City Parks - Leading Hand

At Wollongong City Council, we continuously strive to create an Extraordinary Wollongong for our community. We focus on the delivery of exceptional services, infrastructure and facilities for our community. Our aim is to work toward the community's goals in the Our Wollongong Our Future Community Strategic Plan 2035.

Wollongong is a great place to work, live and play! Together, our responsibility is to create an inclusive community where everyone is welcome, valued and belongs. Our strength is the diversity of our people.

We lead with courage, openness and curiosity and believe our employees are the key to our success. Learn more about us here.

The opportunity

Are you an experienced hands-on leader who enjoys bringing out the best in a team while making a visible difference in the community?

As a Leading Hand City Parks, you'll combine daily leadership with practical outdoor work, guiding a small crew to deliver high-quality parks maintenance and improvement works. You'll help plan and coordinate activities, support your team to work safely and efficiently, and ensure community spaces are maintained to a high standard.

Joining an experienced and supportive team, you'll have the opportunity to contribute your ideas, build capability in others and take pride in creating parks and open spaces that residents and visitors enjoy every day.

Based at South Depot you will work a 70-hour, 9 day fortnight, general work hours are 6.30am and 2.45pm. Overtime may be required from time to time to meet operational needs.

This role is physically demanding and involves working outdoors in a range of weather conditions. Applicants must be physically capable of undertaking repetitive manual tasks.

This is a permanent full-time position. Salary from : $84,437 up to $94,572 per annum plus superannuation (Salary package will be assessed based on skills, experience)

What you will be doing OR How you'll make a difference

• Leading, coordinating and supporting a City Parks crew to deliver scheduled parks maintenance and minor construction works.

• Planning daily activities, allocating resources and monitoring work programs to achieve quality outcomes.

• Carrying out and overseeing mowing, edging, vegetation maintenance, litter collection, cleaning and related parks operations.

• Promoting a strong safety culture and ensuring WHS procedures, environmental requirements and safe work practices are followed.

• Coaching and supporting team members, addressing issues early and helping maintain a positive and productive team environment.

• Liaising with supervisors, colleagues, contractors, stakeholders and members of the public.

• Monitoring resources, maintaining records and contributing to efficient delivery of maintenance programs and budgets.

• Supporting seasonal maintenance programs and contributing to planned improvement and renewal works throughout the year.

About you

You are an experienced operational leader who brings people together around a common goal. You provide clear direction, lead by example and take accountability for your team. You build an inclusive culture where people feel valued and motivated to perform at their best.

You will also bring:

• Strong people leadership skills, including coaching and mentoring staff, developing capability, and managing performance and attendance through constructive conversations.

• Proven experience in parks maintenance, landscaping, civil works or a similar operational environment.

• The ability to plan, prioritise and coordinate resources to deliver work programs efficiently and to a high standard.

• Sound judgement and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to make decisions and adapt to changing priorities.

• Well-developed communication skills and the ability to build positive relationships with staff, leaders, contractors and the community.

• Experience promoting and maintaining high Work Health and Safety standards.

• Confidence using technology to manage records, reporting and operational activities.

• A Class C driver's licence.

• A commitment to Council's values of Respect, Integrity, OneTeam, Sustainability and Courage.

Why you'll love working at Wollongong City Council!

• True work-life balance
  We know you work hard, and we make sure that effort is rewarded with real flexibility. Our hybrid work options, flex-time, and rostered days off mean you can maintain balance while delivering great outcomes.

• Great working conditions
  Enjoy a 35-hour work week or a 9-day fortnight with a regular rostered day off (RDO).

• Career growth and recognition

We are committed to supporting your personal and professional development. Our initiatives include a reward and recognition program, corporate learning opportunities, study assistance, and leadership development programs to help you grow and succeed.

• Generous leave provisions
  Benefit from five weeks of annual leave per year (pro rata) and access long service leave after just five years.

• Health, safety, and wellbeing
  We prioritise a safe workplace for everyone, every day, everywhere. Our wellbeing programs support mental, physical and social wellbeing of our people to be at their best and include an Employee Assistance Program, skin and hearing checks and discounted gym memberships.

• A vibrant social culture
  Join our Social Club for monthly activities, an annual trivia night, and fantastic Christmas events!

Participate and engage in meaningful work, and contribute to our extraordinary community, where together we make a difference.

For more information, click on 'Apply' to be redirected to Wollongong City Council's job vacancy page.

Applications close 11:59pm, Sunday 8 November 2026

We invite everyone to apply no matter your identity, you'll be welcome. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), people with disability and veterans.

Wollongong Council adheres to the principles of a child safe organisation and is committed to the care and protection of all children and young people in the community.

Applicants are required to undergo a rigorous employment screening process which will include Reference, Identity and Medical History Checks, and may also include a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check and Working with Children Check. Employment is subject to clearance of all these checks.