Job Description

About The Role
Working Hours: 35 Hours Per Week (Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend work required)
Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Additional Payments: Casual Car Allowance
Closing Date: 5 November 2025
Closing time: 11.59pm
Interview Method: Face to Face
This role is subject to -

• 2 References - where possible we require 3 years' history.
• Casual Car Documentation - The successful candidate will be a designated Casual Car User which means that car journeys may be necessary on an occasional basis, but are not essential to the role. If you do drive, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work, as well as provide all the appropriate documentation. You will receive an allowance per mile of business use.

We're looking for a dynamic and passionate Parks Operations Manager to lead the operational delivery of Manchester's parks and green spaces. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of our public spaces, ensuring they are clean, green, safe, and welcoming for everyone.
As the lead for our Operations Team, you will be at the forefront of maintaining high standards across the estate, working closely with community groups, internal teams, and external partners. You'll be responsible for health and safety compliance, quality assurance, and strengthening relationships with our valued stakeholders, including the Friends of Parks groups.
You'll lead a dedicated team and manage Area Parks Leads, driving consistency and excellence across all sites -- including close collaboration with the Heaton Park Team. Your leadership will help ensure that every visitor has a positive experience and that our parks continue to be vibrant, inclusive spaces that reflect the spirit of Manchester.
What makes this role exciting?

• You'll be a key player in delivering Manchester's vision for outstanding public spaces.
• You'll work directly with communities to build strong, lasting partnerships.
• You'll have the opportunity to innovate and influence how our parks operate day-to-day.
• You'll be part of a passionate team committed to making a real difference.

For an informal discussion, please contact the hiring manager, Kylie Ward, at 07798 698 668 and Kylie Ward to arrange a convenient time to discuss the role.
About the Candidate
We're seeking a confident and capable leader with a passion for public service and a commitment to excellence. The ideal candidate will bring a blend of strategic thinking, operational expertise, and strong interpersonal skills to drive forward the vision for Manchester's parks.
Essential requirements for the role:

• Communication Skills: Ability to build and maintain strong networks of support both internally and externally and to forge effective partnerships with external agencies, voluntary and statutory, and key stakeholders for the continuous improvement of services. Ability to harness the full commitment and responsibility of key stakeholders in delivering the vision of excellence for the city.
• Analytical Skills: Provides creative solutions to problems and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying) novel or non standard approaches.
• Planning and Organising: Ability to maintain focus and objectivity under various conditions and skill in managing and maintaining a multi-priority workload, progressing various ideas and plans concurrently.
• Project Management: Ability to influence, monitor and control the risk environment, both strategic and operational, through effective allocation of roles and responsibilities. Has ability to manage risk effectively on high value, complex and multiple projects.
• Problem Solving and Decision Making: Uses creative ability to find solutions and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying) novel or non standard approaches.
• Strategic Thinking: Demonstrates a high level of political awareness and links strategies for continuous improvement with the drive to achieve national, corporate and departmental standards and goals.
• Financial Management: Excellent financial planning skills to develop short, medium and long term financial plans with an ability to budget proactively with large, high-risk or volatile elements being identified and cross-referenced to operational activity.
• Commercial Skills: Excellent commercial skills to manage successful tender, evaluation and acquisition process. Highly developed communication and relationship management skills to identify and manage the relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
• People Management: Effective development, management and motivation of staff within service area, providing leadership and planning for the work of a service based function or Council wide team. Establishes clear targets and monitors progress to ensure continuous improvement in service delivery

The experience below would be beneficial but is not essential:

• Experience managing day-to-day operations in a public service or parks-related environment, with a focus on quality standards and customer experience.

About Us
We're the local council for one of the UK's most vibrant and diverse cities.
Working for Manchester isn't just a job - it's an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it's strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you'll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.
is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city - a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We 'own it' and we're not afraid to try new things
• We're proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.
• A buzzing pension - You'll be enrolled in the UK's largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.
• A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council
At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.
Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our

can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our . This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.
Guaranteed Assessment Scheme
We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
• Current or former care leavers
• Have a disability or long-term condition
• If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme or any MCC positive action programme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the Supporting Statement section of your application.
When You Join Us
We're a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email .
What we will need from you if you're successful
In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.
Pre-Employment Checks
If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you've applied for. As a guide, these checks may include:

• Proof of Right to Work: You'll need to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK.
• References: We'll require references from your current and previous employer(s).
• Proof of Qualifications: Evidence of qualifications relevant to the role will be required.
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: A criminal record check may be necessary, depending on the role.
• Proof of Manchester Residency: For some roles, you may need to demonstrate that you reside within the boundaries of Manchester City Council.
• Police Vetting: Some roles may require police vetting to ensure suitability for accessing sensitive law enforcement systems or information.
• Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Clearance: BPSS clearance is primarily used for roles that involve access to government data, systems, or assets. It ensures that individuals meet basic security requirements and can be trusted with sensitive information
• Driving Licence: If the role requires driving, we'll need evidence of your valid driving licence.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve.
Other relevant information
We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we'll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.
For more information about the role, please ensure that you read the role profile attached.
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Skills Required