Manager Parks

**Manager Parks & Gardens**:
**Job no**: 497281

**Work type**: Permanent Full Time, Senior Officer Contract

**Classification**: Senior Officer

**Categories**: Management, Business Strategy & Improvement, Environment & Sustainability

**Create our future together at the City of Greater Geelong**
At City of Greater Geelong, we are committed to working together for a thriving community. We do this by delivering over 130 services to our rapidly growing population and working hard to protect and improve what it is that makes Greater Geelong on Wadawurrung country such a great place to live, work and study.

We’re going through an exciting period of change that will help us serve our community better. From digital modernisation to the contemporary, sustainable office we’re building in Central Geelong, now more than ever is a great time to join our team at the City of Greater Geelong.

Our Community is made up of diverse people from all walks of life, and it’s important to us that our workforce represents and celebrates this strength.

We encourage great people from all backgrounds to join us. We encourage authenticity, because inclusion makes us stronger.

If you’re excited about working together to create a Clever and Creative Greater Geelong, and joining a workplace where all people can thrive, then hit **apply** - we’d love to meet you

**About the role**
In this senior leadership role, you will be responsible for leading the Parks & Gardens department and the delivery of parks maintenance within the City of Greater Geelong, to meet community and stakeholder expectations, through the effective and efficient management of human, financial and physical resources.

You will provide strategic advice to Council and the Executive Management team in relation to open space maintenance, sportsground and specialist turf maintenance, tree management, irrigation management, and Geelong Botanic Gardens management.

Key responsibilities include:

- Effective leadership of the City Parks and Gardens Department, providing a high level of expertise in managing a large workforce undertaking a number of diverse roles.
- Develop and implement maintenance strategies to effectively achieve Council’s defined levels of service.
- Foster and enhance an employee relations environment to ensure staff are committed and motivated to deliver community focused services.
- Manage the department’s budget and finances.
- Management of contracts including specialist turf management, sportsground and parks maintenance, and roadside slashing programs.
- Prepare reports, submissions and correspondence relating to Parks and Gardens activities.

**About you**
To be successful in this role, you will be a highly experience people leader, with advanced negotiation, problem solving and analytical skills. You will thrive on builing new relationships and engaging with a diverse range of people from all levels of the organisation.

You will have a continuous improvement and safety first mindset, a professional approach to your work and have previous experience working in a large, multi discipline organisation.

Essential Experience:

- Experience leading a large, diverse workforce.
- Customer first focus.
- Experience in community and stake-holder engagement.
- Ability to develop and build relationships with a wide range of key stake-holders including politicians and unions.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen with well-established knowledge and experience in business planning and management including budget development, financial management, resource management, complex reporting
- Tertiary qualification in horticulture or related discipline combined with extensive relevant work experience.

**A career with us**
With flexible working options, our people have choice in how and where they work. Our employees connect with us from across the Greater Geelong region and beyond.

Central Geelong-based City employees are moving to our new Civic Precinct, Wurriki Nyal. Meaning ‘speak and talk together’ in local Wadawurrung language. Wurriki Nyal sets the benchmark for what a sustainable, inclusive and culturally safe workplace can be, including industry leading sustainability standards, a flexible and people-focused design, safe and inclusive spaces and public realm.

We’re committed to supporting better accessibility for our customers and our people. We encourage you to talk to us about any adjustments or additional support you may require during the recruitment process, as well as how this role can be flexible for you.

We offer:

- flexible work arrangements including RDO options in specified work areas
- salary sacrificing and novated lease options
- cultural and ceremonial leave
- study leave
- paid parental leave (16 weeks primary and six weeks secondary) and superannuation payments on all 52 weeks primary parental leave
- IVF, surrogate and miscarriage bereavement leave
- training and career development opportunities
- a healthy