University of the West of England
Grounds Operative
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About This Role
We’re looking for a hands-on Grounds Operative to join our Grounds Team at UWE Bristol, helping to care for and maintain our beautiful outdoor spaces across campus. This is a practical, operational role where you’ll get stuck into maintaining lawns, planting areas, trees, hedges, and green spaces, ensuring our grounds are safe, well-presented, and enjoyable for staff, students, and visitors.
You’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to sustainability and biodiversity projects, supporting a greener, more vibrant campus. This role combines real horticultural skill with practical grounds maintenance — from mowing and strimming to pruning, planting, and using a range of horticultural machinery.
This is a full-time role (37 hours per week), offered on a fixed term basis (two years) based at our lively Frenchay campus. Flexibility is required to cover open days, Welcome Weekend, or extreme weather events, which will be paid as overtime.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
At UWE Bristol, we’re committed to high-quality green spaces and biodiversity. Our grounds work has been recognised with a DEFRA award for pollinator support and Highly Commended in the UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards. Across our campuses, we implement wildlife-friendly practices to support pollinators, hedgehogs, and other local species, creating a vibrant and sustainable environment.
We offer:
- A varied, hands-on role across 150 acres of campus with lawns, gardens, planting beds, and other horticultural features.
- Opportunities to work on sustainability and biodiversity projects.
- Supportive colleagues and a strong team environment.
- Competitive pay and benefits, including generous annual leave, pension, retail savings, and access to an on-site nursery.
- Training and development for role-specific skills.
We value practical experience as much as formal qualifications — if you have a passion for horticulture and grounds maintenance, you’ll fit right in.
About You
You are practical, organised, and take pride in your work. You can plan and prioritise tasks, work independently, and pay attention to detail. You enjoy hands-on horticultural work and are comfortable operating grounds machinery safely.
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A love of the environment, a commitment to sustainability, and an interest in supporting biodiversity will help you succeed in this role.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Full current driving licence.
- RHS Level 2 in Horticulture or equivalent qualifications or significant hands-on horticultural experience.
- Experience using horticultural and grounds machinery, including ride-on mowers, tractors, brushcutters, hedge trimmers, and blowers.
- Strong plant knowledge and understanding of garden and grounds care.
- Ability to work independently, organise tasks, and meet deadlines.
- Good verbal communication skills.
Desirable:
- PA1 and PA6 spraying licence.
- Trailer towing licence.
- Experience in orchard or fruit tree maintenance.
- Experience with propagation, greenhouse or polytunnel work.
- Knowledge of edible plants, wildflower meadows, pond or waterway management.
Where is this role based?
This post is based at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give both our staff and students access to everything they need to succeed.
Why UWE Bristol?
We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with 38,000 students and 4,000 staff from right across the globe. Based in vibrant Bristol, our ambitions are to make a positive difference to our planet, transforming futures through actions and solving real-world challenges.
We offer a wide range of employee benefits including progressive pay rates, very generous annual leave and career average pension schemes as well as retail savings, on-site nursery, and opportunities for training and personal development.
Add your individuality to ours
UWE Bristol recognises the power of a truly diverse university community.
We’re part of a vibrant, multicultural city and welcome talented people from all backgrounds. Diversity is our strength, enhancing creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving. Join our supportive community and thrive.
We particularly encourage applications from global majority and female candidates as we are currently under-represented in this area, however, all appointments are made strictly on individual merit.
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As a Disability Confident employer, we welcome applications from those who identify as having a disability.
Further information
If you would like to speak to us about this role, please contact Kaz Armour – Horticultural Manager on 07543 302769 or email kaz.armour-marshall@uwe.ac.uk.
Interviews are expected to take place at our Frenchay Campus, w/c 16th November, but this will be confirmed in time.
This is a full-time, fixed term post, working 37 hours per week.
This post is available on a job share basis for applicants wishing to work part-time.
UWE Bristol is a campus-based University, with vibrant campuses that are central to student life. This role is based on campus for all of your time.
Salary offers will be made in line with the University’s salary assessment guidelines and will reflect your relevant skills and experience.
Right to Work in the UK
If offered a role, you will need to provide valid documentation confirming your right to work in the UK before employment begins. Guidance on acceptable documents is available via the Home Office Right to Work Checklist.
We may be able to sponsor eligible candidates for this role under the Skilled Worker visa route; however, visa sponsorship eligibility is assessed only at offer stage, being invited to interview does not indicate an offer of sponsorship.
Please review our Skilled Worker Guidance and UK Government website to assess your eligibility. If you do not qualify, you may wish to explore other visa options.
Please note that UWE Bristol does not cover any visa or health surcharge costs.
Next Steps
We’d love to hear from you - if this role excites you, please complete our application form as soon as possible and tell us how your skills and experience meet the criteria listed in the Person Specification, using clear and relevant examples wherever possible.
We’ll keep you informed of the outcome by email once shortlisting is complete.
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