Specialist Production Instructor in City of Westminster

Overview: The role involves the day-to-day maintenance of grounds and conservation areas within a correctional establishment and delivering accredited vocational qualifications to prisoners. It is a non-operational position with no line management responsibilities.

Responsibilities:

• Carry out a full range of gardening activities, providing instruction to prisoners on all gardening duties, including the use of machinery.
• Perform soft landscaping tasks such as turf laying and hard landscaping tasks like laying patio stones.
• Maintain grounds, lawns, ponds, water features, external grounds and woodland.
• Implement the establishment’s biodiversity action plan and monitor flora and fauna work.
• Operate within the establishment to cut, mow and maintain areas following accepted practice.
• Submit surveys for Land Based Activities specific to the site.
• Apply preventive pest control measures across the area of responsibility.
• Act on recommendations from wildlife and conservation groups and integrate them within the grounds.
• Undertake small project work, including landscape development and erection of horticultural support structures when required.
• Instruct prisoners: selection, induction, health and safety, COSHH, machinery usage, and tailor learning to individual needs.
• Set work schedules, manage targets and quality standards, and maintain delivery of contractual arrangements.
• Assess and evaluate prisoner skills up to national qualification standards.
• Supervise prisoners within the workshop, maintaining discipline, performance, motivation, appraisal and development.
• Maintain regular communications via radio net as per Local Security Strategy.
• Complete assessment and care forms, conduct metal detector scans, and maintain product quality assurance.
• Log attendance, approve prisoner hours worked and wages, including piece work.
• Inspect workshops, check equipment, and log faults; undertake maintenance programme for machinery.
• Contribute to prisoner reports including parole and sentence planning.
• Update training records and complete regime monitoring information.
• Contribute to health and safety risk assessments related to workshop activities.
• Request materials and estimate usage to meet work targets.
• Initiate product development reviews to maintain workshop output and provide varied work experiences.
• Participate in self-audit and achieve Service Delivery Indicators.
• Complete administration activities to support workshop operations.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Relevant work experience in horticulture.
• Knowledge of grounds maintenance practices (grass maintenance, turf culture, drainage, soil husbandry, ornamental horticulture) and a working knowledge of habitats and wildlife support.
• Experience using horticultural machinery and tractors.
• Preferable supervisory experience.
• Current knowledge of Health and Safety regulations and COSHH.
• Full current UK driving licence.
• Currently hold or be prepared to work towards Level 3 qualification or equivalent in horticulture.
• Currently hold or be prepared to work towards PA1–PA6 spray certification.
• Currently hold or be prepared to work towards a recognised workplace assessor qualification.

Other Requirements:

• Ability to fulfil spoken aspects of the role in English, and where specified, Welsh.
• Basic IT, maths and English skills.
• Requirement for DBS Enhanced security clearance.
• Hybrid working may be available; arrangements will be discussed and reviewed regularly.
• Flexible working patterns, including part-time, may be considered where suitable.

Benefits:

• Standard full-time working hours are 37 hours per week (excluding unpaid breaks).
• Annual leave according to Civil Service guidelines; holiday year runs from 1 March.
• Bank, public and privilege holidays add 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) to annual leave.
• Choice of Civil Service pension scheme.
• Access to training and development opportunities; staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction.
• Eligibility for season ticket advance after two months’ service.

Equality and Diversity: MoJ is a disability confident employer committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and talents. All roles are inclusive and enforce equality, diversity and non-discrimination. Qualified candidates will be selected by merit and in accordance with Civil Service recruitment principles.