Green Spaces Manager

Overview

• Salary: £46,711 to £51,042
• Location: Maidstone, Kent
• Contract: Permanent

The Borough of Maidstone benefits from a rich variety of parks and open spaces that offer our residents and visitors access to recreation, nature, health and wellbeing, events, and culture. This includes Mote Park, one of the Country’s most iconic parks and three other Green Flag parks.

We are looking for an experienced and versatile manager with a practical knowledge of ecology, horticulture, biodiversity and grounds maintenance.  You will understand the current pressures on urban green spaces and will be responsible for shaping their future through design, strategy and direct service delivery.

The Council operates an in-house grounds maintenance team that you will be responsible for alongside the parks management team.

You will need to build strong relationships with the key stakeholders for the service to maximise the social and environmental value of the Borough’s Parks and Open Spaces.

About Maidstone Borough Council

Maidstone Borough Council is a confident organisation with ambition and aspirations to deliver high quality services to our residents and local businesses. We strive to make the borough an attractive place for all and secure a successful economy. We continue to build on our strengths – assets, knowledge and expertise and our track record for innovation and improvement to create a financially sustainable future so that we can continue with our undiminished plans.

We will only achieve the results we are aiming for through the talents and hard work of all our people. You are encouraged to become part of our vision and in return you can expect support, training, and fair reward from us. We will give you the opportunity to develop the skills to do your job well and create a positive working environment where your ideas about improving how we do things are valued and we manage the changes needed for new ways of working well.

At Maidstone Borough Council we recognise the importance of flexible working and the benefits this can bring to both our staff and the Council. We know that by offering employees a range of flexible working opportunities we can positively impact their wellbeing and engagement, and drive productivity in return. As such we have developed a highly flexible hybrid working policy, alongside our flexi time and flexible working policies, enabling staff to shape their working patterns around building a greater work life balance.

Our Offer

A range of benefits including:

• Highly flexible hybrid working opportunities
• 7am to 7pm flexi time to suit personal circumstances for most roles
• Generous holiday entitlement which increases after 5 years LG service plus bank holidays with the option to buy additional leave.
• Additional 3 days leave given to enable a close down of the offices between Christmas and New year.
• Free parking
• Range of flexible working opportunities to accommodate people’s home/work life balance including compressed hours, 9-day fortnight, part time.
• Invitations to staff events to celebrate success and support wellbeing that include holistic therapies and outdoor activities
• Employee Assistance Programme which provides confidential & independent information and access to counsellors
• Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with valuable life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Life Assurance – three times your annual salary (for members of the LGPS)
• Season Ticket Loan – to help with the cost of your rail/ bus journey, to & from work
• Lease car salary sacrifice scheme allowing you to lease a brand-new car. The monthly fee includes insurance, servicing and road tax.
• Annual flu vaccine
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff benefits discounts on leisure, eating out, holidays and shopping
• Excellent learning and career opportunities for committed individuals
• A professional fee payment, if required for the role

About You

You will have a degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline such as horticulture, landscape management or landscape conservation. Further qualifications in arboriculture, play area inspections and leadership and management are desirable.

You will have extensive experience of green space and landscape management, including practical experience of horticulture and landscape techniques. You should also have experience of budget and project management.

Additionally, you will have excellent communication and management skills, have the ability to make effective decisions under pressure and be a motivational manager to develop a positive team culture.

Selection Process

Following the submission of your application form, it will be reviewed by the recruiting manager. Those that are successful in securing an interview can expect job specific interview assessment, followed by an interview.

Maidstone Borough Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employee and volunteers to share this commitment.

Maidstone Borough Council has a Sponsor License which enables successful candidates in eligible roles to be sponsored for work Visa purposes.

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Jennifer Stevens, Head of Environment and Public Realm on 01622 602400.

To apply for the position please visit https://www.maidstone.gov.uk/jobs and complete the online application form or by phone on 01622 602555.

Closing date: 23 October 2023.

Interview Date: Week commencing 30 October 2023