Project Manager- Surrey-T544
From Horticruitment
Our client is a commercial grounds maintenance company that as part of the business provides support landscape services for ad hoc works, primarily for contracted clients, these range from minor hard landscape installations, soft landscaping, tree works together with pitch renovation services.
With the growth of the business a new role is required to cover the management of these services and manage the machinery portfolio for the business
The Projects and Machinery Manager will be responsible for general one off works outside of standard contract routine maintenance. This includes hard and soft landscaping installations, and seasonal works and sports pitch renovations, across the commercial and sports portfolio together with the day-to-day management and responsibility for the machinery fleet.
Working with your small team, you will work in tandem with the Grounds Maintenance Contracts Managers to balance shared resources, transition seasonal workloads seamlessly and ensure clients receive a flawless end-to-end high quality horticultural service. This is a role where hands-on involvement is expected from time to time to help advise, lead and ensure works are completed on time and to high horticultural standards. It is a position where leadership, critical thinking, teamwork, time management, self-organisation, client management, team working, flexibility, and good horticultural background and knowledge are key.
Key Interfaces & Collaboration
The Relationship with the Maintenance Contact managers: You will sync daily with the Grounds Maintenance Contracts Manager. While they manage recurring contracts, you manage the finite, specialized projects. You will actively collaborate to share labor, transition staff during peak seasonal shifts (e.g., moving from summer mowing to hedge flailing and autumn renovations).
Key Responsibilities
Scheduling & Project Planning
- Project Lifecycle: Own the planning, material procurement, and resource allocation, manage work flows to completion alongside the sign off for all one-off install projects and seasonal renovations.
- Management of your direct staff to complete works
- Coordinated Scheduling: Schedule works in line with resources available, liaise daily with the Grounds Maintenance Contracts Manager to map out staff and machinery, ensuring zero operational friction or double-booking.
- Deadlines: Build realistic project timelines and ensure jobs are delivered strictly on time and within budget.
Leadership & Training
- Team Management: Lead, motivate, and manage field crews assigned to install and renovation projects.
- Skill Development: Train staff on specialist machinery, renovation techniques (e.g., scarifying, top-dressing, overseeding), and installation best practices.
- Standards: Set a clear benchmark for workplace culture, efficiency, and high-quality workmanship.
Operations & Hands-on Execution
- Quality Assurance: Conduct site visits to monitor progress and sign off completed projects to ensure they meet company standards.
- On-the-Ground Support: Lead from the front by operating specialist machinery or helping the crew physically execute works during peak periods or complex installs.
- Health & Safety: Enforce strict health, safety, and environmental standards on every site, ensuring RAMS are followed.
Machinery management, repairs & servicing
- Preventative Maintenance: Schedule and oversee routine servicing, oil changes, and inspections for all fleet assets to minimize site downtime.
- Breakdown Repairs: Manage rapid-response mechanical repairs for broken-down machinery either in-house or through external specialist mechanics
- Winterization & Storage: Coordinate the seasonal servicing and correct storage of specialized landscaping kit during off-peak winter months.
- Workshop Management: Oversee the day-to-day use of the workshop, including consumables tools and parts inventory.
Procurement & Asset Management
- Cross-Hire Coordination: Arrange external short-term rentals of specialized machinery (e.g., heavy excavators or cherry pickers) when required for specific projects.
- Logistics & Dispatch: Plan and track the daily transport, loading, and delivery of machinery to sites.
Compliance, Monitoring, Health & Safety
- Ensure all machinery is safe to use and operational
- Safety Records: Implement daily pre-use checklist procedures for operators and maintain airtight electronic maintenance files for insurance and auditing.
Training & Operator Support
- Ensure that operators have been adequately trained and are competent before operating plant and machinery.
- In-House Training: Conduct onboarding and toolbox talks on the safe operation and daily powered maintenance of tools, woodchippers, commercial mowers, tractors and other company plant.
Specific abilities, skills and flexibility required:
- Meticulous project management
- Scheduling, Strong and dynamic team management & leadership
- Able and comfortable to get hands-on in the field to lead when the needs arise
- Horticultural training and knowledge, Time management
- Professionalism
- Financial planning and grasp of costs and profit analysis
- Strong mechanical understanding
- Full Driving Licence
- Good experience of operating and managing Horticultural / Agricultural machinery (or similar)
Education:
- Maths grade GCSE C or above
- Formal Horticultural / Agricultural qualification of HND or above (or similar.)
The areas itemised above are what the full responsibilities the role will encompass once the individual has been inducted and brought up to speed, any skills and knowledge gaps that are initially missing must be highlighted so training and mentoring can be structured and planned to fill them.
Initial responsibilities will be decided once any skill gaps know and current competencies understood, From there each level of new responsibilities will periodically be layered on as confidence and full competencies grow but it is expected the individual will take full personal responsibilities to self-learn any missing skill with the help of the business management.
Working Hours: Monday – Friday
Salary Up to £50,000 DOE
Who This Role Would Suit: This position would suit someone currently working as a Grounds Maintenance Manager, Project Manager, Landscaping Manager, Horticultural Project Manager, Grounds Maintenance Supervisor, Landscape Supervisor, Sports Turf Manager, Horticultural Manager, or experienced Grounds Maintenance Operative with strong project management and machinery experience.
If this Project Manager role is of interest, please click ‘Apply Now’ above or contact Sara Yassin on 01233 732767 or email sara@horticruitment.com
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Thank you for your interest in the Project Manager role. Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications that we receive, it is not possible to respond to everyone. Therefore, unless you hear from us within the next 14 days, your application for this vacancy has been unsuccessful.