Grounds and Gardens Maintenance Operative (XN03)

NHS; Leeds; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS is seeking a Grounds and Gardens Maintenance Operative to join a team that ensures the Trust's external environments are well-maintained and safe. Responsibilities include garden maintenance, snow clearing, and monitoring safety compliance, all in a dynamic hospital setting. Candidates should have an NVQ level 2 in Horticulture and be prepared for physical outdoor work in varied weather conditions.

Benefits

Annual leave starting at 27 days per annum

Salary sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• Knowledge of horticultural procedures with practical experience.
• Completion of a recognised registered apprenticeship.
• Current driver's licence is required.

Responsibilities

• Assist with routine and planned gardening duties including weed control.
• Maintain external environments, including vegetation and cleaning pathways.
• Monitor hand-arm vibration and noise exposure in a safe manner.

Skills

Horticultural procedures

Physical task capability

Use of power tools

Teamwork

Legal record keeping

Education

NVQ level 2 in Horticulture

Tools

Chainsaw

Tractors

Ride on mowers

Pesticide application units

Job description

Grounds and Gardens Maintenance Operative (XN03)

Helpkeep our Trust grounds in shape and our patients, staff and visitors safe.

Werelooking to appoint a motivated individual as a Grounds and Gardens MaintenanceOperative to work within the Estates External Environment Team. In this diverserole, youll be part of a small team who work across a number of our Trustsites, who are dedicated to ensuring our external environments not only lookgreat, but are safe for everyone who uses them.

Therole will involve assisting in the day-to-day maintenance of the grounds andgardens as part of a small mobile team. This includes cleanliness and tidinessof grounds, gardens, roads, paths and paved areas, the care of lawns, flowerbeds, trees and shrubberies. Plus, youll be helping to maintain roads,footpaths, surface water drains and other external areas.

Theposition is 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday (7.5 hour days) and the postholder will be required to participate in the 22 week winter on call rota forgritting and snow clearing between November and March each year. The new postholder will be predominantly based at the St Jamess University HospitalGrounds workshop.

Thejob package includes: -

Acompetitive salary pro rata Band 3 £24,937-£26,598 (Inc. enhancements forunsocial hours.)

Annualleave starting at 27 days per annum plus statutory bank holidays rising to 33days with service.

Salarysacrifice schemes (cycle to work)

Main duties of the job

Thesuccessful candidate will be part of an 8-person team working trust wide. Therole is to ensure the Trusts grounds and gardens are maintained to a highstandard in accordance with legislation and codes of practice.

Thework will include routine and planned gardening duties including weed control,propagation and the maintenance of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, andhedges. There will also be a full range of landscaping duties, includingdecking, paving, walling etc. snow clearing and gritting, and other routinewinter duties. Maintain external and roof surface water drain gullies and carryout minor repairs to roads and footpaths.

Thesuccessful candidate will be expected to undertake all monitoring proceduresfor hand arm vibration and noise exposure in accordance with the Health &Safety executive requirements including completion of exposure logs.

Thecandidate will be required to operate vehicles and machinery as part of thepost including, but not restricted to, tractors, ride on mowers, chainsaws,hedge trimmers and strimmers. You will also be required to drive the trustvehicles so will need to have a full current British drivers licence.

Thisjob can involve prolonged periods of physical activity in extreme weather andtherefore the post holder must be capable of undertaking such duties.

Trainingis available, subject to budget, as part of the position and the candidate maybe required to attend training on an external providers premises.

About us

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is one of the largest employers in Leeds, with over 20,000staff providing care to 1.6 million patients each year. The Estates andFacilities team keep the Trust's sites running and manage one of the largestestate portfolios in the NHS. With over 2,300 staff, we provide a range ofEstates & Facilities services and ensure our buildings and environments arefit for purpose, clean and safe.

Whetherwe're cleaning wards, maintaining buildings, monitoring environmental impact,feeding patients, or patrolling our sites, we support the delivery of patientcare.

LeedsTeaching Hospitals is committed to redeploying 'at risk' members of ourexisting workforce to new roles. As such, all job adverts are subject to thispolicy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while thisprocess is completed. If you do experience a delay in shortlisting, please bearwith us, and contact us if you have questions.

Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our processof redeploying 'at risk' members of our existing workforce to new roles. Assuch, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the rightto close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you doexperience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, pleasebear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact ifyou have any questions.

Expected Shortlisting Date -30/06/2025

Planned Interview Date -09/07/2025

Job responsibilities

Reportingto the Estates Officer External Environment the role is diverse andincludes the assisting in the day to dayand planned maintenance of the Trusts external environment.

For a more detailed overview of the job descriptionand personal specification please see attached.

Person Specification

Additional Requirements

• Have a thorough knowledge, across a wide range of horticultural procedures, underpinned by relevant practical experience.
• To plan, organise and prioritise own work to provide an efficient service to the Trust and adhere to all Trust policies and procedures.
• To complete all relevant daily documentation in compliance with relevant statutory legislation and local codes of practice and quality control procedures.

Experience

• Completion of a recognised registered apprenticeship
• Working in an Acute Hospital Environment
• Knowledge and experience with block paving, fence and post erection, concreting, roof drainage systems, road drainage systems

Skills & Behaviours

• Able to carry out strenuous physical tasks and work in adverse , occasionally severe, weather conditions
• Able to use building & grounds maintenance power & hand tools, machinery & equipment including strimmers, rotavators etc.
• Able to complete legal records including but not limited to, pesticide application, vibration exposure, noise exposure & vehicle use
• Able to use electronic work management systems for the receiving of and signing off of work orders.
• Able to work under own initiative and as part of a team

Qualifications

• NVQ level 2 in Horticulture
• Current Drivers licence.
• PA Licence in categories 1, 2 and 6 (Hand held and vehicle mounted units)
• Chainsaw licence in categories 30 and 31 (fell and process small trees)
• Certificate for use of Tractors, Tractor loader & ride on mowers

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.