Vacant job

The Botanical Garden is a place where the diversity of the plant world is at the center. Botaniska is a scientific institution with botanical research and horticultural development work at a high international level. Throughout the garden's hundred-year history, plants from all over the world have found their place in our living collections, now cultivated in beautiful environments throughout the garden, in the arboretum, and in the greenhouses.

Every year, our 600,000 visitors experience something extraordinary that we hope will spark interest in the diversity of the plant world and the important conservation work surrounding it. The educational activities are aimed at both schools and educational actors in the form of lessons and training, as well as the general public through exhibitions, tours, and events.

Botaniska is one of the largest botanical gardens in Europe, covering approximately 75 hectares and housing 20,000 unique plants from more than 130 countries. In our workplace, all employees are important parts of the whole, and together we work towards common goals, with Swedish as our working language.

The Botanical Garden in Gothenburg is an administration within the Västra Götaland Region.

Are you our new Head of Research?

Do you want to work as the Head of Research with responsibility for our unique plant collections and our conservation work, alongside engaged colleagues? With us, you will have the chance to be a key player in developing Botaniska's activities and collaborations both nationally and internationally.

As the Head of Research, you will lead an operation where passion and professionalism go hand in hand. You will be responsible for the unit's employees, finances, and development – while also driving Botaniska's research and conservation agenda forward. You will be involved where it happens: in the management team, in international networks, and at the core of our work with biodiversity.

At Botaniska, we see the garden as a whole where all parts are needed - research and practice are intertwined in our professional everyday life, and the entire garden should be viewed as a place to conduct research. Botaniska is a major tourist destination, and new greenhouses and a visitor center are currently being built in the garden. Don’t miss the chance to become part of one of Europe's most dynamic botanical gardens!

Responsibilities

• Be the unit manager responsible for operations, employees, finances, and working environment for the conservation and research unit with about 10 employees.
• Lead the work to develop and implement collection policies and research strategies.
• Lead the work with collection curation, research trips, and fieldwork.
• Work strategically for increasing external funding for research.
• Identify and develop external collaborations, both with external actors focused on research/conservation and with industry organizations.
• Demonstrate Botaniska's knowledge and relevance in the issue of biodiversity.
• Advocate for the expertise of botanical gardens to be utilized in the national and Nordic conservation perspective.
• International travel is often required in the position.
• You will be part of the highest management group of the administration.

Qualifications

You hold a PhD in botany with a focus on vascular plants (or another area deemed equivalent). You have at least 7 years of work experience after your doctorate and experience working with scientific collections. You have at least 5 years of work experience in strategically leading people and developing an area.

Other experience requirements include:

• International experience, for example through collaborations and projects in an international context.
• Experience in driving and leading research projects.
• Successfully applied for and received funding for projects/research projects.

It is advantageous if you:

• Have worked in a botanical garden.
• Have management experience.
• Have worked abroad and/or led fieldwork abroad.
• Have a relevant network in Sweden and internationally.
• Have knowledge of international laws and regulations (such as the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity).

We expect you to express yourself very well in both spoken and written Swedish and English. If you do not speak Swedish from the start, you are expected to learn within two years. You have deep and broad plant knowledge and knowledge of the diversity of the plant world. You are highly familiar with digital tools and data systems as working tools.

We are looking for someone who is outgoing and enjoys leading people. You like to see your colleagues grow and develop. You are strategic, development-oriented, and innovative. You need to be good at networking and collaborating in an international context.

Other

Management recruitments within the Botanical Garden follow the management recruitment process in the Västra Götaland Region, based on the region's four fundamental management criteria:

• Value-based leadership
• Goal and results-oriented leadership
• Communicative leadership
• Development-oriented leadership.

Interviews are planned for March 18, March 20, March 23, and March 27. As part of the selection process, in-depth interviews and testing will take place at the region's management recruitment center in Gothenburg on April 9 for final candidates.