Job title: Head Gardener
Location: Camden Area
Salary: Dependent on skills and experience
Main purpose of job:
Principal accountabilities
- Responsible for the day to day grounds maintenance activity at designated housing estates and parks.
- Prepare, implement and monitor weekly, monthly and annual maintenance programmes to ensure required standards are maintained
- To utilise best, most economic and effective work practices
- Proactively manage all areas of delivery, in order to solve problems before client raises them as an issue
- Manage the work planning process to ensure optimum utilisation of human resources
- To act as the day to day contact for client officers
- To support the operational management team
- Establish and maintain excellent client relationships
- Attend and act as an ambassador at client meetings or related events
- Initiate client communication to foster open lines of communication
- To be proactive and well prepared at Progress Meetings with clients
- To be approachable and responsive to the needs of your direct reports and minimise conflict
- To communicate effectively and confidently both on a one-to-one basis and in groups
- To develop teamwork by effective communication and regular meetings
- To create a positive impression with clients, presenting a professional and proactive attitude
- To build strong, long term relationships with customers
- To understand the benefits of the Company’s Complaints and Customer Contact procedures
- Communicate with colleagues across the Group in order to share best practice and pool knowledge and resources
- Constantly seek to improve and change to deliver best value
- Complete all maintenance activities to contract specification and to desired quality standard.
- Keep all machinery and equipment breakdowns to a minimum by ensuring all company policies are followed regarding defect reporting and service scheduling
- Keep accidents and other H&S incidents to a minimum by implementing good working practices, training and adhering to company H&S policies
- This role may include on-call commitment (1 week in 4) sometime in the future
- To understand the law relating to Health & Safety and implement the Company’s Health & Safety Policy
- To understand and implement risk assessments and COSSH
- To understand machinery basic maintenance requirements and have systems in place to ensure maintenance takes place
- To ensure that all members of staff behave in a professional manner: wear the correct corporate clothing, keep vehicles and machinery clean and well maintained and that sites are kept clean and tidy at all times.
- To understand and operate within the company’s financial procedures
- Manage according to budget
- Assist the Contract Manager with the completion of performance reports
Knowledge & Skills
- An experienced Horticulturist/Groundsman with a proven work experience in a similar role
- PA1, PA2 and PA6 spraying certificates (training given)
- Full Driving Licence
- NVQ Horticulture
Personal qualities
- Competent
- Able to work to consistently high standards
- Professional attitude
- High level of enthusiasm and motivation
- Decisive
- An approachable personality
- Strong relationship building skills with clients and users