Gardener

Location: Gravesend

Salary: SC1 - (Scale point 2) to SC2 - (Scale point 4) £24,413.00 to £25,185.00

Vacancy Type: Permanent

Closing Date: 25/03/2026

Do you have a passion for horticulture and take pride in creating and maintaining beautiful green spaces for the community to enjoy?

Gravesham Borough Council is looking for a skilled and enthusiastic Gardener to join our team. In this hands-on role, you will be at the heart of our operations, performing a variety of tasks to keep our parks, open spaces, and communal gardens looking their best throughout the seasons.

Your key responsibilities will include grass cutting, planting, pruning, and bed maintenance, using a range of equipment from ride-on mowers to hand tools. You'll play a vital role in everything from soil cultivation and pest control to supporting tree work and ensuring our sites are clean and safe for visitors.

This is a fantastic opportunity for a practical, motivated individual who enjoys working outdoors as part of a dedicated team. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you can see the tangible results of your work every day, we would love to hear from you.

Key Skills & Abilities

• Practical Horticultural Skills: Proven ability in grass cutting, shrub pruning, soil cultivation, bedding plant maintenance, and planting.
• Machinery Operation: Competence in using and performing basic maintenance on horticultural machinery (e.g., rideon mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters, leaf blowers).
• Trailer Towing: Ability to safely tow trailers of varying sizes. A full, clean UK driving licence (Category B) is essential.
• Health & Safety Compliance: A strong understanding of and commitment to health and safety regulations in the workplace.
• Time Management & Organisation: Ability to manage your own time, follow instructions, and organise work and materials efficiently.
• Teamwork and Communication: Excellent team player with good communication and customer service skills for interacting with the public and colleagues.

Essential Qualifications & Certifications

• UK Driving Licence: A full and clean UK driving licence (Category B) is mandatory.

Required Experience

• Hands-on Horticulture: Demonstrable experience in a similar gardener or ground maintenance role.
• Public Facing Role: Experience dealing with the public in a professional manner.

Personal Qualities & Conditions

• Physical Fitness: Ability to perform physically demanding tasks and lift heavy items in all outdoor weather conditions.
• Flexibility & Attitude: Willingness to undertake routine tasks, work weekends/bank holidays if required, and update skills through training.
• Team Fit: A well-organised, trouble-shooting individual who can work with minimal supervision and contribute to a dynamic team.

Desirable Criteria (Advantageous but not essential)

• NPTC Certificates: Must hold PA1 (Safe Use of Pesticides) and PA6a (Hand-Held Applicators) pesticide application certificates.
• Formal Qualification: NVQ Level 2 in Horticulture or an equivalent qualification.
• Supervisory Experience: Experience in providing guidance to apprentices or junior staff members

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to workfor Gravesham Borough Council,please do not hesitate to apply.

Contact information

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