Grounds and Pitch Care Operative

TipTopJob; Cirencester; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Agricultural University is seeking a Grounds and Pitch Care Operative to maintain our sports pitches to the highest standards. The role is outdoors, physically demanding, and requires independent work with close collaboration across campus teams.

Applicants should have experience in sports turf or grounds maintenance, a strong organisational approach, and a flexible attitude. A qualification in sports turf management and spraying certificates would be advantageous.

Qualifications

• Experience in sports turf or grounds maintenance.
• Physically able to undertake the demands of the role.
• Excellent organisation, initiative and a flexible approach to work.
• A qualification in sports turf management and spraying certificates would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Mow, mark, aerate, fertilise, scarify, seed and top-dress pitches.
• Maintain artificial playing surfaces and grounds equipment.
• Carry out routine safety and condition checks on surfaces.
• Coordinate pitch usage and maintenance programmes with RAU Sport and external users.
• Keep accurate maintenance records and contribute to campus-wide grounds upkeep.

Skills

Sports turf knowledge

Grounds maintenance experience

Organisational skills

Health and safety awareness

Education

Sports turf management qualification

Spraying certificates (or progress towards obtaining)

Job description

Location: Cirencester

Salary: Grade 5: starting from A GBP 26,707 progressing to A GBP 31,236 per annum

Term: Full:time, permanent, 35 hours a week : some weekend work required.

The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is committed to providing an outstanding environment for learning, sport and wellbeing. As part of the Universitys long:term investment in its campus and sporting facilities, we are seeking a Grounds and Pitch Care Operative to help maintain and develop our sports grounds to the highest possible standards.

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and practical individual to play a key role in the care and development of the Universitys natural and artificial playing surfaces. Working throughout the seasons, the successful candidate will help ensure that our sports pitches provide a safe, high:quality experience for students, staff, visiting teams and commercial users. The role is largely outdoors, involves physically demanding work and requires confidence in working independently, while also collaborating closely with colleagues across the University.

The successful candidate will undertake a wide range of grounds maintenance activities, including mowing, marking, aeration, fertilising, scarifying, seeding and top dressing, alongside the maintenance and cleaning of artificial playing surfaces. They will also be responsible for maintaining sports equipment and grounds machinery, carrying out routine safety and condition checks, and ensuring all playing surfaces remain safe, fit for purpose and match ready.

Working with colleagues from RAU Sport, the Students Union and external users, the postholder will help coordinate pitch usage and maintenance programmes to maximise the quality and availability of facilities throughout the year. They will maintain accurate maintenance records, contribute to effective campus:wide grounds maintenance, and ensure all work is carried out in accordance with the Universitys Health and Safety procedures.

We welcome applications from individuals with experience in sports turf or grounds maintenance who have a good understanding of pitch renovation and maintenance practices. Applicants should have experience of maintaining sports grounds to a high standard, be physically able to undertake the demands of the role, and demonstrate excellent organisation, initiative and a flexible approach to work. A qualification in sports turf management, spraying certificates (or progress towards obtaining them), and experience of working collaboratively with sports teams or facility users would be advantageous.

For a full job description and details on how : rau.ac.uk/about:us/jobs

Closing date : 25 October 2026

Interviews : 06 November 2026

The RAU is an equal opportunities employer and we particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within the RAU at this level.