Parks Officer

Job Description

About Us:In Kensington and Chelsea, we put local people and local businesses at the heart of decision-making, working in partnership with them to provide quality services that are responsive, effective and efficient. Urban green spaces have taken on a new importance during the pandemic and were keen to continue to increase participation from our local communities, especially from harder to reach groups.Our Leisure and Parks team manages over 90 open spaces across the borough, from the 54-acre Holland Park to a number of smaller squares and riverside gardens. These incorporate grassed areas, woodlands, formal gardens and nature conservation areas, alongside sports facilities and childrens play areas. The Council is investing heavily in its parks in support of our health and social value targets. This continuous growth and development of services and events has become an integral and exciting part of the Royal Boroughs agenda.The Role:Community engagement is a key challenge in these busy green spaces, so you can expect to spend time out and about getting to know the many parks and their users. Youll work with local communities to plan physical improvements and develop proposals for change that increase inclusion and public participation. You will also help to manage and supervise our grounds maintenance contract, working with local suppliers as far as possible, and ensuring we maximise value from all of our resources. Expect to be involved in the operational, strategic, and marketing initiatives as part of a close-knit and valued team, as well as promoting the parks green agendas.About You:This is a great step up for someone with experience of, and a genuine interest in, working in parks or green spaces whos ready for a higher level of community engagement. Youll therefore need to be approachable, with good communication and listening skills, and the confidence to engage with public and contractors alike, from managing expectations to handling complaints and enforcing deadlines. Strong organisation skills are therefore essential, including the ability to deliver projects on time and on budget. Youll also have the opportunity to contribute to wider parks strategy, so the potential and creativity to think about the bigger picture and generate ideas is key. Flexible and adaptable, youll be willing to take on some weekend and evening work.In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays.Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.We work in partnership with Hampshire County Council (HCC) who deliver many transactional services on our behalf. Although most communications will be from HCC, all selection and appointment decisions will be made by RBKC. Certain services are shared across more than one Council area to nearby neighbouring Authorities. This enhances delivery and reduces costs. Your recruitment information will advise if your remit extends beyond RBKC.We will primarily contact candidates by e-mail throughout the recruitment process, please monitor your email junk / spam folder as our system generated emails may be allocated to these folders by your email settings.We engage our staff with a variety of learning types including face-to-face and virtual learning because we want to ensure our staff understand our values and behaviours, grow their skills and develop their careers.