Helpkeep our Trust grounds in shape and our patients, staff and visitors safe.
We are looking to appoint a motivated individual as a Grounds and Gardens Maintenance Operative to work within the Estates External Environment Team. In this diverse role, you’ll be part of a small mobile team who work across a number of our Trust sites. They are dedicated to ensuring our external environments not only look great, but are safe for everyone who uses them.
The role will involve assisting in the day-to-day maintenance of the grounds and gardens including cleanliness and tidiness of grounds, gardens, roads, paths and paved areas, surface water drains, the care of lawns, flower beds, trees and shrubberies.
The position is 37.5 hours per week Monday to Friday (7.5 hour days) and the postholder will be required to participate in the 22 week winter on call rota for gritting and snow clearing between November and March each year. The new postholder will be predominantly based at the St James University Hospital Grounds workshop.
The job package includes:
* A competitive salary pro rata Band 3 £24,937-£26,598 (Inc. enhancements for unsocial hours.)
* Annual leave starting at 27 days per annum plus statutory bank holidays rising to 33 days with service.
* Salary sacrifice schemes (cycle to work)
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will be part of an 8-person team working trust wide.
The role is to ensure the Trusts grounds and gardens are maintained to a high standard in accordance with legislation and codes of practice.
The work will include routine and planned gardening duties including weed control, propagation and the maintenance of annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees, and hedges.
There will also be a full range of landscaping duties, including decking, paving, walling etc. snow clearing and gritting, and other routine winter duties. Maintain external and roof surface water drain gullies and carry out minor repairs to roads and footpaths.
The successful candidate will be expected to undertake all monitoring procedures for hand arm vibration and noise exposure in accordance with the Health & Safety Executive requirements including completion of exposure logs.
The candidate will be required to operate vehicles and machinery as part of the post including, but not restricted to, tractors, ride on mowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers and strimmers. You will also be required to drive the trust vehicles so will need to have a full current British drivers licence.
This job can involve prolonged periods of physical activity in extreme weather and therefore the post holder must be capable of undertaking such duties.
Training is available, subject to budget, as part of the position and the candidate may be required to attend training on an external provider’s premises.
About us
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is one of the largest employers in Leeds, with over 20,000 staff providing care to 1.6 million patients each year. The Estates and Facilities team keep the Trust's sites running and manage one of the largest estate portfolios in the NHS. With over 2,300 staff, we provide a range of Estates & Facilities services and ensure our buildings and environments are fit for purpose, clean and safe.
Whether we’re cleaning wards, maintaining buildings, monitoring environmental impact, feeding patients, or patrolling our sites, we support the delivery of patient care.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to redeploying the ‘at risk’ members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in shortlisting, please bear with us, and contact us if you have questions.
Job responsibilities
Expected ShortlistingDate
29/09/2025
Planned InterviewDate
08/10/2025
To ensure the Trust’s site grounds and gardens are maintained to a high standard.
To work to the appropriate level of their core skills, as a member of the Estates External Building & Environment Team, to maximise efficiency in the delivery of a safe and high quality Horticultural, Arboreal & Environmental service to the Trust.
To continue to develop elements of other skills, reaching levels of flexibility and competence to enable them to apply abilities where required.
Responsible for the inspection and day to day maintenance of plant and equipment they and others may use.
For a more detailed overview of the job description and personal specification please see attached.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* NVQ level 2 in Horticulture
* Current British Drivers licence.
* PA Licence in categories 1, 2 and 6 (Handheld and vehicle mounted units)
* Chainsaw licence in categories 30 and 31 (fell and process small trees)
* Certificate for use of Tractors, Tractor loader & ride on mowers
Experience
* Completion of a recognised registered apprenticeship
* Working in an Acute Hospital Environment
* Knowledge and experience with block paving, fence and post erection, concreting, roof drainage systems, road drainage systems.
Skills & Behaviours
* Able to carry out strenuous physical tasks and work in adverse, occasionally severe, weather conditions
* Able to use building & grounds maintenance power & hand tools, machinery & equipment including strimmers, rotavators etc.
* Able to complete legal records including but not limited to, pesticide application, vibration exposure, noise exposure & vehicle use
* Able to use electronic work management systems for the receiving of and signing off of work orders.
* Able to work under own initiative and as part of a team
Additional Requirements
* Have a thorough knowledge, across a wide range of horticultural procedures, underpinned by relevant practical experience.
* Able to plan, organise and prioritise own work to provide an efficient service to the Trust and adhere to all Trust policies and procedures
* Able to complete all relevant daily documentation in compliance with relevant statutory legislation and local codes of practice and quality control procedures.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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