Public Realm Operations Lead

Nottingham City Council; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Nottingham is seeking a Public Realm Operations Lead to oversee Grounds Maintenance and public realm operations. This role involves managing teams, ensuring quality of service, and compliance with safety regulations. Candidates should have proven leadership skills, knowledge in horticulture, and relevant qualifications. A competitive salary and benefits are offered, including a defined benefit pension and generous annual leave.

Benefits

26 days annual leave

Defined benefit pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Discounted sports and fitness membership

Qualifications

• Proven experience in leading operational teams in a complex organisation.
• Demonstrated success in service improvement and stakeholder engagement.
• Full UK driving licence (Category B).

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Grounds Maintenance operations.
• Oversee performance, quality, and budgetary control.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Service improvement

Stakeholder engagement

Knowledge of environmental legislation

Commercial awareness

IT skills

Education

Relevant professional or managerial qualification

Grounds/horticulture qualifications (e.g. NVQ, apprenticeship)

IOSH Certificate

Tools

Fleet management systems

Job description

Overview

Public Realm Operations Lead

Grade: GLPC - I
Location: Nottingham City
Salary: Starting salary of £46,142 (Level one) rising to £49,282 (Level four)
Contract Type: Full-time, permanent

About the Role

Are you passionate about shaping Nottingham's public spaces and delivering high-quality services for residents? We're looking for a dynamic and experienced Public Realm Operations Lead to join our newly developed Highway and Public Realm Service. This is a key leadership role supporting the Service Manager in managing Grounds Maintenance and broader public realm operations across the city—including highways, parks, open spaces, HRA estates, and corporate assets.

You'll lead a team of frontline operatives and supervisors, driving service improvement, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement. Your focus will be on modernising delivery, enhancing service reputation, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and manage Grounds Maintenance operations, including c.20 frontline staff.
• Oversee performance, quality, and budgetary control.
• Collaborate with Waste Services and Fleet Services to optimise delivery.
• Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation and Council policies.
• Represent the service at multi-agency and community meetings.
• Support Green Flag standards and environmental excellence across city spaces.
• Coordinate logistics, shift patterns, and seasonal workforce planning.

What We're Looking For

• Proven experience in leading operational teams in a complex organisation.
• Strong people management and workforce planning skills.
• Demonstrated success in service improvement and stakeholder engagement.
• Knowledge of environmental legislation, horticulture, and grounds maintenance.
• Experience with fleet management, risk assessments, and SOPs.
• Commercial awareness and budget management competencies.
• Excellent IT skills and ability to implement smart working practices.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional or managerial qualification.
• Grounds/horticulture qualifications (e.g. NVQ, apprenticeship).
• IOSH Certificate, NRSWA Streetworks, PA1/PA6 herbicide handling.
• Full UK driving licence (Category B).

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact in Nottingham's communities, working with passionate teams and partners to deliver inclusive, sustainable, and high-performing public realm services.

You can view the Job Description here

For informal enquiries please contact Bushra Hussain by email at [e-mail]

Closing Date: 8th October 2025

Please note there may be occasions where we close the advert before the closing date and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews will be held: 14th October 2025

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 and inclusive employer and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and with different abilities. We recruit for diversity and value difference.

We particularly want to hear from you if you are from Minority Ethnic communities, identify within the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ community (LGBTQ+) and if you are Disabled - these groups of people are underrepresented in our workforce, and we'd like to reflect our local population more through our recruitment processes.

We are supportive of flexible working arrangements wherever possible and we would encourage you to discuss this with us during the selection process, should this be something you are interested in.

If you have any technical issues when applying for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.