Grounds Maintenance Operative

Great Places Housing Association; Manchester; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension up to 10%

Healthcare auto-enrolment

Discounts and perks

Annual leave 26–30 days

Wage access

Job summary

Great Places Housing Association is seeking a Grounds Maintenance Operative in Manchester. This full-time role (39 hours per week) involves maintaining communal spaces, carrying out grass cutting, planting, hedge work, and litter clearance across Great Places schemes.

You will work as part of a team with caretaking colleagues and external partners, supporting safety and quality standards while following COSHH and health and safety guidelines.

Qualifications

• Experience in grounds maintenance or similar outdoor role.
• Full UK driving licence required.
• Commitment to health and safety standards.
• Strong customer service orientation and respect for customers and colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Carry out grounds maintenance across schemes and communal areas (grass cutting, edging, hedge trimming, planting, spraying, litter clearance).
• Use hand tools, power tools, and vehicles; perform daily checks and report faults.
• Identify and report graffiti, vandalism, repairs, and other defects in external areas.
• Support seasonal activities including snow/ice clearance and gritting.
• Follow health and safety requirements and COSHH where applicable.
• Ensure vehicles/equipment are clean, safe and stored correctly.
• Respond to safeguarding concerns per organisational procedures.

Skills

Driving licence

Grounds maintenance

Customer service

Health and safety

Teamwork

Job description

Grounds Maintenance Operative Great Places Housing Association Manchester, UK

Grounds Maintenance Operative (full time, 39 hours per week)

You will carry out grounds maintenance across communal environments, including shared spaces around homes, open grassed areas, and landscaped sites. Working as part of a team, you will help deliver a planned maintenance programme that supports high-quality service delivery.

You will collaborate with caretaking teams, colleagues, and external partners to maintain clean, green, and safe environments. This includes seasonal duties such as snow and ice clearance, gritting, litter picking, and the removal of fly tipping. You will also identify and report environmental and maintenance issues, working with others to ensure they are resolved effectively.

What you'll be doing

• Carry out grounds maintenance across Great Places schemes and communal areas in line with the Grounds Maintenance Specification. This includes grass cutting, edging, hedge trimming, planting, spraying, and clearing leaves and litter.
• Use a range of hand tools, power tools, and vehicles, carrying out daily checks and basic maintenance, and reporting any faults or damage.
• Identify and report graffiti, vandalism, repairs, and other defects in external communal areas.
• Support seasonal activities such as snow and ice clearance, gritting, and other health and safety maintenance tasks.
• Follow all relevant quality standards and health and safety requirements, including COSHH.
• Ensure vehicles and equipment are kept clean, safe, and stored correctly.
• Apply herbicides and pesticides safely and in line with regulations, including reporting invasive weeds.
• Report any safeguarding concerns in line with organisational procedures.

What you'll need

• A full UK driving licence
• Previous experience in grounds maintenance or a similar outdoor/environmental role
• Strong customer service skills with a focus on treating customers and colleagues with respect
• A commitment to maintaining clean, safe, and well-kept neighbourhoods for customers
• A proactive and flexible approach, taking ownership of your work and spotting what needs doing
• A strong focus on health and safety, always working in a safe and compliant way
• Teamwork and collaboration, working effectively with colleagues, contractors, and partners
• Pride in your work and a positive attitude to delivering high-quality services

What we need from you

• A commitment to understand the challenges and opportunities that exist in the communities in which we work. We particularly value lived experience in social housing
• A passion to advocate on behalf of people and communities
• A commitment to work in partnership with others for the benefit of Great Places
• A commitment to continuous learning and improvement
• Ability to work flexibly and when needed outside normal working hours to ensure service continuity
• To be professional and work with integrity, inclusivity and respect for diversity

What we give you in return for your hard work and commitment

• Pension DC Scheme (up to 10% contribution from both colleague and Great Places)
• WPA Healthcare auto enrolled at no contribution level with £1250 of savings available- option to increase & add on family members
• The Market Place High street, restaurant & supermarket discounts, gym memberships, cycle to work, smart tech loans and much more
• Annual Leave Start at 26 days annual leave, increasing up to 30 days within 5 years+ Bank Holidays
• Reward & Recognition You Count Rewards are individual reward’s for going ‘above & beyond’
• Help with transport We offer season ticket loans, an affordable way to purchase season tickets for public transport at discounted rates .
• Wage Stream You can access savings opportunities and early access to wages

For the purposes of our van fleet insurance you must have a minimum of 2 years driving experience with a full UK driving licence, be over the age of 21 and complete an on-line driver monitoring Assessment prior to starting your role. If you are under 21 but with 2 years driving experience with a full UK driving licence you would be required to complete an on-line driver monitoring assessment and additional in vehicle assessment prior to starting your role funded by Great Places.

Great Places Housing Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults and expects all our colleagues to share this commitment. All successful applicant(s) will be subject to a basic criminal records background check. Further detail on our commitment to safeguarding children/young people & vulnerable adults can be found in the Great Places Housing Group Safeguarding Policy & Recruitment Policy on our website.

Full-time