Job title: Craft Gardener
Salary: B3 £26,403 – £28,142
Hours: 37
Contract: Full Time / Permanent
Location: Roundhay Park
Would you like to be part of something bigger and join us in our ambition to become the Best Council, working together as a Team for Leeds. Do your values match ours and do you have something to offer?
Leeds City Council delivers over 500 different services to residents and is dedicated to bringing the benefits of a prosperous, vibrant and attractive city to the people of Leeds. This is a fantastic time to join us.
Introduction to the role of the team
Roundhay Park is one of the largest urban parks in Europe and one of Leeds’ most iconic public spaces. We are looking for a skilled and motivated Craft Gardener to help maintain the park’s high‑quality landscapes, formal gardens, sports surfaces, and estate grounds.
This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a unique and historic environment, contributing directly to the quality, safety, and enjoyment of the park for the millions of visitors who enjoy it each year.
As a Craft Gardener working in our Climate, Energy and Green Spaces service, you’ll thrive on working as part of a small team of dedicated staff. Ensuring that the upkeep of our parks and green spaces is undertaken to a high standard.
Your role
As a Craft Gardener, you will undertake a wide range of horticultural and grounds maintenance duties, ensuring the park’s formal and informal landscapes are maintained to a high standard. You will work as part of a wider team but also be able to complete tasks independently and interpret complex plans with limited supervision.
You’ll require considerable practical horticultural experience, together with a Level 1 qualification within this field of work or equivalent experience. Applicants who can demonstrate a substantial period of work experience without formal qualifications will also be considered.
Work includes all aspects of horticultural maintenance, including manual handling such as lifting, digging, hard and soft landscaping, preparation of ground for the planting and establishment of plants, weed spraying, the laying, establishing and maintenance of turf, fencing, the construction and maintenance of landscape features and grass cutting using a range of grass cutting mowers.
You will have excellent communication skills and be a team player. You will be motivated and a critical thinker with the ability to understand the needs of your customers. You will also support the development of the wider team through on‑site supervision and mentoring of gardeners and apprentices.
A provisional driving licence will be required upon successful appointment of the post.
Leeds City Council are committed to promoting and living our values of being open, honest and trusted ~ treating people fairly ~ spending money wisely ~ working as a team for Leeds ~ working with communities
Benefits of working with us:
We pride ourselves on offering the best employee experience, with a genuine commitment to keeping our colleagues safe and well at work. You can expect great benefits whilst working for us including:
- a competitive pay progression structure including generous employer pension contributions
- flexible career paths with tailored personal and professional development
- support for you, your home and your family including personal, and financial support
- hybrid working arrangements (subject to needs of the role) and a flexitime system
For more information about our benefits please see the benefits section of our jobs page. www.leeds.gov.uk/jobs
How to apply
Please complete the online application form.
Read our guidancefor further advice on completing your application.
We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.
If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.
Job Description
Job purpose
To undertake all aspects of horticultural maintenance within the Leeds City boundaries.
Responsibilities
- To prepare land for planting
- To undertake the planting and aftercare of annual, biennial and perennial plants
- To repair and maintain ornamental and amenity turf areas
- To undertake basic hard and soft landscaping construction and aftercare
- To prepare sports areas, marking out and maintenance
- To undertake other manual labouring duties as required
- To respond to enquiries from parks visitors in an appropriate and constructive way
- To refer concerns expressed by visitors to the parks to line managers or supervisors
- To undertake such training as is required to meet the needs of the maintenance of the parks and surrounding areas
- To undertake other site-related horticultural maintenance duties commensurate with the skill levels expected of a Craft Gardener as directed by senior management
- To have the ability to carry out tasks, without direct supervision
- To undertake mentoring and on-site supervision of gardeners and gardening apprentices
- To interpret and work on complex plans
- The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post
Qualifications
- Level 1 qualification within this field of work and actively working towards gaining or able to demonstrate a substantial number of years practical experience in gardening and horticultural operations.
- Minimum provisional driving licence required on appointment
Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.
- Ability to prepare land for planting
- Ability to establish and maintain plants
- Ability to establish turf by seed and by laying
- Ability to construct basic hard landscaping features and surfaces
- Ability to maintain course, amenity and sports turf grass surfaces
- Ability to undertake digging, forking and heavy lifting work, complying with manual handling
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
- Experience in amenity horticulture
- Experience in the use of ride-on machinery
Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics
- Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
- Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
- Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
- Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
- Willingness to actively participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
- Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
- Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
- Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
- The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.
- Candidates will be expected to undertake training to achieve a PA1 / PA6 spraying certificate.
- Full UK driving licence.
