Role Introduction

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

• Care and maintenance of the sports pitches including liaising with masters in charge of games so as to ensure that, wherever possible, the surfaces are available to meet the requirements of the fixtures programme. These include all-weather tennis and sports pitches.
• Care and maintenance of garden areas, including Boarding House gardens. From time to time, this will include managing the creation of new garden planting schemes.
• Care and maintenance of the general environs of Eton College. This will particularly include ensuring that the many trees and hedges within the grounds are kept in a safe and healthy condition. Cutting of long grass, maintenance of field tracks and fences also fall within the Ground Manager’s remit. Most of Eton is a Conservation Area and so planning consent is usually needed for work to trees.
• Maintaining the grounds of Eton’s Rowing Lake at Dorney including the arboretum.
• Liaison with the staff of the Thames Valley Athletics Club facility which is jointly managed by Eton College.
• Eton owns much of the land surrounding the College and, in particular, the land stretching to the West to Dorney. The Grounds Manager forms part of the management team that ensures that Eton meets statutory and other requirements. This often involves liaison with statutory bodies e.g. with the Environment Agency in respect of drainage channels or Natural England in respect of areas of Special Scientific Interest. It also involves the setting up of small licences such as those for fishing rights.
• Responsible for the management of all staff employed in the Grounds Department. This includes, through the supervisors, an effective allocation of tasks to staff; monitoring the performance of staff including sickness levels; ensure compliance with employment policies including any grievance or disciplinary procedures; ensure that all staff is properly trained; undertake annual appraisals. The Grounds Manager chairs and minutes monthly progress meetings for departmental matters.
• Responsible for the day to day health and safety needs of the department and compliance with relevant legislation. Prepare departmental risk assessments, COSHH documents and machinery maintenance records. Ensure the occupational health of staff.
• Ensure that materials, plant and equipment are procured effectively and that good value is obtained. This includes purchasing sports equipment on behalf of academic departments.
• Responsible for the tendering and management of contractors undertaking grounds services. This includes specifying work and ensuring compliance with health and safety or other statutory requirements.
• The Grounds Manager sits on, and prepares many of the papers for, the Landscape Committee which dictates the longer term development of the College’s grounds.
• The sports facilities are often let out during the school holidays and the Grounds Manager will be involved in the management of this process.

Accommodation

Accommodation is provided for this role.

Main Duties

Eton College offers a wide range of benefits, including an 11% employer contribution to your pension (with 4.9% employee contribution), a cycle to work scheme and free access to the College’s sport and leisure facilities.

The Ideal Candidate

Skills and Competencies Required

To be successful in this role, the incumbent should have:

• Experience of running a similar department is essential.
• It is not expected that the postholder will have an expert knowledge of all of the areas covered by the department. However, the post holder will be required to have qualifications and significant experience in the management of sports playing surfaces and will, in particular, need to know how properly to maintain cricket, football and rugby pitches.
• The postholder will be assisted by the Head Gardener and so a horticultural background is not necessary but a demonstrable interest in gardening is required. Similarly, only a basic knowledge of arboriculture is necessary but the postholder must be willing to undergo any further training that might be required in this respect.
• The postholder should have excellent interpersonal and communications skills. He or she will need to consult and liaise with a wide variety of people; this includes the two resident Fellows of the College, Provost and Vice Provost, academic staff, finance, HR, local authority officers and members of the public as well as their own workforce.
• The post will require good literacy and numeracy skills. The postholder will need to monitor and control the significant budget for the department and so will need to be financially aware. The postholder will need to be able to prepare short reports for committees from time to time.
• A knowledge and practical application of the Health and Safety at Work Act and its subordinate legislation is required. In particular, the postholder will need to be competent in the handling of chemicals or fuels and the safe operation of various types of machinery and plant.
• An interest in conservation management is required together with some knowledge of statutory compliance in this respect.
• The postholder should hold a full UK driving licence.
• The postholder should be a member of the Institute of Groundsmanship or equivalent body.

Benefits

Due to the retirement of the present incumbent, a vacancy has arisen for the post of Grounds Manager at Eton College. This is a significant management appointment and so applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced individuals.

Management of the grounds of Eton College, including playing fields, gardens, arboretums and open areas generally. The majority of work is within the College itself but also includes the grounds of Dorney Rowing Lake and College owned estates within an approximate 2 mile radius.

The Grounds Department employs approximately 25 staff with a total expenditure per annum in the order of £1.4 million. The department is subdivided into three teams managed by the Head Gardener, Playing Fields Supervisor and Rowing Lake Grounds Supervisor, all of whom report directly to the Grounds Manager.

About the College

Eton College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.

Eton College