Assistant Groundsperson

Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools (ESMS) are recruiting 3 full-time permanent Assistant Groundspersons to join our existing team. The people that work for us are passionate, pioneering and strive for excellence in everything they do. We value the incredible contributions they make to school life, we invest in their careers and we support their ambitions so that they flourish professionally and personally.

The role will involve maintenance of sports pitches (both natural grass and artificial surfaces), ornamental lawns, shrubberies, and other landscaped areas. The postholder will be required to possess a full, clean driver’s license and have experience of driving tractors, using petrol mowers, hedge trimmers, strimmer’s and ride-on mowers.

This is a permanent position available immediately. The core hours of work are:

- Monday to Thursday - 7.00am to 4.00pm
- Friday - 7.00am to 3.00pm
- Saturday - 8.00am to 12.00pm (every second Saturday on a rota during term time)

The postholders will be contracted for 39 hours per week plus 4 hours every second Saturday during term time.

The salary range for this role will be on the ESMS Support Staff Salary Scale point 8 - 11 which is from £22,536 to £24,657 per annum, and the salary appointment will be dependent upon relevant experience.

**THE POST**

Assistant Groundsperson

**BASIC FUNCTION**

The Assistant Groundsperson’s basic function is to help maintain the schools’ grounds and pitches to a high standard, as determined by the schools’ management.

**ACCOUNTABILITY**

The Assistant Groundsperson is accountable to the ESMS Head Groundsman for their day-to-day tasks and, in their absence, the Foreman Groundsman.

**AUTHORITY**

The Assistant Groundsperson has authority as delegated by the ESMS Head Groundsman, the Estates Manager and the Bursar.

**RELATIONSHIPS**

The Assistant Groundsperson is required to interact closely with all other members of staff and the greater school community.

**RESPONSIBILITIES**

Grounds Maintenance and Gardening 60%
- Keeping the grounds in good order as per duties directed by the ESMS Head Grounds Person or their designated deputy
- Pruning and maintaining shrubs, trees and hedges when appropriate through the year to ensure good health and growth in an aesthetic manner
- Planting, weeding and cultivating flower beds and herbaceous plantings
- Cutting and maintaining sports pitches, lawns and ornamental areas of grass.

General Maintenance 35%
- Collecting litter and emptying litter bins
- Sweeping up debris and detritus from playgrounds and areas of hard standing
- Helping in the schedules of preventative maintenance to drains on the school sites and other ESMS grounds
- Carrying out counteractive measures in times of harsh winter weather, including the de-icing of all footpaths and roadways
- Ensuring that all grounds staff equipment is maintained to a safe and suitable standard; and reporting any defects and/or safety issues immediately.

Other 5%
- Providing grounds security as and when required
- Carrying out any other duties that may be reasonably requested by the ESMS Head Grounds Person.

The Grounds Staff work on rotation across the three school sites: The Mary Erskine School (MES) at Ravelston, Stewart's Melville College (SMC) at Queensferry Road, and Inverleith Playing Fields on Ferry Road.

**REQUIRED SKILLS**
- Experience of using pedestrian, petrol engine rotary and cylinder mowers.
- Experience of using petrol engine hedge trimmers and petrol engine strimmer’s.
- Experience of using amenity range diesel tractors with various mounted implements (trailed gang mower, rotary mower, turf aerator, sand spreader, trailers and drag brushes).
- NC Horticulture, City and Guilds Horticulture Level 2-3, NVQ/SVC level 2-3 in Greenkeeping/Sports turf maintenance or equivalent experience (achievable within 2 to 3 years)
- Experience using diesel engine Cricket Rollers.
- Experience using ride-on triple cylinder mowers and ride-on rotary deck mowers.
- Experience of working in an education environment.

**Skills/ Abilities/**

**Qualifications**
- Excellent communication skills (orally and in writing) and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to multi-task and prioritise own workload with good attention to detail.
- Independent, self-motivated and organised; with an ability to work as part of a team.
- Pesticide Application Certificates (PA1 and PA6 preferred) - achievable within 2 to 3 years

**Personal Attributes**
- Full, clean driving license.
- High professional and personal standards.
- Commitment to continuous professional development.

**REMUNERATION AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS**

**The post**

This is a permanent full-time position available immediately.

**Hours of Work** The hours of work are:

- Monday to Thursday - 7.00am to 4.00pm
- Friday - 7.00am to 3.00pm
- Saturday - 8.00am to 12.00pm (every second Saturday on rota system)

**Holidays**

Entitlement is to 25 days annual holiday leave plus 10 days statutor