching staff of the College.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepare assessment papers in accordance with Quality & Qualifications Ireland (QQI) guidelines
• Correct, record, verify and inform students of their progress in the assessment system
• Provide tutorials to students on class work and practicals related to their chosen course
• Assist with schools and career open days in order to market the courses and give guidance on likely job opportunities for school leavers and mature students
• Prepare and deliver a quality lecture and class material across a range of horticulture topics to different College courses and programmes
• Provide material for practicals, open days, in-service training and educational exhibits
• Implement quality assurance including internal verification
• Manage the health, safety and welfare of students
• Liaise with relevant internal and external stakeholders
• Participate in the annual business planning and risk management process for the College
• Maintain responsibility for professional development and training through active participation in the Performance Management Development System (PMDS)
• Assist management and administrative staff in achieving good governance and risk management through co-operation and adherence to administrative procedures and practices
• Assist Teagasc in meeting the commitments of the Quality Customer Service charter and action plan
• Work ‘out of hours’ when needed
• Fully co-operate with the provisions made for ensuring the health, safety and welfare of themselves, fellow staff and non-Teagasc staff and co-operate with management in enabling Teagasc to comply with legal obligations. This includes full compliance with the responsibilities outlined in the Safety Statement
• Perform other duties as assigned from time to time

* This job specification is intended as a guide to the general range of duties and is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive.

Essential:

Qualifications:

• Applicants must hold a relevant Level 8 degree in Horticulture
• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline

Skills:

• Training experience in Horticulture Machinery
• Excellent plant knowledge
• Strong IT skills
• Excellent communication skills and experience collaborating with stakeholders
• Excellent organisational skills
• Teamwork and leadership abilities
• Quality and customer service focus

Knowledge:

• Wide-ranging and practical knowledge of horticulture and the horticultural machinery
• Solid understanding and appreciation of the role of horticulture in the Irish economy
• Thorough understanding of IPM and approaches to sustainable management of plants and horticultural crops
• Applicants must stay abreast of current concepts and use effective teaching methods to impart this knowledge to the students

Behavioral Competencies:

• Excellent analysis, problem-solving & decision support abilities
• Proven ability to work in a team situation
• Work and project organisation, shows pro-activity and drive
• Shows excellent communication skills and the ability to teach and transfer knowledge
• Adopts an open-minded and flexible approach to work
• Understands and appreciates the importance of continuous professional development

Eligibility:

• This is an open public competition.
• Should a current serving Teagasc staff member be successful in their application through open public competition for this post, their current contract of employment with Teagasc will come to an end on taking up this post.

Other:

Candidates must satisfy and continue to satisfy during employment with Teagasc, legal requirements to drive unaccompanied on Irish public roads.

Desirable

• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline.
• Teaching experience.
• Experience across a wide range of horticulture sectors.
• Familiarity with Teagasc education system.
• QQI quality assurance procedures.

Note: The ‘essential’ qualifications, knowledge, skills and behavioural competencies outlined above are ‘must- have’ which will be used in the selection process.