Job details
- Salary: £24,046 – £24,794 per annum (including allowances)
- Location: Brookvale Depot, Northfleet
- Status: Permanent
- Hours: 37 hours per week
- Closing date: 20 June 2025
The role
To successfully complete a range of skilled horticultural and ground maintenance duties to ensure the council’s parks, open spaces and housing communal gardens are maintained to a high standard.
The post can operate across a range of sites throughout the borough and the work undertaken may vary depending on the seasons.
Main responsibilities
Undertake a range of specialist tasks including:
- Grass cutting using ride on cylinder or rotary mowers, hand mowers and strimmer’s
- Shrub pruning and hedge cutting using hedge cutters and hand tools
- Soil cultivation; digging, forking, mulching, raking, weeding, edging.
- Prepare, plant and maintain annual bedding beds.
- Shrub and tree planting
- Clearing leaves and litter, including the use of a leaf blower.
- Assisting with tree works using shredders, chippers and stump grinders as necessary
- Application of herbicides and pesticides and being competent in keeping accurate spraying records
- Basic maintenance of horticultural plant and machinery
- Comfortable working with a team on general maintenance and site-specific project/jobs.
- Emptying of litter and dog bins as required
- Litter picking of sites and wider areas as required
Watering of trees, shrubs and bedding displays using vehicle-mounted water bowser.
Ability to tow trailers of varying sizes in a safe manner to transport horticultural machinery, shrub pruning’s or tree cuttings as the job dictates. Drivers need to be able to carry our daily safety checks and be able to confidently manoeuvre and reverse trailers in areas with restricted access and space.
To execute workmanship to a high standard and ensure it is carried out in strict compliance with the Health and Safety at Work Act, and any other relevant legislation covering safety in the workplace for self and others.
Plan and organise the work, materials and equipment according to priorities, the size and complexity of the job, the need to minimise travel and other non-productive time, and the need to keep scheduled appointments.
Provide supervision and guidance to work experience/ apprentices as and when required.
To keep supervisory staff aware of progress and problems in a timely manner.
To carry out gritting, salt spreading and snow clearing, as necessary, during bad weather.
Essential qualifications/experience
- Experience working in similar physical roles.
- Ability to manage their own time and follow instructions.
- Good communication skills.
- Evidence of working within a team.
- Good customer service skills.
- Methodical.
- Ability to estimate time and materials needed for assigned work projects.
- Ability to work with minimum supervision or as part of a team.
- A full and clean UK driving license (category B)
Desirable qualifications/experience
- Ability pull a trailer (Category B+E licence or higher).
- Licence to drive Agricultural tractors (Category F).
- NPTC level PA1 & PA6a pesticide certificate.
- NVQ level 2 in Horticulture or equivalent.
Working for Gravesham
We are committed to delivering to the community and working with us means you are part of delivering the level of growth and improvement our community needs and deserves. A range of services have been provided to over 106,000 people and 4,000 businesses.
The Borough of Gravesham, situated in the north west corner of Kent, covers 25,000 acres of the most varied countryside in south east England. Bordered by the River Thames to the north, it is at the heart of Thames Gateway and has a significant role to play in the regeneration of a major government growth area.
Read more information about working for us.
Benefits
- A generous holiday entitlement, plus paid bank holidays
- Use of a company van for business use only which can be taken home - more information supplied at interview
- Additional OOH callout payment on top of salary - more information supplied at interview
- Membership to Local Government Pension Scheme - Local Government Pension Scheme
- Career development, training opportunities and access to e-learning
- Access to eye care vouchers and VDU Glasses
- External Occupational Health service
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Access to EAP Services 24/7
- Free parking
Important Information
Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job description.
Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.
If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting manager call James Young on 01474 337663.
How to apply
Please send your CV and covering letter to recruitment@gravesham.gov.uk by 20 June 2025.
If you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.
All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Human Resources Team on 01474 337374.