Head of Grounds

Starting Salary £40,000 per annum (depending on skills, knowledge and experience)

Permanent | Full-time | All-year Round (52 weeks per year)

Felsted School, a leading Independent Day and Boarding School, is seeking an enthusiastic, experienced, and passionate Head of Grounds to lead our Grounds and Gardens Department. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in maintaining and developing our beautiful 90-acre campus in rural North Essex, ensuring that our high-quality sports facilities, green spaces, and gardens are always presented and maintained to the highest standards.

The main responsibilities of the role will be to manage, support and develop our team of Grounds and Gardens staff to maintain and enhance all outdoor areas including lawns, sports pitches, gardens and pathways whilst upholding high standards in health & safety, environmental practices, and compliance.

Our ideal candidate will hold a Level 2 or 3 qualification in Groundskeeping or similar area, have proven experience in a similar role in groundskeeping (ideally in an educational environment), and possess strong interpersonal and team management skills. It is also essential that all candidates hold a full UK manual driving licence.

This role is a permanent position working full-time, all-year round. The hours of work are Monday to Thursday from 8:00am to 4:30pm and Fridays from 8:00am to 3:30pm, with a thirty-minute unpaid lunch break each day. Weekend working may be required to support sports fixtures.

Further information and a full job description can be found on our website.

Benefits include 25 days annual leave each year (plus public holidays); free life assurance, uniform and parking; contributory pension scheme (matched at 4%); membership availability to the School’s healthcare scheme (via BUPA); free lunch on full days worked; annual salary reviews; free use of the Felsted Gym and pool facilities; subsidised on-site Coffee Shop; and membership to Felsted Connect; an online multi-platform engagement tool where employees have access to hundreds of exclusive discounts and offers from online and high-street retailers. More information on our rewards package can be found on our website felsted.org/employment-opps/rewards.

Felsted is a leading day and boarding independent school based in a stunning village campus in North Essex. Founded in 1564 by Richard Lord Riche, who had been a Lord Chancellor under King Edward VI, Felsted today provides an exceptional holistic education to approximately 1100 boys and girls aged four to eighteen. We celebrated our 450th anniversary in 2014, one of only a handful of schools in the country that have claimed this historic milestone. We employ more than 190 teachers and 460 operational staff in a community orientated environment, ensuring our pupils receive the very best in learning and co-curricular activities.

Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday 19 September 2025 at 9:00am. Early applications are encouraged as we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we recieve a high number of applicants. Interviews will be held shortly after the closing date.

If you would like to apply for this position, please visit our website www.felsted.org/employment-opps to complete our online application process.

Felsted is committed to equal opportunities and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all pupils and a ‘culture of vigilance’ to safeguard and protect all in its care, and to all aspects of its ‘Safeguarding (Child Protection and Staff Behaviour) Policy’. Please note, it is an offence to apply for this position if barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children. All employees are subject to pre-employment checks including a Disclosure and Barring Service check.