Description Grade and Salary: Grade 4, (£22,681 - £25,138) FTE and working pattern: Full time, 35 hours per week (1FTE) Purpose of Role: As a Skilled Grounds Assistant, you will be responsible for implementing planned pitch maintenance tasks to ensure the pitch surfaces, grass and synthetic are maintained in line with the requirements of high performance sport. You must be highly motivated and have a strong worth ethic. You should be highly experienced in application of grounds maintenance routines and have a strong track record of success in your field. Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities: You will be responsible for the delivery of the ground’s maintenance operation of this world class sporting facility. You must ensure the preparation our playing surfaces complies with professional sports association regulations and the synthetic pitches maintain IRB and FIFA two star compliance throughout their lifecycle. The provision of world class surfaces will be achieved whilst providing exceptional service to students and the community who will also be prominent users of the facilities and services. The grounds services function will be a fully integrated part of the operations sections and as a Skilled Grounds Assistant also be an integral part of the overall operation of Oriam. Oriam promotes inspiration through the achievements and work ethic of its user groups. We require a grounds assistant who is highly motivated and can implement our maintenance routines to ensure the grounds section delivers consistently high standards that support a world class environment. Key tasks: A Skilled Grounds Assistant is responsible for delivering the daily grounds maintenance programme to ensure the pitch surfaces both grass and synthetic are delivered to a world class standard. Work effectively as part of the grounds team to ensure jobs are carried out effectively, supervising Unskilled Groundsmen when appropriate. Deliver the maintenance tasks required to ensure the synthetic pitches achieve and maintain FIFA 2 and IRB compliance. Carry out all grounds maintenance tasks complying with H&S, legal and statutory requirements. Monitor the pitch standards and take remedial action as required to maintain high performance pitch surfaces. Contribute to the management of the grounds maintenance section as a whole and to support the work of the Operations Manager (Grounds). Work with and co-ordinate grounds maintenance tasks with external contractors. Carry out the maintenance and safety processes for all machinery required for the delivery of the grounds maintenance service. Pitch preparation for major events. Cover other duties as required across the whole operation of the ORIAM to ensure exceptional customer service in maintained. This includes aiding other sections such as assisting Operations with facility preparations for an event. This will be more frequent when the pitch service is affected by adverse weather. Keep all external paths to and around the site clean and in good repair. Litter clearing on the site. Maintain all goals, flags and any other external pitch equipment. Set up and layout of pitches as required. Education, Qualifications & Experience: These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be based. Essential Experience of delivering a high performance grounds maintenance service, ideally at a facility with national standing. Must include both grass and synthetic pitches. Proven track-record of delivering exceptional customer service in a similar role. Experience of maintaining synthetic pitches preferably to FIFA 2 and IRB compliance. Experience of working as part of a wider organisation and ensuring grounds maintenance deliver the needs and priorities of partners. Experience of delivering pitch provision for major events. Experience of managing competing demands and meeting the needs of all partners. Practical experience in use of cutting, aeration, spraying and fertilising equipment. Qualification in grounds maintenance or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge through your professional development. Customer Service Qualification (E or must be obtained within 3 months of appointment). Wide range of ground maintenance qualifications such as pesticide certification, synthetic pitches maintenance, manual handling, and COSHH etc. (E or obtained within 6 months). Demonstrate a progressive personal development programme of qualifications/ training relevant to your career. Institute of Groundsmanship National Technical Certificate in Turf Culture or prepared to obtain the new •Level 3 Technical Diploma in Turf Surface Management within one year of employment. Desirable - Working knowledge of automated irrigation systems. - Experience of marking and measuring playing surfaces to accommodate various sports. Organisation Name: Oriam: Scotland’s Sports Performance Centre About Oriam: Oriam has a vision to inspire, engage and motivate our communities through the facilities we provide and the interactions we have with our customers. As a member of the team, you will contribute to the delivery of the strategy. How to Apply Applications with FULL CV can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Tuesday, 22 nd October 2024. Shortlisting will be done that week and interviews are anticipated w/c 4 th November 2024. At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community. Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.