Landscape and Grounds Operative

Are you an experienced Landscape and Grounds worker?  Join our team where you will provide a full range of horticultural services to maintain and improve the soft landscape of our beautiful Canterbury campus.

You will work on turfed surfaces, trees, hedgerows, shrubs and sports facilities to maintain and improve a safe and pleasant environment for our students, staff and visitors and to enhance biodiversity on the campus. We are seeking someone who is keen to work as part of a multi-skilled team and continue learning new skills and improving our Grounds services.

The average working hours for this role are 35 hours per week, split into seasonal working: 

Summer: Monday to Thursday 8:00 to 16:30, Friday 8:00 to 14:30 (total 36.45 hours)

Winter: Monday to Wednesday 8:00 to 15:30, Thursday 8:00 to 15:00, Friday 8:00 to 14:00. (total 31.75 hours)

As a Landscape and Grounds Operative you can expect to be involved in:

• Proactively carrying out work in line with the landscape specification document to ensure annual landscape maintenance occurs in a timely manner
• Driving and operating University owned plant equipment, vehicles & equipment to carry out horticultural tasks around the estate in a safe & compliant manner
• Working effectively with colleagues in the Grounds Team in order to ensure the best use of skills and experience to achieve the team’s objectives
• Carrying out regular maintenance and project work to enhance the biodiversity of the campus and helping to deliver the implementation of the published Environmental Management System.

What will you bring to the role?

• NVQ 2 or equivalent qualification/experience in related areas e.g. Horticulture, Sports Turf or Maintenance of amenity facilities
• Full UK manual Driving Licence (you will be driving University vehicles and transporting equipment)
• Proven experience of horticultural maintenance in a medium to large organisation
• Knowledge of maintenance techniques and processes inherent in the upkeep of artificial and natural landscapes.

What we can offer in return:

As a member of our team, you can expect a friendly, open & collaborative working environment & support in your development and wellbeing. You'll enjoy a range of great staff benefits including:

• 43 days' leave per year (personal leave, bank holidays and additional days allocated for the Christmas period, pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Excellent pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Corporate employee-funded healthcare plan, in partnership with Benenden Health

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve – join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are: http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/

Please see the 'Apply' link above to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact peopleserviceshr@kent.ac.uk quoting reference number EST-204-26

Further details:

Job Description
Additional Information

*Occasionally we may need to close a vacancy before the published deadline due to a high number of applications being received, therefore we strongly advise you to submit your application as soon as possible. (All vacancies will be open for at least one week.)

PLEASE NOTE: We prioritise applications from current University of Kent redeployees. 

Applications must be made via the University’s online application system; CVs or details sent directly to the department or via email cannot be considered.

The University of Kent values diversity and equality at all levels.

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