Milkwood Steiner School Grounds And Maintenance Person

Steiner Education Australia; Darwin; On-site; AUD 28,000 - 34,000; Part time

Job summary

Milkwood Steiner School in Darwin invites applications for a part-time Grounds and Maintenance Person. The role covers 15 hours per week under a 1-year contract commencing 2027, with the possibility of extension.

The successful candidate will uphold Milkwood’s sustainability values and work with staff and students to maintain a welcoming outdoor environment. The role includes lawn and garden maintenance, reticulation, pest control, and coordinating with external contractors, while ensuring WHS

Qualifications

• Current Ochre Card and Police Check are required.
• First Aid certificate or ability to obtain is required.
• Qualifications or experience in horticulture is required.
• Ability to operate and maintain gardening and maintenance machinery in line with WHS requirements.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to work independently.
• Interest in working with children and becoming part of the school community.

Responsibilities

• Work with College of Teachers, Principal and Administration staff.
• Maintain aesthetics and assets to reflect Milkwood values and support teaching and learning.
• Develop and implement an Annual Plan for grounds maintenance with leadership input.
• Maintain grounds and assets to safety standards and WHS policy, including lawn care, garden beds, fertilisers, pest control, and watering systems.
• Supervise community working bees and liaise with external contractors.
• Keep accurate records and attend relevant meetings.
• Occasionally work with students to build garden beds or compost systems.

Skills

Ochre Card

Police Check

First Aid Certificate

Horticulture Experience

WHS Knowledge

Organisational Skills

Education

Horticulture Qualification or Experience

Tools

Gardening machinery

Job description

Grounds and Maintenance Person

Milkwood Steiner School

15 hours/week

1 year contract commencing 2027 with the option of extending to future years

Milkwood Steiner School is situated on Larrakia land (Darwin), in the tropical north of Australia delivering a Steiner Curriculum to 170 students from Kindergarten to Class 10. We are a thriving, growing school, with a welcoming community and children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Our College of Teachers are committed to applying the richness of a Steiner Education to the unique cultural and environmental context of Australia’s Top End.

The Grounds and Maintenance Person brings a values of sustainability into their practice, and oversees the care for the school’s physical environment in ways that align with Milkwood’s values. The Grounds and Maintenance Person can work independently, with well-developed skills in problem-solving. They have the skills to recognise, prevent and alleviate associated with all grounds and maintenance processes, and the ability to maintain a pleasant and positive environment within the school. The Grounds and Maintenance Person enjoys working in a school environment and enjoys interaction with children and staff with an excellent understanding of child-safety and wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Work effectively with the College of Teachers, Principal and Administration Staff
• Ensure that the aesthetics and management of Milkwood’s grounds and assets reflect the cultural values of Milkwood Steiner School and support teaching and learning.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of an Annual Plan for grounds maintenance, in collaboration with the Principal, Finance Manager and WHS Officer
• Maintain Milkwood Steiner School’s grounds and assets to the standard required by the Principal, and to all safety standards and requirements in accordance with Milkwood’s WHS Policy. Common tasks include:
  • Maintenance and care of lawn, paved areas, pathways
  • Upkeep of garden beds
  • Management and safe distribution of fertilisers and pest control
  • Maintenance of reticulation and watering systems
  • Supervision of 4 community working bees per year
  • Liaise with external contractors as required
  • A broad range of maintenance tasks, including but not limited to carpentry, painting, gardening and other task
• Maintain accurate records and comply with reporting requirements of the role
• Attend relevant meetings at the discretion of the Principal.
• On occasion, the grounds and maintenance person may be invited to work with students and teachers. Examples include but are not limited to facilitating the building of new garden beds or compost systems with a class and their teacher, providing instructions to students about care and maintenance of the grounds.
• Identify and make recommendations to the Principal for improvements of Milkwood Steiner School’s grounds and assets.

Key Selection Criteria

The applicant must have a current Ochre Card, National Police Check and current First Aid certificate (or ability to obtain)

Essential

1. Ochre Card and Police Check
2. Qualifications or experience in Horticulture
3. Ability to operate and maintain gardening and maintenance machinery and equipment in accordance with WHS requirements
4. Organisational skills including the ability to prioritise tasks and work independently
5. Maintenance skills and experience that would enable the completion of day to day maintenance tasks
6. A love for working with children and an interest in becoming a member of our school community

Desirable

1. Medium Rigid Licence
2. An interest in additional paid hours of work, as required