Directorate: Customer, Place and Services
Job Title: Caretaker – Open space and communal areas (Permanent)
Salary:  £22,730 – £25,010 (Grade E) per annum
Hours: 37 Hours per week (to be worked flexibly in line with business needs)

Location: Based at Gadbrook Park, Northwich. Working across various locations within Cheshire.

Do you want to work for a ‘Best Companies Top 100 company’?

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity working as part of a professional, engaged, and friendly organisation?  Our values are Fairness, Openness, Respect, Enthusiasm, Collaboration, Commitment and Customer Focus, we are constantly striving to demonstrate these values in our day to day working environment and culture.

The Opportunity

WVHT has an exciting opportunity for someone who is looking to develop their career with a great company.  We are looking for a driven, diligent, and friendly Open Space Caretaker to join our Open Space Team.

We are looking for a caretaker on a permanent basis to work within the Open space and environmental services team. Within this varied role you will work with other team members to ensure that our neighbourhoods are clean, safe and attractive.

What Will You Do?

The Open Space Team is responsible for the maintenance of all Trust Open Spaces, external and internal communal areas including shrub beds, trees and play areas.  No two days are the same and duties will range from tree planting to litter picking and weeding one of our garage sites or testing the fire alarms in one of our blocks of flats. We are looking for a positive and proactive person who will bring knowledge and enthusiasm to help shape the future of the Open Space service.

Minimum Requirements For This Role

1. • Full UK driving licence
   • Maths and English GCSE (Grade A-C or equivalent)
   • Willingness to undertake further qualifications and training in areas such as health and safety
   • Good all-round plant and tree knowledge including identification and maintenance requirements
   • Good knowledge of best working health and safety practices and legislation including CDM.
   • Experience of working in a customer focused environment and able to demonstrate excellent customer care including the ability to manage difficult situations
   • Experience of working in a role that includes undertaking physical tasks outdoors and operating a range of equipment and machinery
   • This role will require the successful candidate to undergo a DBS check.

In line with the Trust’s Disclosure & Barring Policy, please confirm WITHIN YOUR APPLICATION if you have any current convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Our Team

In this role you will be working alongside a fantastic team of professionals within the Open Space Team to ensure that Trust owned communal areas and Open Spaces are kept clean and safe and to work to improve the environmental quality of Trust neighbourhoods.

For more information contact:

If you have any queries about this or would like to ask any questions to learn more about the role, please contact Julia Chambres (Contract Manager – Open Spaces & Environmental Services) at [email protected]

The Successful Candidate

As a caretaker at the Trust, you will carry out work across all of the Trust’s internal and external communal areas.  You will have good horticultural knowledge, including planting and maintenance techniques that will contribute to improving the desirability of our neighbourhoods and Open Spaces, experience and knowledge of tree work would also be an advantage but not essential. You will be expected to work safely, follow guidelines, assess risk and ensure the safety of yourself, our customers and your colleagues.

It is essential that you work within the values of the Trust and can communicate effectively with both customers and colleagues. You should be comfortable working as part of a team, be flexible to the demands of the role but have the confidence to manage your own time and use your own initiative.

Benefits

1. • A competitive salary
   • 24-29 holidays plus UK public/bank holidays
   • Child-care subsidy
   • A workplace pension scheme (providing you meet the eligibility requirements)
   • Employee Assistance Programme to help you balance work, family, and personal life
   • Annual Personal Development and Wellbeing Allowance
   • A great experience, working with colleagues that are passionate about the services we provide to our customers.
   • The opportunity to develop a range of transferable skills that will be highly valued whichever sector you go onto work in.

HOW TO APPLY:

Closing date for applications:         Tuesday 20/12/2022 (12:00 noon)

(Please be aware that applications received after this time may not be considered)

In person Interview date(s): (Week commencing) 02/01/2023

C.V’s without a cover letter will not be considered.

Please review the job Information pack (on our website: http://www.wvht.co.uk) for further information and submit your CV with a covering letter (max. 2 pages) demonstrating how you meet the minimum criteria in relation to the accountability profile and person specification, please send to: [email protected].

Those applicants that consider themselves to have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.  Please confirm within your application if you consider yourself to have a disability and if so, what reasonable adjustments may be required for you.

Disclaimer: We may conduct social media checks from sources such as Google, Facebook and LinkedIn to assist us in our assessment of your suitability for the role.

We reserve the right depending on application numbers to close or extend the closing dates for positions; we would therefore recommend an early application.

Once a vacancy has closed, we are unable to consider further applications, so please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

The recruitment manager will review your skills and experience to determine if there is a match with the position for which you applied. If there is, we will contact you by phone or email to schedule an interview / assessment. If your background does not match our current needs, you will not be contacted.

Please note due to the high volume of applications we are unable to respond to all unsuccessful applicants.  If you haven’t heard from us within 3 weeks of the vacancy closing date, unfortunately we will not be pursuing your application further.

Successful applicants will be required to provide evidence of their Right to Work in the UK and evidence of essential qualifications.

We appreciate your interest in Weaver Vale Housing Trust and the time you have invested in applying to us.

The Trust invites applications from all members of the community, irrespective of Gender, Gender reassignment, Sexual orientation, Race, Religion or belief, Disability, Age, Pregnancy and maternity, Marriage and civil partnership.