Grounds & Gardens Supervisor

The core duty of the role is to supervise grounds & gardens team members and contractors, provide practical instruction to staff and contractors and to act as a mentor for team members and apprentices to assist in their development and to compile and monitor training programmes. Ensure the grounds of the hospital are tidy and welcoming to patients and visitors. Maintain, operate & review the pre-planned maintenance programmes to review & revise procedures and working practices where required.

The post holder will maintain good communications and working relationships with members of Trust staff at all levels including nursing staff, and all Estates and Facilities staff across all disciplines. Carry out work in accordance with current legislation, codes of practice and best practice guidance. Work safely observing the Trust and departments Health and Safety Policies and procedures. Work efficiently using technology to work within Service Level agreements and Key performance Indicators. Carry out tasks and communicate failures and non-conformities to line manager. To act in a professional manner when undertaking tasks and duties in contact with patients, visitors, contractors and staff.

Main duties of the job include:

• Leading a team of staff to ensure the grounds and gardens of the Leicester Royal Infirmary are kept clean and presentable.
• Proactively making improvements to the garden areas developing layouts and planting selection.
• Organising seasonal plant and shrub ordering and procurement planning.
• Planning machine and equipment maintenance schedules.
• Ensuring the staff are working in a safe manner and supporting them with any training requirements.

Job responsibilities include:

• Carrying out all the supervisory tasks associated with the gardening department, including direct supervision of the in-house gardening team, raising and allocating works, creating a site wide PPM schedule, managing holidays, training, tools and machinery maintenance.
• Liaising with contractors regarding contracted works, tree surveys, tree felling, winter gritting, etc.
• Carrying out routine gardening and grounds maintenance activities unsupervised, including grass cutting and hedges.

Person Specification:

• Communication and relationship skills: Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability and confidence to liaise with all services and grades. Ability to handle sensitive information with confidentiality. Must have excellent interpersonal skills at all levels internally and externally. Able to deal with complaints and queries in a professional and informative manner.
• Experience: Experience of working within the NHS environment in Operational Estates. Experience of supervising a gardening team with a minimum of 3 years' experience. Experience of supervising staff and allocating workload and ensuring safe operation of equipment. Experience of developing systems and processes to improve on KPIs and implement changes for the benefit of the department. Knowledge of Health & Safety in connection with the Construction Industry. Minimum of 5 years' experience in gardening and landscaping. Extensive knowledge of gardening equipment and maintenance. Extensive knowledge of developing risk assessments. Keeping accurate records of tree surveys and arranging visits. Keeping the Gardening Department's COSHH Register up to date. Ensuring all machinery is maintained and in good working order. Ensuring your team's statutory and mandatory training along with appraisals are kept up to date. Ensuring all relevant health & safety standards are met in relation to yourself, your staff and the general public, conducting and reviewing risk assessments. Being responsible for the proper use, maintenance and safe storage of all plant, machinery, tools and equipment. Carrying out driving duties, if able, as requested to collect or deliver plant and equipment to suppliers or manufacturers' agents.
• Training & Qualifications: GCSE Grade 3 or equivalent or above in English. GCSE Grade 3 or equivalent or above in Maths. Qualification in Gardening/Landscaping e.g. NVQ level 3 or equivalent. Certificate in competence in PA 1 & PA 6 Pesticide Control. Chainsaw License.
• Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours: Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's Values and Behaviours.
• Analytical and Judgement skills: Must be able to use own initiative without direct supervision. Must be able to multitask and deal with frequent interruptions when carrying out complex tasks. Must have excellent attention to detail with a high level of precision and accuracy. Must be able to diagnose a wide range of faults and come up with a solution. Must be able to solve technical issues relating to gardening machinery or plant.
• Planning and organisation skills: Excellent organisational and planning skills with the ability to manage difficult situations and prioritise workloads. Ability to forward plan and delegate tasks and have the confidence to do so. Able to manage other gardeners within the team and arrange workloads. Organise tree surveys and provide accurate reports with action plans.
• Physical Skills: Ability to do the job with enthusiasm and vigour. Be flexible with working hours when incidents occur that could impact service delivery. Be able to operate fine tools and equipment.
• Other Requirements: Must have a driving licence and be able to travel between sites at short notice. Must be willing to undertake highly unpleasant conditions at times, working in inclement weather and clearing sewage after drains have overflowed.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.