Help shape and protect the borough’s green spaces, ensuring quality, care and pride in every park and garden.

As a Contract Officer, you’ll be responsible for maintaining the beauty, biodiversity and usability of Kensington and Chelsea’s open spaces. From managing major grounds maintenance contracts to engaging with residents about local planting projects, your work will make our borough’s green spaces thrive for everyone to enjoy.

Working Style:

You’ll be based in the Borough for 5 days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you’re working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you’ll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives.

What you’ll be doing:

This is a hands-on and varied role where you’ll take ownership of the borough’s grounds maintenance contracts – overseeing performance, managing budgets and ensuring every green space meets our high standards.

You’ll lead on the day-to-day management and administration of the grounds contract, carrying out planned inspections and holding regular performance meetings with contractors to keep services on track. You’ll take swift action where needed to maintain quality and value for money.

As the main point of contact for residents and estate staff, you’ll resolve grounds maintenance queries and complaints with professionalism and empathy. You’ll carry out horticultural inspections, diagnose planting issues and recommend practical improvements that enhance the environment.

Community engagement will also be an important part of your work. You’ll organise planting days, run Garden Clubs and Vegetable Garden initiatives and support residents to get involved in shaping their green spaces.

You’ll have technical responsibility for arboriculture inspections using the Council’s tree management system, specifying and commissioning works as part of a three-year cyclical programme. You’ll also handle any necessary planning applications for trees in Conservation Areas.

Financially, you’ll manage the contract budget, monitoring expenditure, forecasting costs and ensuring projects stay within agreed limits. Every aspect of your work will help keep our estates and parks vibrant, safe and sustainable.

For further details, please review the Job Description and Person Specification

What you’ll bring

You’ll hold a Diploma in Horticulture or Arboriculture and bring at least three years’ experience managing grounds and/or tree maintenance services. You’ll have a strong track record in contract management, including planning, monitoring and directing complex maintenance programmes.

Your knowledge of plants, trees and horticultural practices will be backed by excellent communication and negotiation skills, enabling you to work confidently with residents, contractors and colleagues.

Analytical thinking and financial awareness are key, as you’ll be managing budgets and monitoring performance data. You’ll be confident using Microsoft Office and digital systems, with clear report writing and presentation skills. Above all, you’ll bring a proactive mindset, a commitment to improving green environments and a genuine passion for creating spaces that benefit both people and wildlife.

Why join us

At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.

This is an opportunity to play a leading role in managing the borough’s award-winning open spaces, including 11 nationally recognised Green Flag parks. You’ll work in a team that values collaboration and community engagement, where listening to residents and acting on feedback is part of our everyday approach.

We’ll support your growth through training and development opportunities, helping you strengthen your technical, financial and leadership skills. You’ll gain experience working across departments – from housing and parks to biodiversity and community development – giving you a broad and unique understanding of open space management.

This is meaningful work that you’ll see reflected in the quality of our landscapes and the pride of our residents. Every project you deliver contributes directly to our greener, safer, fairer vision for the borough.

About us

Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.

As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

This role is a great example of our ‘we’re all in’ mindset. As a Contract Officer, you’ll get stuck in – balancing the technical, operational and community aspects of open space management. You’ll resolve challenges with integrity, lead on improvements and ensure our parks and estates continue to meet the high standards our residents deserve.

Interview Details

Interviews will be held in person on the week commencing 1 st December 2025

This role will require a basic DBS

Ready to join us?

We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.

Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the advertised salary range.

Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

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