Grounds Operative

We’re looking for a hands‑on Grounds Operative to join our Grounds Team at UWE Bristol, helping to care for and maintain our beautiful outdoor spaces across campus. This is a practical, operational role where you’ll get stuck into maintaining lawns, planting areas, trees, hedges, and green spaces, ensuring our grounds are safe, well‑presented, and enjoyable for staff, students, and visitors.

We’re looking for a hands‑on Grounds Operative to join our Grounds Team at UWE Bristol, helping to care for and maintain our beautiful outdoor spaces across campus. This is a practical, operational role where you’ll get stuck into maintaining lawns, planting areas, trees, hedges, and green spaces, ensuring our grounds are safe, well‑presented, and enjoyable for staff, students, and visitors.

You’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to sustainability and biodiversity projects, supporting a greener, more vibrant campus. This role combines real horticultural skill with practical grounds maintenance — from mowing and strimming to pruning, planting, and using a range of horticultural machinery.

This is a full‑time role (37 hours per week), offered on a fixed term basis (two years) based at our lively Frenchay campus. Flexibility is required to cover open days, Welcome Weekend, or extreme weather events, which will be paid as overtime.

At UWE Bristol, we’re committed to high‑quality green spaces and biodiversity. Our grounds work has been recognised with a DEFRA award for pollinator support and Highly Commended in the UK & Ireland Green Gown Awards. Across our campuses, we implement wildlife‑friendly practices to support pollinators, hedgehogs, and other local species, creating a vibrant and sustainable environment.

We offer:

• A varied, hands‑on role across 150 acres of campus with lawns, gardens, planting beds, and other horticultural features.
• Opportunities to work on sustainability and biodiversity projects.
• Supportive colleagues and a strong team environment.
• Competitive pay and benefits , including generous annual leave, pension, retail savings, and access to an on‑site nursery.
• Training and development for role‑specific skills.

We value practical experience as much as formal qualifications — if you have a passion for horticulture and grounds maintenance, you’ll fit right in.

You are practical, organised, and take pride in your work. You can plan and prioritise tasks, work independently, and pay attention to detail. You enjoy hands‑on horticultural work and are comfortable operating grounds machinery safely.

A love of the environment, a commitment to sustainability, and an interest in supporting biodiversity will help you succeed in this role.

• Full current driving licence.
• RHS Level 2 in Horticulture or equivalent qualifications or significant hands‑on horticultural experience.
• Experience using horticultural and grounds machinery, including ride‑on mowers, tractors, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, and blowers.
• Strong plant knowledge and understanding of garden and grounds care.
• Ability to work independently, organise tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Good verbal communication skills.

• PA1 and PA6 spraying licence.
• Trailer towing licence.
• Experience in orchard or fruit tree maintenance.
• Experience with propagation, greenhouse or polytunnel work.
• Knowledge of edible plants, wildflower meadows, pond or waterway management.

This post is based at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give both our staff and students access to everything they need to succeed.

We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West…