About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

Job description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Responsible for Grounds Maintenance at a prison, you will enjoy a wide range of responsibilities. We will look to you to help maintain and improve grounds and amenity areas - from gardens and lawns, to ponds, water features and woodland.

But your impact in this unique environment will go beyond landscaping, mowing and maintenance. You will carry out projects including soft and hard landscape redevelopment. You will also maintain soil husbandry and growing crops, ensuring optimum development.

Perhaps your most important contribution to development here will be your work supervising prisoners. Leading a team, you will oversee their work with an eye for quality control. This is not always easy, but the difference you can help to make in terms of self-esteem and employability is hugely rewarding.

What is more, with the chance to enter our annual competition for best kept prison garden, judged by the Royal Horticultural Society, you might find a lot more to be proud of. Whether or not your work wins RHS acclaim, we can certainty offer nationwide opportunities to develop a great career. Ideally, you will bring to the role a relevant vocational qualification or equivalent suitable experience. Naturally, demonstrable skills and experience in grounds maintenance are essential.

Committed to quality in everything you do, you are comfortable working at a fast pace. Strong communication skills are important too - from leading, to persuading and influencing. We expect you to be committed to achieving a safe and secure environment. Please note you may be required to work some evenings and weekends.

Overview of the job    

This is a delivery role within an establishment requiring an appropriate trade.

Summary    

The job holder will be responsible for the day-to-day maintenance of the grounds and amenity areas within the estate.

This is a non-operational job with no line management or supervisory responsibilities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties    

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

•    Carry out soft landscaping - turf laying and hard landscaping - laying patio stones
•    Maintain establishment's grounds and amenity areas including maintenance of lawns, ponds, water features and external grounds to the establishment including woodland
•    Work inside/outside establishment grounds: cutting, mowing and maintaining areas in accordance with accepted practice
•    Maintain sports fields, as per agreed plan, with both the Land based Activities Manager and PE Department
•    Carry out pest control preventative measures across area of responsibility
•    Undertake small project work as advised/requested: including soft and hard landscape development and erection of horticultural support structures where the situation warrants
•    Maintain correct soil husbandry, ensuring all stages of crop development are followed in accordance with good horticultural practice
•    Maintain the growing plant/crop to ensure optimum development and/or cropping, ensuring that the plants needs are fully met
•    Provide safe access and exits to the estate
•    Supervise prisoners parties and undertake quality control over their work, as agreed within the Service Delivery Agreement (SDA)

Undertake other trades tasks to:

•    Ensure allocated planned maintenance and small repairs are carried out, undertaking service requests raised by computer aided facilities management system
•    Undertake survey inspections in confined spaces and at height, recording all work and completing associated registers/logs
•    Carry out project work as required
•    Advise on sufficient levels of stock and request procurement of goods and services, and ensure all materials used are logged and are fit for purpose.
•    Escort technical contractors as required, working with and supervising them in accordance with Local Security Strategy (LSS)
•    Maintain regular communications via radio net in accordance with the LSS.
 

•    Undertake the role of banksman, directing the operation of plant equipment and/or machinery
•    Be responsible for all tools and plant machinery, carrying out checks at regular intervals and completing all relevant documentation in accordance with the LSS and National Security Framework (NSF)
•    Comply with all Health and Safety policies, procedures and legislation to ensure statutory and mandatory compliance.
•    Drive estates vehicles and operate plant equipment
•    Carry out locking duties as required
•    Operate within command mode in line with local contingency plans
•    Undertake incidental and emergency or urgent tasks and assignments as per Service Delivery Agreement timescales, in a safe manner
•    Assemble products on site as required
•    Contribute to prisoner reports, including parole and sentence planning.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £25,752, HM Prison & Probation Service contributes £6,978 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.