Environmental Operative

Oldham-Council; Oldham; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Pension scheme (LGPS)

Discounted gym membership

Staff discount scheme

Cycle to Work

Wellbeing support

Peer support groups

Job summary

Oldham Council is seeking an Environmental Operative to maintain parks, cemeteries, and public spaces in Oldham. The role involves operating ride-on mowing equipment and machinery, and delivering maintenance tasks to high standards.

The post is permanent, offering a Grade 3 salary and outdoor working with a 36.66-hour week. The job is based at Environment Centre & Depot in Oldham, OL8 2BH, with a closing date of 14 September 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience of grounds maintenance and horticultural activities.
• Ability to operate powered equipment and machinery safely.
• Full valid driving licence and willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions.

Responsibilities

• Undertake grounds maintenance, horticultural, environmental cleansing and landscaping tasks across parks and cemeteries.
• Operate specialist vehicles and ride-on mowing equipment and related machinery.
• Work with minimal supervision to deliver allocated work programmes and maintain public spaces to standards.
• Provide guidance and on-the-job support to apprentices and Environmental Operatives.
• Identify and report safety hazards and maintenance issues while responding to enquiries.

Skills

Grounds maintenance

Horticulture

Environmental services

Mowing

Tools

Ride-on mower

Job description

Place

Environmental Services -Grounds & Cemeteries

Environmental Operative

Ref: 001701

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £27,274 - £29,071 per annum (Grade 3)

Hours: 36.66 per week – outdoor working

Location: Environment Centre & Depot - Kings Rd ,Oldham ,OL8 2BH

Closing Date: Monday 14 September 2026

Interview Date: TBC.

Role Overview:

The Environmental Operative 3 (Skilled Operative) plays an important role in maintaining and enhancing Oldham's parks, open spaces, cemeteries, sports facilities and landscaped environments. Working as part of a frontline operational team, the postholder will undertake a wide range of grounds maintenance, horticultural, environmental cleansing and landscaping activities, helping to ensure that the borough's public spaces remain safe, clean, attractive and well maintained.

The successful candidate will operate a variety of specialist vehicles, plant and machinery, including ride-on mowing equipment and associated maintenance equipment, carrying out work to agreed quality and safety standards. The role requires a proactive and reliable individual who can work with minimal supervision, take responsibility for completing allocated work programmes and respond professionally to enquiries from residents, stakeholders and other service users.

As a skilled operative, the postholder will also provide practical guidance and support to apprentices, trainees and Environmental Operatives, helping to develop skills and maintain high standards of service delivery across the team. The role offers a varied working environment and the opportunity to contribute directly to the appearance, sustainability and environmental quality of the borough.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced and motivated individual with a background in grounds maintenance, horticulture or environmental services to make a visible and lasting difference to local communities while supporting the delivery of high-quality frontline environmental services.

Please refer to the Advert Writing and Inclusive Recruitment Guidance available under the ‘Recruitment’ section of the intranet to make sure your advert is inclusive and stands out.

Key Responsibilities:

• Undertake grounds maintenance, horticultural, environmental cleansing and landscaping activities across parks, highways, cemeteries, playing fields and public open spaces.
• Operate specialist vehicles, plant and machinery, including ride-on mowing equipment and associated maintenance equipment.
• Work with minimal supervision to deliver allocated work programmes and maintain public spaces to agreed standards.
• Provide guidance, support and on-the-job assistance to apprentices, trainees and Environmental Operatives as required.
• Identify and report safety hazards, defects, vandalism and maintenance issues, whilst responding professionally to customer enquiries and service requests.

Key Requirements:

• Experience of grounds maintenance, horticultural and environmental services activities, including mowing, planting, pruning, sports pitch marking and associated maintenance tasks.
• Ability to operate powered equipment, machinery, light plant and associated maintenance equipment safely and effectively.
• Full current driving licence and the ability to work flexibly outdoors in all weather conditions.

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page.

Our Benefits Package:

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

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Important Information: Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

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