Head of Park Operations

The Royal Parks (TRP) is a charity created in March 2017. We manage over 5,000 acres of diverse parkland, rare habitats and historic buildings and monuments in eight Royal Parks across London. These are: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St James’s Park, The Regent\’s Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park. They also manage other important public spaces including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens. Our eight Royal Parks and other public spaces are among the most visited attractions in the UK with tens of millions of visits every year. They are now looking for a Head of Park Operations to join their team on a full-time basis on a permanent contract, working 36 hours per week. If you have a strong background in environmental or landscape services, this is an incredible opportunity to drive the success of London’s iconic green spaces. Their parks are currently enjoyed by millions of people, but their landscapes are increasingly at risk from a range of pressures, such as climate change, increasing footfall, external development and biodiversity loss. These factors all pose unique challenges and it is vital that we evolve to meet them head on. You will have the chance to elevate our operations to the next level, which will enable us to continue protecting and promoting our parks, ensuring they can be enjoyed for generations to come. The Role As the Head of Park Operations, you will identify opportunities to enhance park and landscape management across the Royal Parks. In this important role, you will: * Work with colleagues and contractors to protect and enhance the landscape of the parks * Drive the ongoing development and evolution of landscape maintenance services * Take the lead on arboricultural management * Take the lead on Health and Safety Management, Sustainability and Business Continuity Planning * Act as the Senior Reporting Officer on the delivery of projects and programmes * Support the park teams in the operational management of the landscape maintenance and management of the Royal Parks About You To join TRP as the Head of Park Operations, you will need: * Significant experience of working at a senior level in an environmental and/or landscape service delivery organisation * Demonstrable experience of thinking and working strategically, including strategy development and implementation * Knowledge and experience of operational park management and arboriculture * Experience of leading teams or functions through change to achieve overall goals * Knowledge and experience of health and safety management, sustainability and business continuity planning * Extensive knowledge in the areas of environmental or landscape management * Strong financial management and control skills, including the ability to plan within budget * Membership to an appropriate professional institute, such as LI, IoH or CMI * A postgraduate degree or equivalent qualification, such as the CMI or MSc in landscape or environmental management