Certificate III Gardener

Certificate III Gardener
Temporary Full Time | Parental Leave Cover | St Arnaud - Regional Victoria

Salary: $71,309.80 per annum including allowances
Plus: 12% superannuation, an RDO a fortnight, Uniform and boots supplied.

Applications close: Sunday 1st November at 11:59pm

[Download the Certificate III Gardener Position Description] 

Grow beautiful spaces. Make a lasting impact. Grow your career with council. 

Love working outdoors and take pride in creating vibrant parks, gardens and public spaces? Northern Grampians Shire Council is seeking a Gardener with a certificate 3 to join our Parks and Gardens team. This is an opportunity to use your horticultural expertise to help maintain and enhance some of the region's most valued community spaces while enjoying a supportive workplace, flexible work arrangements and ongoing professional development. 

About Northern Grampians Shire Council

Northern Grampians Shire Council has a diverse employment base, across 14 worksites across the beautiful Grampians Region in Victoria. We offer flexible work arrangements, providing access to relevant training and professional development opportunities with a variety of employee benefits. We promote innovation, responsiveness, respectfulness and continuous improvement as our core values. Being a smaller organisation, we can provide you with opportunities to act in leadership roles, transition between teams and participate in a range of collaborative projects with other team members or the wider community. We provide a supportive and flexible environment that values the balance between work and our employees' personal lives. 

About the role

As our Gardener (Band 3) working with our Council, you’ll carry out a variety of specialised horticultural and landscaping work across the municipality. Working both independently and as part of a team, you’ll help care for the parks, gardens, streetscapes, recreation reserves and public open spaces that bring our community together. 

Your work will include maintaining and improving parks, gardens, roadsides and Council property surrounds, as well as planting and caring for street trees and landscaped areas. You’ll prepare sporting and recreation grounds for community events and activities, manage turf and irrigation, and make seasonal improvements to our gardens. 

You’ll also operate and maintain a range of horticultural equipment and machinery, monitor Council assets, identify maintenance issues and respond proactively to defects. Accurate record-keeping is part of the role, including completing daily activity reports and assisting with material requisitions. 

Above all, you’ll contribute to a safe work environment and take pride in delivering high-quality outcomes for the community. This varied role offers autonomy and the opportunity to make a visible, lasting difference to the presentation and functionality of community spaces throughout the Shire. 

About you

You are a qualified horticultural professional who enjoys hands-on work and takes pride in maintaining high standards across public landscapes. You are safety-focused, reliable and have strong practical skills across a broad range of gardening and parks maintenance activities. 

To be successful in this role, you will have: 

• A Certificate of proficiency in Horticulture 
• Knowledge and skills gained through a minimum of four years on-the-job training commensurate with the requirements of the work outlined in this position description 
• Demonstrated skills in turf management, horticultural practices, arboriculture and plant identification. 
• Experience operating equipment such as mowers, brush cutters, edgers, chainsaws, ride-on mowers, tractors and associated implements. 
• Knowledge of irrigation systems, herbicides, fertilisers and landscape maintenance techniques. 
• A current Victorian Driver's Licence (minimum Light Truck licence). 
• A strong commitment to workplace safety and safe operating practices. 
• The ability to work independently, prioritise tasks and contribute positively within a team environment. 
• Sound communication skills and a customer-focused approach. 
• Most importantly, you are passionate about creating attractive and well-maintained public spaces that enhance the quality of life for our residents and visitors. 

Benefits include:

• Fortnightly RDO/ 9 day fortnight
• Friendly working hours 7am – 4pm /No weekends
• Flexible work arrangements
• Training and professional development
• Supportive team environment
• Salary packaging, including remote area housing allowances and novated leases
• Paid leave options, including purchased leave and paid parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• The chance to enjoy the region’s beautiful landscapes and biodiversity

Diversity & Inclusion

Northern Grampians Shire Council is committed to being an inclusive and welcoming employer that reflects the communities we serve. We value and celebrate diversity in all its forms, including gender, sexuality, culture, faith, ability, family structure and identity, and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities, and LGBTIQA+ people. We are also committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. 

Recruitment support

If you require any adjustments throughout the recruitment process to participate, please contact us at ngsc.hr@ngshire.vic.gov.au

Pre-employment checks

All appointments are subject to satisfactory:

• Police Record Check
• Medical/ Health Assessment
• Working with Children Check

How to apply

• Please download and read the position description. to view the full selection criteria
• Click the Apply Button to submit application
• Attach a resume and cover letter

If you'd like to know more contact Ben Mackley, Coordinator Parks and Facility Maintenance at ben.mackley@ngshire.vic.gov.au or call 03 5358 9073.

Applications close 1st November 2026 at 11.59pm.