Plymouth City Council

"Please note, this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship and we can only consider applicants with existing right to work in the UK." About The Role Plymouth City Council is seeking to appoint two Natural Environment Specialist Operatives - Horticulture to join our ambitious Natural Environment Service . These roles are key to delivering high-quality horticulture, landscaping and green space management across the city. As a subject matter expert, you will plan and carry out specialist horticultural tasks while supporting the wider team in maintaining Plymouth's parks, green spaces and sports facilities to an excellent standard. Working within a frontline, mobile team, you will contribute directly to enhancing the city's natural environment, supporting biodiversity, community wellbeing and high-quality public spaces. You Will What You Will Do Plan and deliver a wide range of horticultural, landscaping and green estate management tasks across multiple sites Maintain parks and green spaces, including flower beds, shrubs, hedges, sports pitches, grass areas and landscaped features Support Team Leaders and Assistant Team Leaders in coordinating work programmes and directing team activities Undertake and apply risk assessments and ensure compliance with health and safety procedures Operate and maintain specialist horticultural machinery and equipment safely and effectively Help ensure green spaces with designations (e.g. Green Flag sites) are maintained to required standards Engage with Friends groups and local communities to support use and care of green spaces Support apprentices and learners, sharing knowledge and promoting best practice You Will Also Ensure accurate completion of records and documentation Promote safe working practices and a positive team culture Represent the service professionally when interacting with the public What We're Looking For We are looking for skilled horticultural operatives with strong practical experience and a passion for maintaining high-quality green spaces. Essential Qualifications & Knowledge Horticultural qualification (e.g. City & Guilds Level 2 or equivalent) or demonstrable experience Knowledge of grounds maintenance and natural environment management Knowledge of health and safety legislation, including COSHH GCSEs (or equivalent) in Maths and English Relevant qualifications in the use of mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters, brush cutters and pesticide application Full UK driving licence (including towing capability) Emergency First Aid at Work +F (or willingness to obtain) Competence in ICT systems (e.g. Microsoft Office / asset management systems) Skills And Experience Experience working in public green spaces or horticultural environments Experience operating horticultural machinery and equipment Experience undertaking risk assessments and safe working practices Experience in a frontline, customer-facing role Ability to work independently and support others as a subject matter expert You Will Also Demonstrate Strong practical horticultural skills and attention to detail Effective communication and interpersonal skills Ability to plan and organise work to meet service standards Commitment to maintaining high-quality public spaces Why Plymouth? This role will be based within Plymouth City Council's new Natural Environment Service - consisting of several groundbreaking programmes and teams across the themes of; Communities; Trees; Marine; Nature Recovery; and Environmental Operations. The new Natural Environment Service enhances Plymouth's demonstrable leadership as a Nature City with a track record in innovation across Climate, Nature, People, and Place programmes - working collaboratively across themes to achieve maximum impact for the city and the wider region. This is a hugely exciting time to join us in delivering our ambitions, most recently published in our Pan for Nature and People, If you require the link to this document please e-mail - . Additional Information These are frontline, mobile roles working across Plymouth The role includes outdoor, physically demanding work in all weather conditions You will be expected to respond flexibly to operational requirements The Disclosure & Barring Service Check requirement for this post is: Basic. If you have a passion for horticulture and want to help maintain and enhance Plymouth's green spaces, we would love to hear from you. For more information or an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Nick Allison - Natural Environment Principal via e-mail, . Closing Date: Sunday 6 September 2026 Plymouth City Council is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of age, care experience, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex or sexual orientation. As part of our commitment to promoting equality we offer guaranteed interviews to those who meet the essential criteria and are considered disabled, care experienced or are an Armed Forces Service Leaver within the last two years.

Plymouth City Council is seeking two Natural Environment Specialist Operatives - Horticulture to join the new Natural Environment Service. You will plan and deliver horticultural tasks across Plymouth's parks, green spaces and facilities, working in a frontline mobile team to enhance biodiversity and public spaces. Responsibilities include maintenance of flower beds, shrubs, sports pitches, and landscaped areas, plus supporting team leaders and apprentices while ensuring safety and accurate

