The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

The successful candidate will provide effective, wide-ranging soft landscape activity and occasional small hard landscaping works. Your flexibility and diverse skill set will be an asset as you will be part of the team implementing a multi-skilled service at locations across the central campus and wider locations, including AMRC. You will play a key role in the cold weather plan, where you will operate tractor-mounted equipment, including gritters and ploughs. During periods of peak business activity, you will be required to support the team by delivering additional external services throughout the external estate. The successful applicant will demonstrate a positive attitude toward change to support continuous improvement and a commitment to Integrated Management System (IMS) principles. You will work closely with the EFM landscape strategy, management plans and biodiversity action plan. The substantive role is operational, active and physical, requiring regular manual handling, use of power tools, vibration-causing equipment and driving TUOS vehicles. You will be a good communicator and be able to form positive working relationships with a wide range of people, both within the university and outside. You will use your experience of effective supervision within the landscape industry to provide on-site support to operational staff during the absence of the allocated supervisor

Main duties and responsibilities

• Carry out effective seasonal and scheduled landscape operations, taking lead responsibility for work during the absence of the supervisor
• To work throughout TUOS locations and carry out unsupervised, independent work as required.
• Identify and develop solutions to problems identified, seeking advice and guidance from more senior team members as appropriate.
• Identify and carry out technical landscape activity aligned with best practices.
• Monitor and maintain all portable and driven landscape equipment, including tractor-mounted equipment, ride-on mowers and vehicles.
• To safely and competently use all portable and driven landscape equipment, including tractor-mounted equipment, ride-on mowers and vehicles.
•  Support the full requirements of the cold-weather plan activity, to include the operation of the tractor and vehicle-mounted equipment.
• Monitor and replenish levels of landscape equipment and stock following the process and procedure.
• Respond to standard and non-standard landscape queries, knowing when to involve others.
•  Work flexibly throughout all UOS and satellite locations services to support business needs, including but not limited to the Main Campus, ACS and AMRC.
• Travel independently to identified working locations and be able to carry out lone work as required with minimal supervision; drive the team to locations across campus.
• To support all current landscape services to include but not limited to external cleaning and cleaning of roof spaces, UOS-wide during peak periods of business activity.
• Monitor and review works carried out by yourself and others, ensuring that set standards are met
• Carry out minor reactive building works such as paving, pointing to a high standard.
• Promote landscape services by consistently striving to improve standards and levels of service delivery across the green spaces.
• Comply with current health and safety legislation when carrying out tasks across all locations of the University.
• To respond effectively to customer queries using your knowledge and experience, and assess when to involve more experienced team members.
• Report any site-related health and safety issues to your operational supervisor as soon as reasonably practicable.
•  Monitor quality of work in line with quality and safety standards, reporting findings and providing effective solutions.
•  Ensure all mandatory training is carried out in line with IMS compliance objectives.
• Support the department with internal team audits to ensure compliance with HSWAS 1974, ISO9001 and ISO14001 integrated management systems.
• Ensure all the University’s policies and procedures are correctly followed in all tasks.
•  Assist other Landscape Service Teams as required and appointed by the Landscape Operations Manager via the weekly rota.
• Provide effective solutions to challenges, resolving work-related problems by providing effective, safe and efficient systems of work.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.
• As a member of our Professional staff, you will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to the professional behaviours set out in the Sheffield Professional Framework.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria

• NVQ 3 in horticulture or equivalent in-depth technical operational experience within the landscape industry.
• Hold a Full UK driver's licence and evidence proficiency in the use of driveable landscape equipment, vehicles and machinery.
• Hold a relevant health and safety qualification (IOSH Managing safely) or willing to undertake training.
• Experience in using and maintaining a range of specialist  Landscape equipment and plants.
• Demonstrated experience in the preparation and use of standard and non-standard equipment used in external estate management activity.
• Experience in recording and logging all work tasks to support information procedures.
• Evidence competency to carry out minor hard landscaping work estate-wide.
• Ability to communicate with staff at all levels within TUOS.
• Able to provide assistance, information and guidance to junior members of the team, using skills drawn from experience and detailed learning
• Ability to prioritise the workload of yourself and others to carry out operational landscape delivery.
• Motivated to work in all weathers, including the winter clearance programme
• Willingness to work flexibly through UOS satellite location to include ACS, Main Campus and satellite locations
• Willing to carry out continuous development and role-specific training

Further Information

Grade: 4 Salary: £25,249 - £26,707 per annum with the potential to progress to £28,778 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

Work arrangement: Full-time

Line manager: Landscape Operations Manager

Direct reports: Operational Landscape Technicians - Tier 3 during the absence of Allocated supervisor

Our website: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/efm/engineering-maintenance/landscape-services

For informal enquiries about this job, contact
Doug Brooke, Landscape Manager: on d.brooke@sheffield.ac.uk or 0114 2229047.

Next steps in the recruitment process

We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within 2 weeks of the closing date. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact admin-engmain@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days' annual leave, including bank holidays and closure days (pro rata), with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development, access to learning and mentoring schemes, integrated with our Professional Services Shared Skills Framework.
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • Support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date : 23/11/2025 

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.