Grounds Maintenance Senior Supervisor - Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom - Newcastle University

Newcastle University

Verified Company

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Salary:
£25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits.

We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 04 August 2023

The Role

The Grounds Department sits within the Estates and Facilities team. You will lead multiple small Grounds maintenance teams and will report to the Deputy Grounds Manager. Your job is essentially to help deliver a high quality, efficient, customer focused grounds maintenance service to our customers.

We are responsible for a number of the external elements of the Campus including the maintenance of the campus landscape, which incorporates all grassed and shrub areas, paths, hedges and trees.

We are also responsible for the maintenance of the extensive portfolio of outdoor sports grounds for all major team sports.

Our Sports Ground at Cochrane Park was the dedicated football training venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

We are seeking someone who can work well as part of a small but highly dedicated team, has exceptional attention to detail and a willingness to learn.

This position would be perfect for someone who has a passion for gardening and horticulture as well as having a good understanding of what is required to work in excellent quality gardens.

The role is to be a working supervisor with responsibility for overall maintenance of the gardens and grounds, reporting to the Deputy Grounds Manager the general jobs will include, leadership and management, writing reports, attending meetings, leading estate tours and general maintenance tasks such as grass cutting, hedge cutting, weeding, planting, leaf collection and winter maintenance duties.

These tasks will typically involve using a wide variety of powered machinery and driving a range of vehicles. Therefore, we ask that applicants have a full driving licence.

This role will also include working with stakeholders to attend meetings and also give tours of our grounds.

There is a requirement to lead on promoting work within the grounds team via the University grounds website, and through social media such as Instagram and Facebook.

The work is primarily outdoors in all weather conditions and there are a number of vital physical duties involved in the role.

Key Accountabilities Lead, motivate and manage a team of gardeners and occasionally volunteers and work placements to ensure that the gardens and grounds are maintained to the highest standard.

Ensure all health and safety and compliance requirements are adhered to including the use of personal protective equipment and safe working practices.

Implement the grounds maintenance plan that includes weeding, pruning, planting, pest control, fertilising, and watering to ensure that the gardens and grounds are always in excellent condition.

Manage the planting, propagation and cultivation of plants and shrubs, ensuring that they are healthy and thriving.

Plan and oversee the design and layout of the outdoor spaces to ensure that they look attractive and are functional and practical.

Work closely with the Deputy Grounds Manager to develop and implement a long term sustainable plan for the garden and grounds.

Maintain an inventory of all tools and equipment and chemicals, ensuring that they are in good condition and that replacements are ordered as required.

Keep and maintain records of all work carried out such as planting schedules, maintenance records, inventory records, risk assessments and COSHH assessments.

Undertake public and private garden tours as scheduled. Ensure all staff and volunteers are appropriately trained and inducted. Assist in the purchase of goods, materials and equipment required by obtaining quotations and forwarding to management. Assist in the recruitment and selection of staff process. Manage the new staff induction process by ensuring all necessary training is carried out and all paperwork completed. Work closely with the Deputy Grounds Manager to advise on improvements that can be.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience Proven track record in managing people to achieve team goals through effective communication. Evidence of overcoming various challenges such as landscaping issues, equipment maintenance or scheduling conflicts. Ability to manage multiple tasks, deadlines and resources.

Can demonstrate experience in ability to pay close attention to detail when planning and executing maintenance or landscaping projects, ensuring accuracy and quality.

Knowledge of equipment, tools and techniques related to landscaping and maintenance. Previous experience of working with both internal and external stakeholders in a large organisation. Has a passion and focus on sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and environmental practices. Sound working knowledge of legislation relating to H&S e.g. risk assessments and COSHH assessments.