Grounds Maintenance Operative

We are seeking a dedicated and hardworking Grounds Maintenance Operative to join our team in Blackburn. In this role you will be responsible for carrying out a range of day-to-day tasks including grass mowing, strimming, hedge and shrub cutting, litter picking, and herbicide spraying. You'll also carry out regular inspections and upkeep of playgrounds and play equipment, helping to create safe and pleasant spaces for residents and visitors.

Together Housing is one of the largest housing associations in the North of England, managing over 38,000 homes across the North of England. We are a non-profit organisation, meaning any money we make is invested back into the company for the benefit of our residents and local communities. As an organisation, we are committed to having a Diverse and Inclusive workforce. We would therefore welcome applications from candidates with any of the nine protected characteristics. We are also proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Requirements:

• Act as a point of contact for residents, responding to their queries, liaising with Together Housing colleagues where necessary and giving an excellent standard of customer service at all times.
• Carry out grass cutting using a combination of strimmers, small and large pedestrian mowers and ride-on mowers including playgrounds.
• Carry out edging-off work to grassed areas using mechanical equipment.
• Carry out herbicide/pesticide applications.
• Cut back and prune hedges, shrubs, bushes and low trees using hedge trimmers, loppers, pole-saws (manual or mechanical), or chain saws (ground based).
• Clear all arisings (grass cuttings, leaf litter, twigs and branches) from paths, steps, drives, shrub beds and gardens using mechanical blowers or manually sweeping and raking.
• Carry out seeding and turfing of grassed areas, planting or re-planting of shrub and flower beds, preparing and sowing wild flower beds and any other horticultural tasks.
• Litter pick and clear rubbish from landscaped areas (soft or hard landscaping) in association with other grounds maintenance operations.
• Inspect, clear, tidy, mow, strim and, if necessary, make safe play areas and play equipment, including carrying out minor repairs.
• Inspect all areas for hazards, damage, defects and graffiti; make safe, carry out minor repairs and/or report any issues. Record work completed using manual or digital systems, and report any uncompleted tasks, site issues (e.g., abandoned vehicles, property damage), including relevant details, photos, and forwarding them to the appropriate colleagues.

We are looking for someone who has:

• A full manual UK driving license.
• Practical experience of working in a grounds maintenance environment.
• Practical knowledge of and ability to operate Grounds Maintenance equipment and machinery.
• Experience working in a customer orientated environment, able to deal with members of the public firmly but sympathetically.
• A good standard of literacy and numeracy to enable accurate record keeping.

Benefits:

In return, we are offering the successful candidate in the Grounds Maintenance Operative role:

• Starting salary of £24,243.
• Annual pay scale increase.
• 27 days holiday (rising to 32 over 5 years' service) + bank holidays.
• A flexible working environment, with a range of family friendly policies.
• You will be working 37 hours per week April - October Monday - Friday 07.30am - 16.30pm November - March Monday - Friday 07.30am - 13.30pm.
• Working arrangements are flexible in line with our Smart Working culture so that we deliver an excellent and accessible service for customers.
• Wide range of technical, professional, and personal development training opportunities.
• Attractive pension scheme.
• Health and wellbeing benefits including access to GPs.
• A range of financial and lifestyle benefits including cycle to work, vehicle leasing and financial advice.
• We have a range of staff support networks, including menopause, culturally diverse, LGBTQ+ and disability.

THG reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient numbers of applicants are received. Therefore, please apply without delay! Please ensure you fully answer the questions on the application form.