Service Director Street Services About Plymouth Plymouth is Britain's Ocean City and is ambitious, forward-looking and proud of its identity. With significant investment, growth and regeneration underway, the city is evolving rapidly. We are focused on delivering high-quality public services, improving outcomes for residents and creating a sustainable, inclusive future. The Role This is a pivotal leadership role leading one of the Council's most visible and complex service areas. As Service Director for Street Services, you will lead a broad portfolio including highways and transport infrastructure, waste collection and disposal, street scene, green spaces, parking and commercial operations. You will be responsible for delivering safe, efficient and customer-focused frontline services that have a direct impact on residents, communities and the city's environment. Reporting to the Strategic Director for Growth, you will operate as a key member of the senior leadership team, working closely with elected members, partners and stakeholders to deliver the Council's priorities and drive public value. The Opportunity This is a role with real scale and impact. You will: Lead and shape a large, high-profile frontline service that touches every resident and business in the city Drive transformation and continuous improvement across complex operational services Deliver strong financial grip and value for money in a challenging environment Embed a culture of accountability, performance and customer focus Play a key role in delivering Plymouth's climate ambitions, including the commitment to become carbon neutral by 2030 Work across organisational and system boundaries to deliver integrated, place-based outcomes This is an opportunity to lead change at pace, improve service delivery and position Street Services as a high-performing, modern and responsive function. What We're Looking For We are looking for an experienced and credible leader who can operate effectively at Chief Officer level. You will bring: A strong track record of leading complex, multi-disciplinary services, ideally within highways, waste, environmental or infrastructure-related functions Experience of delivering transformation and cultural change in large organisations Commercial awareness and the ability to manage significant budgets and resources The ability to translate strategic priorities into clear, deliverable plans Strong political awareness and experience of working with elected members and senior stakeholders A collaborative, system leadership approach, with the ability to influence and build partnerships A focus on performance, outcomes and continuous improvement You will be a visible and resilient leader, able to manage competing priorities and deliver results in a demanding and high-profile environment. Why Join Us Plymouth City Council is committed to delivering better outcomes for our residents and communities. This role offers the opportunity to shape critical services, lead meaningful change and contribute to the future of the city. The expectation is that the role will be office-based for 3 to 4 days per week to support collaboration and visibility, with flexibility around how the remaining time is worked. As a flexible employer, we are open to discussing working arrangements to balance service needs with individual circumstances. If you have any queries, please contact Closing date: 20 May Assessment centre: 10 June Final interview: 17 June

Service Director Customer Services About Plymouth Plymouth is Britain's Ocean City - ambitious, forward-looking and proud of its identity. With significant investment, growth and regeneration underway, the city is evolving rapidly. We are focused on delivering high-quality public services, improving outcomes for residents and creating a sustainable, inclusive future. The Role This is a pivotal leadership role with a clear and uncompromising focus on customer service. As Service Director for Customer Services, you will define, lead and embed a Council-wide approach to customer service excellence. This is not simply about overseeing services, it is about owning and delivering the Council's Customer Service Strategy, redesigning services around the customer, and building the capability, leadership and training needed to deliver it consistently across the organisation. You will lead a broad portfolio including the contact centre, customer experience, complaints, business support and city-wide customer access through our 'front doors'. You will ensure services are simple, inclusive and effective, balancing digitally enabled delivery with high-quality human interaction where it matters most. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, you will operate as a key member of the senior leadership team, working closely with elected members, partners and stakeholders to drive a step-change in customer experience across the organisation. The Opportunity This is a role with real scale and impact. You will: Define and deliver a clear Customer Service Strategy, setting the standard for what good looks like across the Council Act as the organisation's customer services lead, shaping direction and holding services to account for delivery Embed a strong, consistent customer-focused culture across all front-line services Establish and lead a customer service training and development approach, building capability and confidence across the organisation Drive service redesign using data and insight to improve experience and reduce avoidable demand Ensure services are digitally enabled and accessible, while remaining inclusive for those who need additional support Oversee key enabling services including contact centre, complaints and business support, ensuring high performance and value for money This is an opportunity to define how customer service is delivered across the Council, lead cultural and organisational change, and position Plymouth as a high-performing, customer-focused authority. What We're Looking For We are looking for a strategic customer services leader who can operate effectively at Chief Officer level. You will bring: A strong track record of defining and delivering customer service strategy at scale Significant experience of leading customer service or customer experience functions, with a clear focus on outcomes The ability to embed a customer-focused culture across complex organisations through leadership and influence Experience of building organisational capability, including designing and delivering customer service training and development A strong understanding of how data, insight and digital approaches can improve customer experience Political awareness and experience of working with elected members and senior stakeholders A focus on performance, outcomes and continuous improvement You will be a visible and credible leader, able to set direction, build capability and deliver measurable improvement at pace. Why Join Us Plymouth City Council is committed to delivering better outcomes for our residents and communities. This role offers the opportunity to redefine how we serve our customers, lead significant cultural change and make a lasting impact on the experience of every resident who interacts with the Council. The expectation is that the role will be office-based for 3 to 4 days per week to support collaboration and visibility, with flexibility around how the remaining time is worked. As a flexible employer, we are open to discussing working arrangements to balance service needs with individual circumstances. If you have any queries, please contact Please note the current role profile is undergoing a grading review and cannot be published at this stage, but the draft version can be provided on request via the email address above. Closing date: 28 May Assessment Centre: 11 June Final interview: 17 June