Gardener / Assistant Gardener
Job introduction
Do you have broad experience in all aspects of grounds maintenance?
Do you enjoy working outdoors whatever the weather?
Are you a team player?
If so, then this could be the job for you. The City Parks department at Brighton & Hove City Council is looking for qualified Gardeners (Scale 3) and Assistant Gardeners (Scale 1/2) to join their professional team.
You will be responsible for carrying out specialist horticultural and grounds maintenance operations, maintaining the city’s parks and green spaces, ensuring that all works are completed competently and in accordance with Health & Safety legislation.
About the role
The city of Brighton & Hove has approximately 147 parks and gardens (covering 1,200 hectares), including seven award-winning Green Flag parks, that promote a positive image of the city. The city’s parks and public open spaces are immensely popular with residents and tourists alike.
The council’s City Parks department is responsible for maintaining all those public open spaces to a highly professional and safe standard. In addition, City Parks manages a number of grounds maintenance contracts for the council’s Housing, Highways, Schools and Cemeteries departments.
City Parks is seeking to employ full-time, experienced Gardeners and Assistant Gardeners to work at sites across the city.
The ideal candidates should be self-motivated and hard-working with past employment experience delivering horticultural and grounds maintenance works to a high standard.
The roles of Gardener and Assistant Gardener require a wide range of experience using grounds maintenance equipment. A sound knowledge of health and safety relating to grounds maintenance is essential.
Postholders will be required to operate vibrating machinery, some requiring ear protection to be worn.
It will be decided at interview whether applicants’ levels of training and experience are most suited to the role of Gardener or to the role of Assistant Gardener. Applicants should specify which role they are applying for, or if they wish to be considered for either role.
Those applying for the role of Gardener must hold a NVQ Level 1 qualification in a relevant subject. A full UK driving licence and NPTC PA1 & PA6A spraying certificates are desirable qualifications in either role.
Contracted working hours are 37 per week, Monday to Friday
Contract: permanent, full-time
We are seeking keen, dedicated and responsible gardeners who can demonstrate the following qualities:
- Ability to provide a high standard of grounds maintenance
- Ability to work as part of a small team
- Good people skills and ability to build strong working relationships
- Awareness of Health & Safety legislation relating to grounds maintenance
- Experience using a wide range of grounds maintenance equipment
- Knowledge of basic vehicle and machinery maintenance
- Willingness to undertake additional training
- Ability to identify a wide range of shrub and plant species
- A conscientious approach to personal health and safety in the workplace
Interview dates: January 2021
For an informal discussion, please call 01273 294751 or email cityparks@brighton-hove.gov.uk and leave a message for an Operations Manager to contact you.
TO APPLY - as part of your application, you will need to answer some branching questions. To help you, some guidance has been attached to the advert below.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is part-time or term-time only.
Work Permits: we may be able to obtain a Work Permit for this post but this is subject to meeting the requirements of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System.
From 6 April 2011 the Home Office has placed a permanent restriction on the number of migrant workers that all Tier 2 (General) Sponsors can recruit. Due to the restrictions we cannot guarantee that individuals that meet the requirements of the Points-based Immigration System will be issued with clearance to obtain work permits.
Company information
We welcome applications from all sections of the community but particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, LGB, female or trans as these groups are currently under-represented in our Directorate workforce.
As part of Brighton & Hove City Council's ongoing commitment to redeployment, please note that this vacancy may be withdrawn at any stage of the recruitment process, without prior notice if a suitable redeployee (internal employee at risk of redundancy) is identified.