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Hertfordshire County Council; Dacorum; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire County Council is seeking a Caretaker to support Hudnall Park near Berkhamsted. This permanent, full-time post involves preparing and maintaining the site to a high standard and supporting children and families.

You will manage house/grounds, assist external providers, perform routine repairs, and operate on-site machinery. Driving licence and a proactive, team-friendly attitude are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Driving licence held and valid.
• Evidence of working with small tools/machinery.
• Proactive approach and self motivation.
• Calm and organised under pressure; good with people.
• Team player with flexibility to cover weekends.
• Maintenance & Electrical qualifications would be beneficial.
• Previous experience in a children’s setting.

Responsibilities

• Prepare the house and grounds for activities and maintain site appearance.
• Support external providers on site (caterers, cleaners, contractors).
• Provide a friendly approach to visitors and guests.
• Assist with health and safety responsibilities and risk assessments.
• Carry out routine repairs and decorating to keep site in good order.
• Use on-site equipment (Polaris ATV, John Deere mower, strimmer) and arrange servicing.
• Check plumbing/heating and raise issues promptly.
• Maintain maintenance schedules for centre plant and respond to rota on-call.
• Open/close site during weekend activities when required.

Skills

Driving Licence

Small tools/machinery

Proactive

Self motivated

Calm under pressure

Team player

Maintenance & Electrical quals

Experience with children

Tools

Polaris ATV

John Deere mower

Strimmer

Job description

Caretaker

Company: Hertfordshire County Council

Salary: £26,016 to £26,427 a year

Hours: Full-time

Location: Berkhamsted, SG1 2ST

Job type: Permanent

Posting date: 14 Oct 2026

Closing date: 12 Nov 2026

Summary

Job Title: Caretaker (Hudnall Park)

Starting Salary: £26,016 progressing to £26,427

Hours: 37

Location: Hudnall Park near Berkhamsted

Contract Type: Permanent

Directorate: Resources

About the team

This role is essential to support our outdoor learning and education centre, the services we provide for children & young people and our diverse grounds consisting of around 85 acres.

Hudnall Park is a beautiful site, in constant use during Spring and Summer. We are developing an ambitious strategy to increase activity at the site, with the intention of utilising it all year round. This role is important to the success of that development. The centre comprises of a number of staff including those managing the site itself and various projects; alongside a number of instructors/delivery staff.

The post holder will engage with other teams from the county council, external providers/contractors, children, young people and families on a daily basis.

The winter months are invariably quieter, with core maintenance being updated and planned during those months.

If you have the following attributes, you would be a good fit for this role:

• proactive
• have a range of practical skills
• good with people
• a great team player
• interested in supporting safe and enjoyable opportunities for children and young people.

About the role

This role is part of our core staffing and essential to the development and maintenance of Hudnall Park. The post holder is responsible for the preparation and maintenance of the site to ensure the look and feel of it reaches the highest standard in readiness for site visitors. You will undertake a range of tasks including (list not exhaustive):

• Prepare the house and grounds for overnight and day activities e.g. helping with bedding being washed and bed linen changed in line with alterative group visits.
• Ensure that all external providers on site are supported and assisted e.g. caterers, cleaners, contractors.
• Provide a friendly approach to visitors and guests on site.
• Assist with health and safety responsibilities and risk assessments.
• Maintain site to a good order, recognising when issues need action and undertaking routine repairs/decorating e.g. cleaning of windows/sills and interior glass doors and ironmongery, painting and basic decorating.
• Using on site equipment/machinery to perform initiative responsive maintenance as required and arrange for timely servicing including Polaris ATV, John Deere mower, strimmer etc.
• Regular checks on plumbing, central heating etc; raising any issues in a timely manner.
• Assist with population of maintenance schedules for centre plant in accordance with manufacturers guidance and training provided including John Deere ride on mower, Mechanical strimmer, Polaris ATV etc
• Providing ‘on call’ back up when required (as part of a rota system).
• Opening and closing of the site during weekend activities when required.
• Undertake any training required for performance of duties.

On site training will be provided liaising with your direct line manager

About you

• Driving Licence
• Evidence of working with small tools/machinery
• Proactive
• Self motivated
• Calm and organised under pressure
• Team player
• Any Maintenance & Electrical qualifications would be beneficial.
• Previous experience working in a children’s setting.

For the right candidate, this is an interesting and rewarding role. Hudnall Park helps to improve lives for many children, young people and families in Hertfordshire and beyond and no day is the same. This can be challenging at times, so you must be ready for anything!

• HCC supports personal development.
• HCC has a strong Diversity and Inclusion policy.
• Excellent inhouse training provision.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 4. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Operational services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact

[e-mail] an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 23rd November 2026

Benefits of working for us

Additional information

We are changing

Hertfordshire County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If you are employed by Hertfordshire County on 1 April 2028, it is expected that most roles will transfer to the newly-created unitary councils on existing terms and conditions under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings – Protection of Employment) principles.

LGR is one of the biggest changes we will face in a generation. It will reshape how we work and how services are organised and gives us a real opportunity to build something better. To find out more, visithttps://www.hertfordshire-lgr.co.uk/

Disability Confident

We are proud to be a

Disability Confident employerand guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding

This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required

You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency

The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required).

Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.

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