Estate Services Manager – Grounds Maintenance
Job Description:
Estate Services Manager – Grounds Maintenance
Temporary Contract
Job Details
Client: Southern Housing
Service Area: Assets and Sustainability / Estate Services
Hours: 7 hours per day
Start Date: 17 August 2026
Duration: 90 days
Number of Roles: 1
Location
Work Base:
Gunters Mead
Copsem Lane
Esher
Surrey
KT10 9HJ
Pay
PAYE Rate: £21.45 per hour
Job Overview
Southern Housing is seeking an experienced Estate Services Manager – Grounds Maintenance to lead and manage a team delivering high-quality grounds maintenance services across a designated geographical area.
The role will involve overseeing the effective and efficient delivery of estate services, managing grounds maintenance teams, overseeing contractors, carrying out estate inspections, reporting communal repairs and compliance issues, monitoring health and safety, managing supplies and equipment, and working with residents and front-line teams to improve service standards and resident satisfaction.
This role requires strong grounds maintenance, estate services, team management, contractor management, health and safety, COSHH, risk assessment, resident liaison and operational leadership experience.
Important – Please Read Carefully
This is an Estate Services Manager / Grounds Maintenance Manager role.
Candidates must have experience working in a grounds maintenance environment and must be able to lead, manage, train and motivate a team.
The role requires strong knowledge of health and safety, risk assessments, COSHH, lone working arrangements, machinery safety, fleet compliance, estate inspections and resident-facing service delivery.
Candidates must hold a valid UK driving licence with Category C1 and must have no more than 5 points on their licence.
Candidates without grounds maintenance, estate services, team leadership, health and safety, contractor management or resident-facing operational service experience are unlikely to be considered.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage grounds maintenance teams across a designated area
- Oversee the delivery of high-quality grounds maintenance estate services
- Manage and monitor contractors, including tree maintenance contractors
- Conduct estate inspections
- Ensure estates are well maintained
- Report communal repairs, compliance hazards and tenancy management issues
- Work with front-line teams to improve resident satisfaction
- Ensure teams complete risk assessments
- Ensure staff complete relevant health and safety training
- Ensure lone working arrangements are followed
- Promote and enforce health and safety protocols
- Maintain a safe working environment for team members
- Respond to enquiries from colleagues and residents
- Provide clear updates on service delivery
- Address service issues promptly
- Complete and document one-to-ones with team members
- Address underperformance issues
- Provide constructive feedback and recognise achievements
- Identify and schedule project works for quieter seasonal months
- Monitor supplies, tools, equipment and products
- Order supplies in a timely and cost-effective way
- Ensure teams have the tools and equipment needed to complete work efficiently
- Ensure work vehicles comply with Southern Housing fleet policy
- Ensure machinery is regularly serviced and fit for purpose
- Build positive relationships with residents
- Deal with resident enquiries, concerns and complaints professionally
- Liaise with team members, residents, contractors and stakeholders
- Support value for money and service charge considerations
- Identify opportunities for service efficiencies
Essential Experience & Skills
- Experience working in a grounds maintenance environment
- Experience managing grounds maintenance or estate services teams
- Proven leadership skills
- Experience recruiting, managing, training or motivating staff
- Experience creating a positive team culture
- Strong health and safety knowledge
- Experience conducting risk assessments
- Knowledge of COSHH regulations
- Experience managing lone working arrangements
- Ability to prioritise team safety
- Experience carrying out estate inspections
- Ability to identify repairs, compliance issues and tenancy-related matters
- Experience managing contractors or service providers
- Experience dealing with residents or customers
- Ability to handle resident enquiries, concerns and complaints
- Strong written communication skills
- Strong verbal communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Proactive problem-solving ability
- Ability to resolve operational challenges
- Understanding of value for money and service charges
- Ability to monitor and order supplies
- Awareness of fleet policy and vehicle compliance
- Awareness of machinery servicing requirements
- Valid UK driving licence with Category C1
- No more than 5 points on driving licence
Desirable
- Social housing estate services experience
- Experience managing gardening or grounds maintenance services in housing estates
- Experience overseeing tree maintenance contractors
- Experience with communal repairs reporting
- Experience dealing with compliance hazards
- Experience managing seasonal grounds maintenance programmes
- Experience with service charge-related estate services
- Experience managing team one-to-ones and underperformance
- Experience working with residents in a housing environment
Additional Information
Interview process will involve a first-stage outbound interview call, followed by a second-stage face-to-face interview at Gunters Mead, Esher, KT10 9HJ.
Candidate submission deadline is 12 August 2026.
Disclaimer
On applying for this vacancy, you agree that your personal details will be passed onto our client for their consideration of your suitability for the role.
I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to notify Fix Space Recruitment Limited of any hirer who I do not want my details to be passed onto.
Job Reference
OR111415