Head of Grounds and Gardens
Overview: Prior Park College, Bath is seeking a dedicated and skilled Grounds person and Gardener to join our team. The ideal candidate will have a passion for horticulture and a strong understanding of landscape maintenance. This role involves maintaining gardens, grounds, and outdoor spaces to ensure they are aesthetically pleasing and healthy. The Head of Grounds and Gardens will work with various tools and equipment, contributing to the overall beauty and functionality of the landscape.
Responsibilities:
1. The role of Head of Grounds and Gardens fulfils an essential element of our Estates Team maintaining the grounds and gardens at both Prior Park College and the Paragon school reporting to the Estates Manager.
2. Lead a team of gardeners and grounds persons in maintaining the 45 acres at Prior Park College and 15 acres at The Paragon School, ensuring that all sports pitches, play surfaces, gardens, and outdoor spaces across the school sites are maintained to the required standard.
3. Be the direct line manager to members of the Grounds & Gardens team, requiring a hands-on approach.
4. Communicate with staff at all levels, be self-motivated, and lead by example.
5. Manage and balance the needs of multiple sites with a high degree of organisation skills and forward planning.
6. Prepare, maintain, and improve all sports pitches including Hockey, Rugby, Tennis, Cricket, summer athletics, and all-weather surfaces.
7. Prepare and implement a rolling seasonal and yearly tasks schedule for all works across the estates.
8. Produce, review, and monitor implementation of all grounds and gardens risk assessments and communicate controls to staff.
9. Maintain statutory compliance checks and records including annual tree inspections/spraying and sports/play equipment.
10. Monitor compliance with good Health and Safety legislation and practice, ensuring a safe working environment for staff and visitors to our schools.
11. Ensure the estates at both schools are kept in a safe, tidy, litter-free condition.
12. Manage the grounds and gardens budget ensuring that best value for supplies.
13. Obtain quotations and work with external contractors as required.
14. Liaise with specialist consultants to improve the grounds and gardens, as required.
15. Meet routinely with internal stakeholders to review and improve service performance.
16. Hold regular team meetings and ensure each member of staff has a comprehensive rolling programme/schedule of work.
17. Manage the training requirements for all staff in the team.
18. Ensure that all vehicles, machinery, tools, and safety equipment are regularly checked, serviced, and maintained in safe working condition.
19. Inspect, maintain, and repair all hard/soft landscaping across the sites including gates, boundary fencing, garden huts, outbuildings, edging, top dressing, pruning shrubs and hedges, and tree planting applying fertilisers.
20. Carry out safely weed spraying, application of fertilisers, chemicals, etc.
21. Maintain, enhance, and develop all planting borders across all schools and keep accurate planting records.
22. Manage the propagation of new plants at the schools and North Road school property.
23. Source and maintain all indoor and office planting.
24. Be involved in the recruitment and induction of new team members.
Qualifications:
1. Minimum Level 2 or equivalent in turf management or Horticulture.
2. Full UK Driving Licence.
3. Proven experience working across both grounds and gardens roles in a large organisation.
4. Knowledge and awareness of the importance of confidentiality and data protection.
5. Good knowledge of machinery and vehicle maintenance.
6. Sound understanding of relevant health and safety and industry legislation, including COSHH.
7. Good interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
8. A confident IT user with experience of Microsoft Office applications.
9. Good organisational skills, able to work to strict and often conflicting deadlines.
10. An ability to work collaboratively across many departments and develop and maintain positive and supportive working relationships.
11. A flexible attitude towards duties and working patterns to fulfil the requirements of the role.
12. Very high standards with exceptional attention to detail.
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