Grounds Maintenance Operative

Harewood House Trust Ltd; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Harewood House Trust Ltd is seeking a hands-on gardener/grounds maintenance operative to join our team at Harewood House, a historic Yorkshire estate. You’ll maintain lawns, hedges, trees and planted areas, care for footpaths and visitor spaces, and help prepare outdoor spaces for events to enhance the visitor experience.

You’ll work outdoors in all weathers, use mowing equipment and hand tools, and contribute to the upkeep of a much-loved destination.

Qualifications

• Experience in grounds maintenance or gardening.
• Ability to use machinery and hand tools safely.
• Full, clean UK driving licence is essential.
• Willingness to work outdoors in all weather conditions.

Responsibilities

• Maintain lawns and grassed areas with mowing equipment.
• Prune hedges, trees and shrubs and tend planted areas.
• Keep gardens, footpaths and visitor spaces clean and safe.
• Carry out leaf litter collection, sweeping and general maintenance.
• Support events and seasonal activities across the estate.

Skills

Gardening

Grounds maintenance

Machinery operation

Teamwork

Flexible approach

Tools

Chainsaw use

Lawn mowing equipment

Job description

Do you love working outdoors, take pride in creating beautiful landscapes, and enjoy seeing the results of your hard work? Join the team at Harewood House, one of Yorkshire's most beautiful historic estates, and help keep its gardens, grounds and outdoor spaces looking their best.Working alongside the Grounds Supervisor, you'll play an important role in maintaining the estate's grounds to a high standard, ensuring they remain safe, welcoming and enjoyable for visitors throughout the year.

About the role

This is an ideal opportunity for a keen gardener or experienced grounds maintenance operative who enjoys a hands-on, varied role in a beautiful heritage setting. From caring for lawns, trees, hedges and planted areas to maintaining footpaths, play areas, woodlands and lakeside gardens, you'll help protect and enhance the landscape that makes Harewood special.

Your work will also support the wider visitor experience, helping prepare outdoor spaces for events, install signage and bring seasonal attractions to life.

What you'll be doing

• Maintaining lawns and grassed areas using pedestrian and ride-on mowing equipment.
• Strimming, hedge cutting and caring for trees, shrubs and planted areas.
• Keeping gardens, footpaths, car parks and visitor spaces clean, tidy and safe.
• Carrying out leaf and litter collection, sweeping and general site maintenance.
• Helping maintain play areas and carrying out daily safety inspections.
• Undertaking footpath repairs, horticultural tasks and general grounds maintenance.
• Supporting outdoor events, seasonal activities and other teams across the estate.
• Maintaining tools, vehicles and machinery, reporting faults and working safely at all times.

You'll work outdoors in all weathers, take pride in the quality of your work and help ensure every visitor experiences the estate at its best.

About you

We're looking for someone who enjoys practical outdoor work, has an interest in gardening and grounds care, and takes pride in maintaining attractive, well-presented spaces.

You'll ideally have experience in grounds maintenance, horticulture or gardening, along with the confidence to use relevant machinery and equipment safely. Relevant qualifications in areas such as chainsaw use, grass cutting, machinery operation or herbicide application would be an advantage.

Just as importantly, you'll be reliable, hardworking, self-motivated and happy to work as part of a team. You'll have a flexible approach, good communication skills and a friendly, professional manner when working with colleagues, volunteers and visitors.

A full, clean UK driving licence is essential, as is flexibility to participatein an occasional weekend duty rota. A willingness to learn, support others and contribute to Harewood's commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging is also important.

Previous experience at a heritage or visitor attraction would be beneficial, but a genuine enthusiasm for gardening, outdoor work and maintaining beautiful spaces is equally valued.

This is an opportunity to put your gardening and practical skills to work in a unique historic landscape, contribute to the upkeep of a much-loved Yorkshire destination and enjoy a varied role where no two days are quite the same.

If you love working outdoors, care about the details and want to make a visible difference to a special place, we'd love to hear from you.