Playground Engineer

Nottingham City Council; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

26 days annual leave

Pension scheme 17.9%

Smart Working

Health & wellbeing benefits

Discounted local memberships

Job summary

Nottingham City Council is seeking a Playground Engineer to inspect and maintain over 100 playgrounds, ball courts and outdoor facilities across the city. The role focuses on safety, repairs and timely reporting to keep equipment usable for children and communities.

You'll perform weekly site inspections via mobile devices, undertake carpentry, painting and metal work, and work as part of a two-person engineer team with driving responsibilities across Nottingham. DBS check required.

Qualifications

• Experience of working outside, with health and safety compliance.
• Ability to use mobile devices to undertake weekly site inspections.
• Skilled in carpentry, painting and metal work with power tools.
• Hold a full UK driving licence.
• Must have playground inspections qualifications or be willing to undertake training.
• Team-based role with two existing engineers; city-wide coverage.

Responsibilities

• Inspect, repair and maintain 100+ playgrounds, ball courts and outdoor facilities.
• Identify risks, report issues and carry out necessary repairs to bring facilities back into use.
• Work as part of a city-wide maintenance team to ensure high safety standards.

Skills

Outdoor work experience

General repairs & maintenance

Carpentry

Painting

Metal work

Power tools

Full UK driving licence

Mobile inspection system

Education

Playground inspections qualifications

Tools

Mobile inspection software

Job description

Job Description

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Hours: 37 hours - One post

Worker Type: Onsite Worker

Salary: Starting Salary is £29,542 (Level one) rising to £32,046 per annum

Location: Woodthorpe Grange, Nottingham NG5 4HA - though the position is 'mobile' with work covering the entire City.

We've got an exciting opportunity available for talented individuals to join our workforce - perhaps this is the opportunity you've been looking for? Read on to find out more…

Working for Nottingham City Council has great benefits. As well as competitive pay, great leave entitlement and access to a generous pension scheme, we strive to create an innovative, inclusive and progressive work culture where everyone is supported to do and be their very best.

In return, we are looking for people like you - people who are innovative, driven and committed to serving and improving Nottingham. So, if you are passionate about making a difference to the lives of those who live and work in our city, we want to hear from you.

• You can read more about the different benefits offered to colleagues working for Nottingham City Council here .

About The Role

The role of Playground Engineer is vital, providing ongoing inspections, repairs and maintenances of all the Council's 100+ playgrounds, ball courts, outdoor gyms and other related features across the City.

Ensuring these facilities remain safe for children to use is at the heart of the role and we are looking for a enthusiastic individual who can identify risks, take the appropriate action to report issues and then carry out suitable repairs to equipment to bring playgrounds back into full use.

About You

The ideal candidate will have:

• Experience of working outside, in a safe manner, ensuring that all health and safety legislations are followed
• Ability to use a mobile phone / tablet based system to undertake weekly site inspections
• Ability to undertake general repairs and maintenance operations such as carpentry, painting and metal work including the use of power tools
• Hold a full UK driving licence
• Hold relevant playground inspections qualifications, or be prepared to undertake the required training
• You will be required to join a team of 2 existing Engineers to provide additional capacity to ensure playgrounds are maintained to a high standard.
• The role is City wide, based out of a vehicle and will be responsible for inspecting, repairing and reporting on the condition of playgrounds and related facilities. The wider service covers development and improvement of all Green Spaces, including parks, nature reserves and Allotments.

A DBS enhanced check for a regulated activity is required for this post.

You can find the job description for this post here .

At Nottingham City Council we believe that work is what you do, not where you do it. We offer different working arrangements, depending on the role, including hybrid working. Further information on Worker Types and what these mean in terms of how and where you work can be found on the additional information for applicants page.

For informal enquiries please contact Mark Cumberpatch by email at [e-mail]

Closing Date: 30th September 2026

Interviews will be held: w/c 12th October 2026

If you have any technical issues when completing your application, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.org.uk/support

By applying to this job, you agree to our Terms & Conditions.

About Us

Thank you for your interest in working for Nottingham City Council. As one of the largest employers in Nottingham we offer a wide range of roles across a range of services. In return for your skill, drive and commitment to serving the people of Nottingham, we can help you to develop an exciting and rewarding career, with access to the following benefits.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

• 26 days annual leave (rising to 33 days after 5 years' service) + bank holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually
• Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme offering 17.9%
• Smart Working - to support your work life balance
• Health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres, cinema, shopping and much more!

Nottingham City Council is committed to recruiting a talented workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We are a fair, inclusive and Disability Confident Employer, welcoming applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities. We recruit for diversity and value difference.

If you are a disabled candidate and wish to be considered under our Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this within your application. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process and employment journey.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from serving personnel, veterans, reservists and military families.

We particularly want to hear from you if you are from Minority Ethnic communities, identify within the LGBTQ+ community, or are disabled. These groups are currently underrepresented in our workforce, and we are committed to better reflecting the communities we serve.

We are supportive of flexible working arrangements wherever possible and encourage candidates to discuss this with us during the recruitment process.