Senior Gardener

The Senior Gardener will report directly to the Head Gardener and work closely alongside the whole team to complete the day-to-day tasks around the Kingsbrook estate. These tasks include (but are not limited to) mowing, strimming, hedge cutting, weeding, general soft landscaping and hard landscaping if required, e.g. hoggin path maintenance. This role will suit someone who has experience working as part of a small team.

Kingsbrook is a unique site with a wide and diverse range of green areas to manage; varying from parkland and sports pitches to ecological mitigation lands, lakes and SuDs. Every area of the site presents different challenges and requires a team with a range of skills to keep it up to the desired standard.

Days/Hours: 37.5 hours a week. Seasonal hours: 08:00 - 16:30 BST and 08:00 - 15:30 GMT

**Key duties and responsibilities**

Contributing to the Estate Vision:

- Ensuring all works are completed to a high standard that maximises resident and community enjoyment of the green spaces.
- Promoting ecological biodiversity wherever possible to minimise the estates impact on the local area.
- Identifying problems around the estate, and making recommendations for improvements.
- Contributing ideas and suggestions for new or refreshed planting.
- Contributing to the planning of long-term works.

Maintenance of Parks:

- Mowing, strimming and edging lawns in accordance with area specifications, as detailed in the estate design and maintenance plans.
- Cleaning and clearing of debris (leaves, litter picking).
- Trimming of border shrubs and keeping borders weed free.
- Application of herbicides to hard-landscaped areas in conjunction with the maintenance plan.
- Conducting visual checks of play equipment and hard surfaces and reporting any damage through the relevant processes.

Maintenance of wider estate grounds:

- Pruning, trimming, weeding, deadheading and tidying plants, shrubs, roses etc, in accordance with good horticultural practise and estate design requirements.
- Ensuring plants have sufficient water and nutrition (feeding and mulching)
- Mulching and border maintenance as and when required.
- Assisting with the production of homemade composts/mulch (turning, watering and aerating compost heaps), laying down mulch, woodchips and soil conditioners to improve soil fertility.
- Monitoring for signs of pest and disease infestations and treating as appropriate.
- Maintaining walking strips around lakes and suds to specification.
- Monitoring and maintaining wildflower areas to provide maximum bloom and diversity.
- Maintaining community areas that fall within the responsibility of Kingsbrook Parish Council including community allotment, community garden and community orchard.

Health and Safety:

- Ensure all machinery is kept in a safe working condition according to Risk Assessments, manufacturer recommendations for individual machines and internal procedures.
- Along with the Estate Manager, ensure the Grounds department complies with all necessary statutory Health and Safety legislation.
- Comply with any procedures required by Kingsbrook Parish Council in order to ensure the health and safety of themselves, their colleagues and any other persons that may be affected by their actions.
- Undertake any training provided in relation to health and safety.

**Qualifications**
- Essential _
A relevant horticultural qualification (NVQ level 2 or RHS level 2 in Horticulture) or equivalent experience.
Experience and knowledge of working as a skilled gardener.
Hold a minimum of five GCSEs or equivalent, including Maths and English at grade 4 or above.
Experience in the use of garden machinery, ride on mowers, hedge cutters etc.
Current Driving License.
- Desirable _
Experience and knowledge of working as a Senior Gardener or Team Leader.
Experience supervising small numbers of staff daily.
Machine or tool tickets in the relevant field.
Experience in tractor attachments and PTO operation.

**Technical Knowledge and Skills**
- Essential_
Ability to demonstrate a good standard of skills associated with gardening.
Ability and understanding of working with a formal Health and Safety Policy.
Basic IT skills and use of IT equipment.
- Desirable_
Good admin and IT skills.

**Personal Attributes**
- Professional, with a good eye for detail
- Flexible
- Ability to work independently and to use initiative
- A clear desire to help and a can-do attitude
- A good communicator - both will colleagues and the general public
- Physically fit
- A high level of spoken and written English (this is essential to carry out the duties of the position and for Health and Safety training)

**Teamwork Skills**
- Ability to work as part of a team as well as under own initiative
- A strong ‘team player’
- Ability to adapt to the different needs of working within Kingsbrook
- Willing to take on duties outside of the norm to support Kingsbrook Parish Council as required, e.g. preparation for community events, setting up the c