Job title: Senior Estates Manager (The Arium)

Salary: PO6 £51,356 - £54,495 plus weekend enhancements

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: The Arium (Thorner Lane, Whinmoor, Leeds)

The Arium is Leeds City Council’s horticultural nursery, supplying gardens and greenspace across the city with plants and services. Alongside its extensive horticultural offer, The Arium also features a café, a destination outdoor play area, and a gift and homeware shop.

As a senior manager within the Climate, Energy and Green Spaces department, you’ll thrive on leading a team to provide good customer service, delivering commercial and operational plans and developing your own teams.

A background in plant nursery management is not a core requirement of the role as although The Arium is the largest local authority plant nursery in the country, the role will have a keen focus on the customer and commercial aspects and there will be other areas of responsibility within the wider Climate, Energy and Greenspaces service. This opportunity is ideal for an engaging and motivating leader with good commercial acumen and ability to drive continuous improvement.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a senior manager, you will bring to the role:

• Good leadership and people management skills
• Good commercial acumen and financial management skills
• Experience of managing health and safety in an operational environment
• Experience of driving continuous improvement

About the role

The role is integral to our Climate, Energy and Greenspaces department which has over 500 FTEs and is part of its management team.

As our next Senior Estates Manager you will provide leadership to the cafe and retail staff, horticultural production team and gardening teams at The Arium and Golden Acre Park. Your leadership will drive a positive, high-performing culture where teams feel inspired, supported and empowered to deliver excellent customer service. With a strong focus on developing people, driving commercial success, and continuously improving how we operate, you’ll make a visible and meaningful impact on services enjoyed by communities across Leeds. This role presents a great opportunity for someone who enjoys variety, thrives on challenge and is motivated by making a difference. It’s also a great platform to broaden your experience across operational management and commercial development.

There is a requirement for regular weekend working.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Sonya McDonald, Head of Commercial and Estates. (sonya.mcdonald@leeds.gov.uk)

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: Working as part of the Climate, Energy and Green Spaces management team, the postholder will demonstrate the council values and behaviours to help us to achieve our ambition to become the best city council in the country. The role will manage services and be responsible for the site as a whole at The Arium. The role will also have responsibility for other sub services within the Climate, Energy and Green Spaces service.

The role will provide leadership and operational management to deliver financial goals and high levels of customer service. The role will be expected to lead on continuous improvement programmes to provide customer focussed, robust and effective services. Flexibility and cross team working is required to support wider team workloads and future service developments.

Responsibilities:

• Lead on the commercial operation of the Arium and designated estates, ensuring effective budget management.
• Analyse financial and performance data to inform decision making in support of continuous improvement and income generation.
• Manage high quality, economic and efficient horticultural maintenance and management operations at designated estates.
• Provide overall site management at designated estates and ensure that appropriate health and safety arrangements are in place, including where multiple parts of the service operate from the estate.
• Manage the preparation and implementation of estate management plans and programmes of improvement works in estates in accordance with service priorities.
• Manage and develop designated estates as visitor attractions.
• Provide support for major events as and when required and to provide support to communities for events and activities.
• Ensure robust procedures and controls are in place manage the retail and hospitality activity within designated estates and work collaboratively with colleagues to roll out best practice across the wider service.
• Review and develop operational processes to improve performance and maximise opportunities ensuring that due regard is given to issues affecting the provision and development of commercial activities.
• Ensure the delivery of best value services to customers in meeting the objectives of the Council and work collaboratively to drive customer focussed improvement initiatives across the service.
• Ensure effective consultation mechanisms in order to develop the work of the Climate, Energy and Green Spaces service.
• Monitor, evaluate and improve supplier performance through robust contract management arrangements.
• Support the Chief Officer in achieving the outcomes identified by the Leadership Team in relation to service improvement activities and priority projects.
• Provide support on business continuity and risk management activities, ensuring business continuity plans and risk management plans are in place for the relevant service areas and are regularly reviewed and maintained.
• Ensure appropriate staff management and supervisory arrangements are in place within your own service area such as employee wellbeing and support, working arrangements, leave, managing attendance, recruitment and selection, training and development, disciplinary matters, grievances, complaints of discrimination, violence or bullying at work, performance capability, emergencies and service continuity, health and safety, information technology and confidentiality
• Ensure that service planning and monitoring is carried out across your own service area in accordance with the corporate requirements, and that in particular key tasks and activities are completed and reported on, and that service plans reflect key activities and actions being carried out
• Perform all functions and duties effectively and in accordance with the following:
• the Council’s Policies and Codes of Practice.
• the Council's Constitution, including Contracts and Financial Procedure Rules.
• the Council’s Values, service objectives and relevant quality procedures
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills
• Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and development programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.
• Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g. child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding and promoting the values, standards and equal opportunities of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment or victimisation and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.
• 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: Appropriate professional qualification or equivalent substantial knowledge and experience in the service area.

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the following essential requirements.

• It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.
• There is a requirement for regular duty weekend working on a rota basis.

Essential behavioural and 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 Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and 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
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• 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.

• Managing within a horticultural environment.

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