Housing Depot Operative (Fixed Term Contract 8 weeks)

Portsmouth City Council; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Portsmouth City Council is hiring a Housing Depot Operative for an 8-week fixed-term contract at Port Royal Street Housing Depot in Portsmouth. The role is 25 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 08:00–13:00, with salary set at £25,948–£26,033 per year (pro rata for 25 hours).

You will handle bulky waste removal, cleaning tasks, and drive up to 7.5t vehicles, with full training provided and health and safety guidance emphasized.

Qualifications

• Full UK driving licence is essential.
• Experience driving vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes and towing large trailers is desirable.
• Good timekeeping and reliability are required.

Responsibilities

• Remove and dispose of bulky waste, rubble and garden waste.
• Clean communal bins and areas using appropriate equipment.
• Remove graffiti and clean external surfaces.
• Report issues to housing and green/clean management teams.
• Transport specialist equipment on site as needed.
• Work outside in all weathers with safe manual handling.
• Follow Health & Safety practices and training provided.
• Disposal of waste in accordance with local regulations.

Skills

Driving licence

Vehicle handling

Timekeeping

Health & safety awareness

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Port Royal Street Housing Depot, Portsmouth

Housing Depot Operative (Fixed Term Contract 8 weeks)

Job Reference pcc/TP/723/1818

Number of Positions:

4

Contract Type:

Fixed Term

Fixed Term Contract for 8 weeks

Working Hours:

25

Location:

Port Royal Street Housing Depot, Portsmouth

Closing Date:

18/10/2026

Job Category:

Region / Division:

UK Region

Directorate:

Housing, Neighbourhood & Building Services

Job Introduction

This is a great opportunity to join us as a Housing Depot Operative and make a difference to your city! This role is a Fixed Term Contract for 8 weeks, 25 hours per week (Monday to Friday 08:00 - 13:00), based at Port Royal Street Housing Depot in Portsmouth and is at the salary of £25,948 - £26,033 p.a. (£17,532 - £17,589 pro rata for 25 hours)

Your new role

The purpose of our service is “to help keep the city safe, clean and tidy and provide advice/ support when needed”. As a service we take pride in our work by valuing others, focusing on what's important so that we make a real and positive difference.

Typical daily tasks of this role include:

• Removal and disposal of bulky waste including fly-tipped items, rubble, garden waste and supermarket trolleys.
• Cleaning communal bins, using the pedestrian sweeper to clean large communal areas and washing communal windows using specialist long-reach equipment .
• Removal of graffiti with jet washing machine and cleaning communal areas such as balconies panels and pathways .
• Reporting to other departments issues such as cleaning and gardening demands to the local green and clean management team and communal housing repairs to local area housing offices .
• Reporting bulky items that need investigating to help identify instances of fly-tipping as well as report tenancy issues to relevant departments.
• Transporting specialist equipment for use on site.
• Working outside in all weathers and demonstrating good manual handling.
• Demonstrating a good understanding of Health & Safety practices and safe methods of work which promotes the health and safety of yourself and others .
• Using equipment correctly and carrying out regular care and maintenance; full training, including the potential to gain qualifications, will be provided.
• Disposal of waste collected in accordance with legislation and regulations at local amenity sites licensed to receive and process such waste.

Who is the person?

You need:

• To be a motivated, hard-working, and conscientious individual who is able to use initiative when necessary and take pride in the work .
• To be a team-player with good self-awareness, supporting others in meeting the Green & Clean purpose.
• To be able to make good decisions, take responsibility for actions and learn from any mistakes made.
• To have the ability to converse at ease with customers and colleagues in accurate spoken English.
• To be able to communicate effectively both over the phone and face-to-face.
• To be willing to take instruction from and be a good listener in order to retain information provided.
• To be flexible and able to adapt to changing work situations as you may need to move between different team and sites, sometimes at short notice such as Public Convenience cleaning, general housing block cleaning in any of our Housing areas.
• To have good timekeeping and a responsible attitude as you may be required to be a key holder in order to lock and unlock various sites.
• To be an honest person with a positive attitude and good work ethic.
• A full UK driving licence and experience driving caged tippers and large vans (up to 3.5 tonne) is essential whilst experience driving up to 7.5 tonne vehicles and towing large trailers is desirable.

As Housing Depot Operative, you will be required to drive a caged tipper or similar vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes.

A full UK driving licence and experience driving caged tippers and large vans (up to 3.5 tonne) is essential whilst experience driving up to 7.5 tonne vehicles and towing large trailers is desirable.

If you do not have a licence which allows you to drive these larger vehicles or tow trailers, training will be provided. You will need to successfully complete these qualifications during your probationary period, as you are required to drive up to 7.5 tonne vehicles and tow trailers for this role.

About Portsmouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act .

We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration , inclusivity and being people-focussed . These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours .

You must demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person'points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we have a large number of applications.

If applying as a secondment please ensure you have permission from your line manager and please state this in your application.

You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.

Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact [e-mail] or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.