Operations Manager – Parks & Green Spaces

Overview

Following the establishment of Buckinghamshire Council as a unitary authority, we have undertaken a comprehensive review of our parks’ services. We are now entering an exciting period of growth for the team, with some great new projects to be delivered including the opening of a brand-new Country Park.

Andrew, Head of Parks & Green Spaces, said: “All of our current team have secured positions in our new structure, and there are now great opportunities to come and join our team at this exciting time. I look forward to meeting highly motivated individuals who can bring their passion and skills to our growing team!”

The Parks Service are dedicated to ensuring our beautiful parks and green spaces are amazing and safe places for our visitors to enjoy across the county. As the Operations Manager for Parks and Green Spaces, you will lead the day-to-day operational delivery of a Council wide parks service, co-ordinating the operational management of Parks and Green Spaces throughout Buckinghamshire. You will ensure the financial viability of the Parks & Green Spaces through prudent financial management, income generation, contract management and expenditure of delegated budgets as well as managing operational teams to deliver agreed corporate, directorate and service priorities. If you have experience in managing urban parks & greenspace facilities with grounds maintenance contracts, this could be the role for you.

About the role

This full-time role requires the ability to travel throughout the county, with offices based at Aylesbury, Wycombe and South Bucks, plus the opportunity to work remotely.

In this complex and dynamic role, just some of your responsibilities will be to:

• Manage and report on Parks & Green Spaces operational budgets including revenue, capital and reserve budgets
• Oversee, guide and support the activities of the operational teams in the Parks & green spaces team
• Lead technical input on the design, retendering and contract management of Council wide grounds maintenance contracts
• Work with leisure services to deliver coordinated playing pitch strategies across the Council area
• Act as the responsible officer for Parks and Green Spaces H&S and ensure that operational H&S standards are maintained
• Work with the Operations Manager – Country Parks to develop policies, standard operating procedures, SLA’s and working practices, plus coordinate the parks & green spaces management plans, business continuity plans, risk registers, performance monitoring and KPI’s
• Seek alternate funding sources to facilitate the maintenance and replacement of Council owned play areas and schedule the implementation of a play area improvement/replacement plan.
• Support the Head of Service in the development of a parks and open spaces strategy for Buckinghamshire
• Lead on the development, marketing and procurement of key commercial leases and licenses

 Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

You will have experience in managing urban parks & greenspace facilities with grounds maintenance contracts as well as demonstrable knowledge of providing facilities, events and equipment in an urban environment to meet industry and local standards using contractors to deliver the service. You will have developed coordinated parks management strategies and plans including, but not limited to, open spaces strategies, playing pitch strategies and management plans, with a history of managing a multi-disciplinary team and facilities with multiple external influences.

Other information

The parks and greenspaces are spread throughout Buckinghamshire and provide excellent opportunities for the community to engage in the natural environment. From Heartlands in Buckingham, through Vale Park in Aylesbury, the Rye in Wycombe and Higginson Park in Marlow, there is massive variety and diversity in the parks and greenspaces that we manage and maintain.

If that’s not enough reason to join us, you’ll be entitled to a range of benefits from Buckinghamshire Council including a very competitive employer pension contribution; a minimum of 25 days annual leave allowance per year; a flex-time scheme; and discounts in local shops, restaurants, and gyms.

This role requires you to hold a full driving licence, have access to your own vehicle for business use.

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Andrew Fowler on 01753 511060.

Take a look at our dedicated career social media pages @bucks_careers to meet our Country Parks Team and find out more about life at Buckinghamshire Council.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• Unspent convictions and/or unspent conditional cautions only

For further information on how long it takes for convictions and conditional cautions to be spent, please refer to Nacro’s guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• licensing, cemeteries and crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme and the opportunity to gain membership to Costco. We have discounted gym memberships, Travel discounts with Arriva and Chiltern Railways and much more.