Grounds Maintenance Operative Location: Hillingdon Salary: £24,242.40 per annum plus benefits Vacancy Type: Fixed Term Contract, 6 months Do you enjoy working within green open spaces? Do you prefer to work outdoors? The Forward Trust are a leading charity which amongst other activities, owns and operates Blue Sky Services, a Grounds Maintenance social enterprise within our Employment Services Division. Blue Sky Services delivers grounds maintenance, facilities management and horticultural services on behalf of local authorities, social landlords and other partners. Blue Sky Services employs people with lived experience including ex-offenders, people in recovery and also the unemployed or NEET. All staff are employed on Forward Trust terms and conditions. We are looking for a Grounds Maintenance Operative, you will be working outdoors and in open spaces and will help your team members to: To undertake Blue Sky Services operations whilst on designated client/customer sites in relation to ground maintenance, house clearance, pest control, waste management and other services delivered by Blue Sky Services and their partners. To operate equipment such as Strimmers, Mowers, Hedge Cutters etc with training and close supervision required for the undertaking of; ground maintenance, landscape, other horticultural activities, house clearance, pest control and waste management To comply and report any health and safety, equalities and diversity, complaints/complements, safeguarding/prevent and other incidents relating to the work of the Blue Sky Services to the Supervisor, General Manager We are looking for people who are interested in working outdoors, with an interest in the environment and working as part of a team. The post holder will enjoy undertaking manual work in different types of weather and starting work early (often by 7.30am) and finishing by 3.30pm. The work can be hard, but you will be working with an experienced team of colleagues, and we work on different sites in London, so every day is a bit different. We expect all staff to be at our Denham offices by 7.30am Monday to Friday and on time. This post is 37 hours per week. We encourage applications from either ex-offenders or in recovery and unemployed. Please note we require 3 years in recovery to consider the application. We would also love to hear from candidates who live in Hillingdon area as part of our community work. About Us We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community. We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits: Flexible working Training and development opportunities Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional) Season Ticket Loan Scheme Cycle to work scheme Crisis Loan Scheme Electric Car Scheme 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees) Access to Blue Light Card 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary) Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria) Diversity at Forward Trust The Forward Trust commits to providing opportunities to everyone. We want to ensure we have a diverse team with a range of lived and professional experiences. This includes those with ‘Lived Experience’ of addiction, offending, or homelessness. When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles. Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work We recognise the importance of safeguarding, dependent on role you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service Check, details of which will be shared with you at interview. If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements. To Apply If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application. https://careers.forwardtrust.org.uk/vacancies/99/grounds-maintenance-operative6-month-fixed-term-contract.html