Park Operations Assistant (Belhus Woods Country Park)

Permanent, Part Time

£25,959 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Upminster

This is a permanent, part time position on an annualised hours contract. This means you will be contracted to work 1355 hours per year. £13.46 per hour with a salary of £18,238 per annum.

Please note, shifts include working Friday – Sunday 8:00am – 4:30pm plus 4 evenings per week for 1 hour cleaning and lock-up (evening shift times vary as the park closing times change throughout the year).

The Opportunity

Based at Belhus Woods Country Park, the Park Operations Assistant will ensure the park is secure and open at critical times during the day for visitors. This includes access to all the facilities which are expected to be safe and well-presented environments for the visiting public. You will be expected to carry out a variety of duties and tasks in order to maintain the grounds & infrastructure and there will be the opportunity to expand the core role as required to meet the needs of the park. Please use the links below to find our more about our park.

Belhus Woods Country Park

Accountabilities

The ideal candidate will have the desirable competencies listed below, although training will be given both to meet the basic skill/qualifications and as ongoing professional development.

Contribute to the daily operation of the parks by ensuring all car park vehicle access points to the park are open at the times publicised to the general public and also securely closed when the site is closed.
Keep the toilet facilities clean and in good working order, reporting any repairs needed as required.
Engage with customers to improve the visitor’s experience; dealing with any issues involving visitors that occur within the park.
Operate basic machinery and driving of park vehicles.
Undertake grounds maintenance duties such as using a strimmer, ride on mower and use of associated ground care machinery and implements.
Ensure all facilities including toilets, buildings and storage areas are secure and designated areas are available as needed.
Support general operational activities as required.
Maintain the safety and beauty of the park by picking up litter and emptying bins/dog bins as required.
Complete relevant Health and Safety checks on the play areas within the park and completing all relevant paperwork in line with procedures.
Checking on livestock.
Aiding the rangers to achieve a range of park duties.

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to RQF Level 2 (GCSE or BTech), or equivalent by experience.
Experience of working with members of the public or customers delivering excellent customer service.
Evidence of good communication skills with the ability to deliver information and advice.
Experience of working within a team and supporting team members to deliver local objectives.
An ability to be a motivated, self-starter able to work with low levels of direct supervision

To read more about us please visit: Climate, Environment and Customer Services

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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