Grounds Maintenance Operative – Manual Labour
Hours: 7 Hours Per Day
Contract: 12 Weeks Temporary Contract
Location: St Peters Hospital, Greenlands, Chertsey, Surrey, KT16 0PZ
Start Date: 06 August 2026
Rate: PAYE £14.10 per hour
We're recruiting Grounds Maintenance Operatives to support Housing's Estate Services team. This is a frontline role, ideal for someone reliable, physically fit, and committed to maintaining safe, attractive, and welcoming communal green spaces for residents.
About the Role
As a Grounds Maintenance Operative, you'll be part of the gardening team responsible for the upkeep of communal lawns, shrubs, flowerbeds, and hedges. You'll play a vital role in ensuring estates remain clean, safe, and visually appealing, directly contributing to Southern Housing's vision of creating communities where everyone has a safe home in a place they're proud to live.
What You'll Be Doing
- Grounds care: Weeding, planting, pruning, cutting, watering, and maintaining communal beds
- Lawn maintenance: Operate pedestrian, tractor, and ride-on mowers, strimmers, and brush cutters. Apply fertilisers and pesticides (PA1/PA6 desirable)
- Seasonal tasks: Remove leaves, moss, and snow; apply salt/grit as required
- Landscaping: Plan and execute small-scale landscaping operations to enhance communal grounds
- Resident interaction: Act as a friendly, professional point of contact for residents, assisting or referring enquiries
- Reporting: Highlight repairs, defects, or tenancy breaches (e.g., rubbish dumping, anti-social behaviour) to managers
- Team support: Provide cover for colleagues and occasional supervision/coaching of apprentices
- Health & safety: Carry out work safely, using PPE and equipment provided, and maintain awareness of vulnerable residents
Requirements
We're seeking candidates who are proactive, reliable, and committed to delivering high-quality grounds maintenance.
You'll ideally have:
- Previous experience in gardening or grounds maintenance
- Valid UK driving licence (Category C1)
- PA1/PA6 pesticide application certification (desirable)
- Strong awareness of health and safety requirements
- Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions
- Physical fitness for demanding manual work
- Teamworking skills and a professional approach
Why Apply
- Frontline role with direct impact on resident satisfaction
- Competitive hourly rates
- Uniform, safety boots, and PPE provided
- Opportunity to work across diverse estates and hubs
- Be part of a team living Southern Housing's HEART values: Honest, Efficient, Accountable, Respectful, Trusted
Benefits
- Weekly Pay
- Company Pension
- Ongoing Agency Support
- Temp-to-Perm Opportunities
Additional Information
- Eligibility to work in the UK
- 2 Years References / Work History
- Standard DBS
Order Number: OR110427
Job Types: Full-time, Temporary, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 3 months
Pay: £14.10 per hour
Expected hours: 36.0 per week
Benefits:
Experience:
- Ground Maintenance: 2 years (required)
Licence/Certification:
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
