Grounds Maintenance Operative

CHP; Sandon; Hybrid; GBP 29,000; Full time

Job summary

A local housing association in the UK is seeking a Grounds Maintenance Operative to ensure high-quality grounds maintenance across its properties. Responsibilities include grass cutting, hedge trimming, and conducting machinery checks. Ideal candidates should have a valid driving license, demonstrate physical fitness, and have experience with horticultural equipment. This full-time, permanent role offers a salary of £28,560 per year along with various benefits including 25 days of annual leave and development opportunities.

Benefits

Healthcare cash plan

Competitive pension scheme

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Strong physical fitness and ability to handle job demands.
• Full, current manual driving licence required.
• Experience in operating grass cutting equipment essential.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality grounds maintenance services.
• Carry out cleaning and safety checks on machinery.
• Assist team in small repairs and larger project works.

Skills

Grass cutting equipment operation

Horticultural machinery operation

Good literacy and numeracy

Ability to work in all weathers

Organizational skills

Education

GCSE level or equivalent

Job description

Grounds Maintenance Operative

£28,560

Chelmsford

Permanent, Full Time

We are looking for a Grounds Maintenance Operative, who will deliver a high‑quality effective grounds maintenance service within agreed timescales to all CHP properties in the CHP Portfolio and our partnership agreements, including sheltered schemes, communal areas and individual properties, ensuring CHP’s land is maintained to a high standard to meet customer needs.

What you’ll be doing

• Deliver a high‑quality grounds maintenance service by undertaking tasks such as grass cutting, hedge trimming, weed control, litter picking, planting and minor tree works, as well as undertaking repairs and maintenance as required to fencing, gates and posts.
• Carry out basic maintenance, cleaning and safety checks of horticultural machinery, vehicles and tools, reporting any defects or unsafe machinery / tools to your line manager.
• Effectively deal with issues / enquiries reported from customers or colleagues, reporting to your line manager any which you are unable to resolve and attending customers’ meetings where necessary.
• Assist team colleagues, supervisors and managers as required, working as part of a larger team to contribute to the delivery of small repairs, empty homes and larger project works.
• Conduct all work to comply with current health and safety (H&S) legislation, including manual handling, working at heights and asbestos awareness, with method statements and risk assessments undertaken where appropriate.

What we are looking for

• Evidence of attainment of good literacy and numeracy at GCSE level or equivalent.
• Full, current manual driving licence.
• Physically fit and able to carry out the demands of the job and prepared to work in all weathers.
• Experience of operating grass cutting equipment and other horticultural machinery.
• Ability to use own initiative to organise work to ensure delivery of efficient service whilst working safely at all times.

Benefits

• The salary for this post will be £28,560 Per Annum.
• Learning and development opportunities
• Healthcare cash plan
• Robust employee reward and recognition programme
• Free and confidential Employee Assistance Programme
• CHParticipate volunteering programme
• Competitive pension scheme
• 25 days annual leave per annum, plus bank holidays, 3 extra days between Christmas and New Year and 1 wellbeing day per annum.
• 37 hours per week - employees may be able to work flexibly by agreement with their line manager, taking account of business need. We operate a hybrid working policy at CHP.

Please note: We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications or successfully appoint a candidate before the closing date. We encourage early applications to avoid disappointment.

PLEASE NOTE WE ARE CLOSED OVER THE CHRISTMAS PERIOD RETURNING ON THE 5TH OF JANUARY 2026, SO ALL QUERIES WILL BE PICKED UP AFTER THIS DATE.

The Company

We’re a local housing association that’s passionate about tackling the housing shortage in the East of England. We provide warm, safe and affordable homes. But we don’t stop there. We offer a wide range of support and services to help our customers and their communities to thrive.

We want to be an organisation that cares about our customers and communities and is determined to make a difference. We'll be bold and open‑minded in our pursuit of solutions to help people transform their lives.