General Manager - Amenity Landscaping

Overview

The Forward Trust are a leading provider of Information, Advice and Guidance services (careers advice) in prisons to the Matrix Standard delivering a wider range of vocational training, apprenticeships, enterprise and employability services in the community funded by the ESFA, devolved administrations, DWP and others.

Amenity Landscaping is a social enterprise owned by the Forward Trust and within our Employment Services Division.

Amenity Landscaping delivers gardening, grounds maintenance, facilities management and horticultural services on behalf of local authorities, social landlords and other partners.

Amenity Landscaping employs people with lived experience including ex-offenders, people in recovery and also the unemployed or NEET. All staff are employed on Forward Trust terms and conditions and are a Real Living Wage employer.

What you will be doing?

As a General Manager, you will be working closely with the Head of Enterprise and your team members and you will be responsible for:

• • General management of all day-to-day operations; ensuring a high standard of gardening is maintained across our portfolio of clients, and delivering an excellent customer service.
• Scheduling and organising both regular and ad hoc jobs, and ensuring equipment is effectively allocated to complete the work.
• Liaising with clients to ensure their expectations are being met and receive feedback for improving service. Creating action-plans to raise standards in the event standards are below expectations.
• Winning and on-boarding new clients.
• Promoting additional services to improve the condition of customers' gardens.
• Producing quotations for new landscaping/maintenance jobs and ad hoc jobs for existing clientele.
• To support the training and development of staff working for Amenity Landscaping.
• To be responsible for all aspects of Health and Safety whilst on client/customer sites including safe working practices e.g manual handling, RAMS, COSHH assessments
• To comply and report any health and safety, equalities and diversity, complaints/complements, safeguarding/prevent and other incidents relating to the work of Amenity Landscaping to the General Manager or designated manager or Director
• To act as a positive role model for the employees of Amenity Landscaping (including apprentices), and those on work experience.
• Develop good links with contractors to ensure that the work is carried out in a timely fashion to the appropriate quality standards.
• Report any concerns relating to employee behaviour or Health and Safety directly to the Head of Enterprise.

As a growing business, the General Manager will be required to spend approx. 50% of their working time 'on the tools' with their own portfolio of gardens to care for. The General Manager will be responsible for their own calendar.

Daily management activities will include:

• Managing the business on a day-to-day basis
• Conducting client visits
• Liaising with enquiries from prospective clients for services and prices
• Recruitment with support from designated Manager
• Managing the staff to include regular support and supervision meetings, absences with the support of dedicated HR systems in place.
• Producing the garden maintenance schedule accounting for holidays and ad hoc jobs.
• Ensuring accurate records are kept for invoicing support.
• Support activities such as taking equipment for servicing and purchasing materials.
• Working closely with the Head of Enterprise in developing and implementing strategies for growing the business.

What we are looking for?

We are looking for people who are interested in working outdoors, with an interest in the environment and managing and working as part of a team.  This post is 37 hours per week and will involve a degree of working with the teams on a-hands on basis in addition to managing the Enterprise and its day to day operations.

We encourage applications from either ex-offenders, those at risk of offending or have been in trouble with the police or in recovery and unemployed.

Below is a list of the qualities that we are looking for in applicants for this post.  Please address these points in your application.

• Have experience in managing teams and customer relationships.

• Be a seasoned gardener with a broad knowledge of plants found in British gardens and practical knowledge of how to manage and maintain a garden i.e. when and how to prune various plants.

• Able to undertake all the duties of the job, with or without the use of aids and adaptations, including the manual handling of heavy objects, (with training).

• Full UK Driving Licence

• Relevant qualifications relating to Grounds Maintenance and Horticulture

• Able to work as a member of a team undertaking maintenance duties to contract specified standards, ensuring that the quality of service is maintained to meet client or customer requirements.

• Able to work on own initiative, comply with all work instructions given and liaise with the General Manager over any service delivery problems.

• Able to work to and apply quality assurance standards.

• Able to undertake any administrative duties required, e.g. completing Health and Safety formseal;H, record keeping, Supervision meetings etc.

• Awareness of the health and safety regulations that affect the work area and able to work in accordance with all health and safety policy requirements; e.g. Manual handling, Personal Protective Equipment, (PPE), etc.

• To have a flexible and adaptable approach to work, including being willing and able to work as directed during the day, e.g. As relief and cover; to work unsociable hours, weekends and bank holidays if necessary to meet the demands of the service.

• Contribute to regular Amenity Landscaping team meetings to discuss various issues relating to the contracts and employee’s personal development and training.

• Familiarity with Microsoft applications such as MS Word and MS Excel

Experience

• Experience of working and supervising in the Gardening and/or Grounds Maintenance Industry

What we offer

We value the dedication and commitment of our employees by rewarding them with market-leading pay and benefits.  We provide comprehensive training and opportunities to progress in the Employment Services Division.

We also offer:

• Flexible working
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
• Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Person specification

General Manager - BSS.Amenity Job Description - April 22