Gardener

Description

We are currently seeking a Gardener, who will be based at our historic Newton Park campus. Working as part of the grounds team you will be carrying out routine seasonal garden and estate maintenance, including a wide range of machinery use as well as hands on weeding, working in the borders, woodland areas and parkland.

About the Role

We are looking for a motivated and practical individual to support the day-to-day maintenance of our grounds and gardens across the campus. The role will include seasonal care of shrubs and herbaceous perennials, lawn and wildflower area maintenance, planting and upkeep of trees and hedges, and assisting with renovation work to lawns and sports pitches.

You will also operate a range of garden machinery, carry out routine equipment checks and basic maintenance, assist with path and driveway maintenance, snow and ice clearance, and general groundskeeping duties. Appropriate training will be provided for machinery and pesticide use. You will be expected to maintain accurate records where required and always work in line with the University’s Health and Safety policies.

The role is physically demanding of all team members, tasks include lifting heavy objects and being outside all day in all weathers and work at height.

About You

• RHS Level 1, BTEC First Diploma, or similar.
• Experience in amenity horticulture or grounds maintenance work.
• A full UK manual driving licence is required.
• Previous experience in a historic garden.
• Some plant identification skills.
• Experience of horticultural machinery

For further information on the essential and desirable skills we’re looking for, please refer to the attached Job Description.

Additional Information

Salary Grade 3 - Starting from £25,949 rising to £26,093 per annum

The salary range shows the potential maximum pay progression in addition to any annual inflationary increase to your pay. Please note that our default position is to appoint into the lower end of the range, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

Additional information

• The postholder will be required to work outdoors in all weather conditions.
• This is a hands on role and heavy lifting will be required frequently. You must be physically fit to undertake the role.
• Work at height from ladders and mobile elevated work platforms.
• The postholder will be required to use machines, eg hedge cutters, strimmer's, lawn mowers, tractors and a road sweeper.
• The postholder will be required to drive estate vehicles on and off campus and must hold a current full UK manual driving license.

This is an onsite role, with occasional work at our other campus sites

Please note that as of April 2024, there has been a change in the UK’s sponsorship threshold. Regrettably as the salary for this role falls beneath this, you will not be eligible for sponsorship therefore your application will automatically be rejected.

Staff Benefits

We offer a wide range of great benefits at BSU, including

• Generous pension scheme (Local Government Pension Scheme/Teacher's Pension Scheme). This is a defined benefit pension scheme which pays members a secure income for life, post-retirement
• Enhanced paid leave - 41 - 46 days depending on the role (Full Time) - more details here: https://apphub.bathspa.ac.uk/StaffBenefits
• Family friendly policies including hybrid working, flexible work environment, on-site nursery, and a sector-leading enhanced maternity scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme which offers access to on-demand GP appointments, wellbeing support and advice, and access to counselling
• Transport schemes including Electric Vehicle Scheme and Cycle to Work
• Wide range of discounts and financial benefits, accessed through and easy-to-use app

For further details about all our staff benefits, have a look at our rewards page: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/work-at-bath-spa/rewards-and-benefits/

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

About Bath Spa University

At Bath Spa University, we believe in the power of education to break down barriers to opportunity and to transform lives. We are the Professionally Creative for the future. Professional Creativity transcends subject disciplines, and is just as important for our sciences, education, business and law subjects as it is for our sector leading creative industries provision. We connect learners, staff and external partners with applied research and innovation. We power inclusive growth through skills development and practice based, innovation – intensive learning for all.

Our main Newton park campus is based in stunning countryside just a few minutes from a World Heritage City. We are also proud to offer courses to students at our other campuses around Bath, and in London at our Canary Wharf and Hackney sites.

An impressive 84% of our staff said they would recommend the University to a friend as a good place to work.

We are a community of colleagues, striving for excellence to ensure students thrive. Our values are:

• Respect
• Inclusivity
• Collaboration
• Sustainability

We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community. We foster inclusivity, celebrating and respecting differences. We welcome diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds and genders. We consider our recruitment practices to be comprehensive and unbiased; ensuring fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for all.

Information about visa sponsorship

Under the 2006 Immigration, Nationality and Asylum Act the University has a duty to prevent illegal working by carrying out document checks on all potential employees to confirm that a person has the right to work in the UK.

Please note that the University has a legal responsibility to ensure that all employees are entitled to live and work in the UK.

For some vacancies (those requiring specific specialist skills or in shortage occupations) we may be able to obtain a certificate of sponsorship for a suitably qualified applicant. Due to the limited availability of sponsorship resources, not all vacancies in this category will be eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship. Sponsorship eligibility will be assessed on a role-by-role basis and is normally limited to positions that meet the University's workforce and immigration criteria.

In light of this, for most vacancies it will be unlikely that permission to work in the UK would be granted.

For further information please click here to visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.