Seasonal Gardener​/Groundstaff

We have opportunities for full time seasonal staff working within our parks, gardens, open spaces and highway verges to carry out grounds maintenance.

This is an opportunity to help maintain floral displays and shrub beds, carry out grass cutting, litter picking and assisting with the preparation of sports surfaces.

You will be working ‘hands‑on’ with our team of gardeners during the busy Spring and Summer months.

You will need a degree of physical fitness and an aptitude for working outdoors, along with an interest in gardening and the desire and ability to quickly learn on the job. Some knowledge and experience of horticulture and grounds maintenance would also be useful but not essential in this role.

Working 41 hours a week Monday to Sunday, this role may include early starts. The contract is temporary for 3 months initially with the possibility to extend further. Overtime shifts may also be available. A licence valid to drive in the UK in order to drive Council vehicles around sites would be an advantage.

In return we offer:

• generous annual leave package
• full training and PPE

Post number: 1238

Service Unit: Parks and Leisure

Job title: Seasonal Gardener, Parks

Band: £12.95 per hour

Responsible to: Amenity Horticulture Manager and/or under the direction of such persons as designated by management.

Responsible for: N/A

February 2026

Job purpose To undertake grounds‑maintenance work in public open spaces across Guildford Borough under the supervision of permanent grounds staff.

• To undertake general grounds maintenance, including sweeping, hoeing, raking, grass cutting, edging, hedge trimming, leaf and litter clearance.
• To carry out soil cultivation and preparation for planting including digging, forking and levelling.
• To carry out construction work when required.
• To undertake litter picking, sweeping and bin emptying as well as cleaning the mess room.
• To prepare and maintain grass sports turf and to erect and dismantle sports and other equipment as required.
• To have an awareness of the conduct of the general public and facility users and to report any undesirable conduct to the appropriate person/authority.
• To report to the appropriate responsible person any defects in equipment, property and sports surfaces which may arise.
• To be responsible for Guildford Borough Council machinery as required. To operate (as required) cylinder and rotary mowing machines, to include ‘ride on’ and ‘pedestrian’ operated horticultural machinery and to use the usual range of tools and equipment, including powered hand tools, power driven mowers, strimmers and hedge trimmers.
• To check machinery, equipment and tools and carry out routine maintenance and minor repairs as and when necessary.
• To complete such documentation as may be necessary, including time sheets, work schedules, accidents reports and damage reports.
• Any other duties consistent with the requirements of the post, as may be requested by your manager.
• You will be required to work occasionally on a weekend rota taking time off in lieu during the normal working week.

This job description reflects the core activities of the post. As the service and the post‑holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. We expect that the post‑holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.

The line manager will consult the post‑holder if significant changes to the job description become necessary. Any changes will be reflected in a revised job description.

This section describes the knowledge, experience and competence required by the post‑holder that is necessary for an acceptable standard of performance in carrying out this role.

A, I, T or P *

Essential, desirable or preferred are indicated with E, D or A/I where appropriate.

• Keen interest in and commitment to working outdoors in a grounds maintenance environment
• Experience of working within the grounds maintenance industry with a knowledge of gardening and…