SD : Grounds Maintenance

Ministry of Justice; Newport; Hybrid; GBP 18,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Training opportunities

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Ministry of Justice is seeking a grounds maintenance operative to sustain the estate's grounds and amenities. The role covers turfing, patios, ponds, and external areas, with duties spanning mowing, pruning, and maintenance to sport fields under guidance from the Land based Activities Manager and PE Department.

The post involves minor project work, pest control, stock procurement, and supervising prisoners.

Qualifications

• Must have a Vocational Qualification at Level 3, or be willing to work towards gaining this qualification within an agreed timescale.
• Experience in grounds maintenance and landscaping is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Carry out soft landscaping - turf laying and hard landscaping – laying patio stones.
• Maintain establishment’s grounds and amenity areas including lawns, ponds, water features and external grounds.
• Work inside/outside establishment grounds: cutting, mowing and maintaining areas.
• Maintain sports fields as per plan with the Land based Activities Manager and PE Department.
• Carry out pest control preventative measures across area of responsibility.
• Undertake small project work including soft/hard landscape development and erection of horticultural structures where needed.
• Maintain soil husbandry and crop development following good horticultural practice.
• Provide safe access and exits to the estate.
• Supervise prisoners and undertake quality control over their work.
• Undertake routine maintenance requests and surveys, log records, and supervise contractors as required.
• Maintain stock levels and procure goods/services; log materials.
• Escort contractors and maintain communications per security policies.
• Operate plant equipment and vehicles; perform locking duties as required.
• Adhere to health and safety policies; ensure compliance.
• Contribute to prisoner reports including parole and sentence planning.

Education

Vocational Qualification Level 3

Job description

This is a delivery role within an establishment requiring an appropriate trade.

Summary

The job holder will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the grounds and amenity areas within the estate.

This is a non-operational job with no line management or supervisory responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Carry out soft landscaping - turf laying and hard landscaping – laying patio stones
• Maintain establishment’s grounds and amenity areas including maintenance of lawns, ponds, water features and external grounds to the establishment including woodland
• Work inside/outside establishment grounds: cutting, mowing and maintaining areas in accordance with accepted practice
• Maintain sports fields, as per agreed plan, with both the Land based Activities Manager and PE Department
• Carry out pest control preventative measures across area of responsibility
• Undertake small project work as advised/requested: including soft and hard landscape development and erection of horticultural support structures where the situation warrants
• Maintain correct soil husbandry, ensuring all stages of crop development are followed in accordance with good horticultural practice
• Maintain the growing plant/crop to ensure optimum development and/or cropping, ensuring that the plants needs are fully met
• Provide safe access and exits to the estate
• Supervise prisoners parties and undertake quality control over their work, as agreed within the Service Delivery Agreement (SDA)

Undertake other trades tasks to:

• Ensure allocated planned maintenance and small repairs are carried out, undertaking service requests raised by computer aided facilities management system
• Undertake survey inspections in confined spaces and at height, recording all work and completing associated registers/logs
• Carry out project work as required
• Advise on sufficient levels of stock and request procurement of goods and services, and ensure all materials used are logged and are fit for purpose.
• Escort technical contractors as required, working with and supervising them in accordance with Local Security Strategy (LSS)
• Maintain regular communications via radio net in accordance with the LSS.
• Undertake the role of banksman, directing the operation of plant equipment and/or machinery
• Be responsible for all tools and plant machinery, carrying out checks at regular intervals and completing all relevant documentation in accordance with the LSS and National Security Framework (NSF)
• Comply with all Health and Safety policies, procedures and legislation to ensure statutory and mandatory compliance.
• Drive estates vehicles and operate plant equipment
• Carry out locking duties as required
• Operate within command mode in line with local contingency plans
• Undertake incidental and emergency or urgent tasks and assignments as per Service Delivery Agreement timescales, in a safe manner
• Assemble products on site as required
• Contribute to prisoner reports, including parole and sentence planning.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re‑examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership
• Competent in relevant skill.

Technical Requirements

• Must have a Vocational Qualification at Level 3, or be willing to work towards gaining this qualification within an agreed timescale

Hours of Work (Unsocial Hours) Allowances

HMPPS Staff on closed pay structures only:

Additional Conditioned Hours Pensionable (ACHP)

Staff moving from a closed 39 hour pay structure will be eligible for the two protected pensionable additional committed hours (ACHP). They will work a 39 hour week consisting of the standard 37 hour week and a further 2 additional hours (ACHP) paid at plain time pensionable rate.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to aMoJoffice location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance withthe HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service(HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

-All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

-All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

-All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

• To the Civil Service Commission (details available here )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring