Parks & Play Area Inspector

**Salary: Band 7 - £27,852 - £32,020 p.a.**

**37 hours per week**

**Permanent**

**The Service**:
The Parks Service is responsible for the strategic management and maintenance of a wide range of parks, gardens and open spaces that are appreciated by thousands of people every day. These include beautiful formal parks, local and smaller pocket parks, sports pitches, ball courts, children's play areas, natural spaces, wildlife habitats, small informal grassed areas, trees and allotments. Parks and Play Area Inspector is a key role within the service, enabling the wider service delivery of other Culture and Regulatory Services teams such as Tourism and Visitor Services, Events & Seafront to meet the needs of an increasing population.

The service provides a high standard of safety and quality in the inspection and maintenance to the Parks & Open Spaces across the city and some sites outside of the city.

**What is the role?**

In this highly responsible post, you will be required to carry out inspections to identify the necessary repairs and maintenance requirements. You will record details of these inspections on a handheld device. From time to time, you will also be required to undertake urgent and minor repairs as appropriate in the Play areas, Multi-courts, Skateboard areas and other Parks infrastructure as required. You will support the Parks Infrastructure and Play Officer in providing a high-quality maintenance and inspection service for the city's residents, Managing the city's 120 play facilities, open spaces and hard landscape infrastructure.

You will carry out Parks and Open Space inspections to all infrastructure as directed to current applicable standards. (playground equipment, multi-use games areas, splash pools, outdoor fitness equipment, skate parks roads, park furniture, shelters, fencing, walls, drainage, lighting, footpaths, drainage, and water features, drinking bottle filler stations, etc). You will also fully manage small projects within this area of work (procurement, design, specification writing, works programming, feasibility, site supervision, contractor supervision, quality control & health & safety). You'll be proactive in proposing future improvement works through the annual works programme plan.

Travelling around the City on a regular basis, you will inspect 250+ individual sites, engaging with internal staff and external contractors to undertake any maintenance work required or requested and to ensure it is carried out in a timely manner in accordance with relevant health and safety regulations and European and British Standards. You will also engage with & monitor external contractors whilst they carry out maintenance and construction works.

In addition, you will work closely with your line manager and consult with a broad range of staff within the PCC Parks Department to resolve any problems that are found or reported in Parks and Open Space areas. You will promptly investigate and provide written & electronic reports as required on any incidents, accidents, acts of vandalism or malfunction of equipment.

**Who is the person?**

You will:

- Be an RPII qualified Operational Inspector or be willing to undertake this qualification.
- Have a good understanding of safety and mechanical knowledge, with the ability to identify various faults and to diagnose the necessary remedies.
- Have understanding of BSEN standards.
- Be able to carry out minor repairs where necessary using small tools.
- Have the ability to interpret plans and drawings.
- Be accurate and methodical in your record keeping.
- Have good communication skills, to be able to liaise effectively with contractors, members of the public, external contacts and staff at all levels within PCC.
- Be a good team player, a 'hands on person' who can be adaptable and flexible to the needs of the organisation and capable of working on your own initiative.
- Have good observational skills, common sense and the initiative to be able to quickly identify and remedy any potential health and safety issues.
- Be provided with a vehicle to undertake your daily duties and it will be necessary to have a full driving licence to be able to travel regularly to various sites.
- Be required to work outside in all weathers and be able to work alone on various sites.
- Be able to independently prioritise your workload effectively, whilst responding to competing priorities & demands.
- Be good communicator and team player, able to make positive relationships across the team, and contribute to ensure the team's services are responsive to community needs.
- Have proactive approach in the investigation and response to enquiries and requests.
- Develop a thorough understanding of the Council's procurement processes.
- Develop a thorough understanding of the Council's geographical information system.
- Work proactively and creatively to solve problems which may involve occasional working outside of normal working hours.
- Be physically fit to ca