Grounds and Pitch Care Operative

Grounds and Pitch Care Operative Location: Cirencester Salary: Grade 5: starting from £26,707 progressing to £31,236 per annum Term: Full-time, permanent, 35 hours a week - some weekend work required. The Royal Agricultural University (RAU) is committed to providing an outstanding environment for learning, sport and wellbeing. As part of the University's long-term investment in its campus and sporting facilities, we are seeking a Grounds and Pitch Care Operative to help maintain and develop our sports grounds to the highest possible standards. This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated and practical individual to play a key role in the care and development of the University's natural and artificial playing surfaces. Working throughout the seasons, the successful candidate will help ensure that our sports pitches provide a safe, high-quality experience for students, staff, visiting teams and commercial users. The role is largely outdoors, involves physically demanding work and requires confidence in working independently, while also collaborating closely with colleagues across the University. The successful candidate will undertake a wide range of grounds maintenance activities, including mowing, marking, aeration, fertilising, scarifying, seeding and top dressing, alongside the maintenance and cleaning of artificial playing surfaces. They will also be responsible for maintaining sports equipment and grounds machinery, carrying out routine safety and condition checks, and ensuring all playing surfaces remain safe, fit for purpose and match ready. Working with colleagues from RAU Sport, the Students' Union and external users, the postholder will help coordinate pitch usage and maintenance programmes to maximise the quality and availability of facilities throughout the year. They will maintain accurate maintenance records, contribute to effective campus-wide grounds maintenance, and ensure all work is carried out in accordance with the University's Health and Safety procedures. We welcome applications from individuals with experience in sports turf or grounds maintenance who have a good understanding of pitch renovation and maintenance practices. Applicants should have experience of maintaining sports grounds to a high standard, be physically able to undertake the demands of the role, and demonstrate excellent organisation, initiative and a flexible approach to work. A qualification in sports turf management, spraying certificates (or progress towards obtaining them), and experience of working collaboratively with sports teams or facility users would be advantageous. For a full job description and details on how to apply please click apply Closing date: 25 October 2026 Interviews: 06 November 2026 The RAU is an equal opportunities employer and we particularly welcome applications from black and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within the RAU at this level