Senior Council Caretaker

Advert

Senior Council Caretaker
Council Offices, Kirkwall
35 hours per week
Permanent

£35,553 – £38,309
£19.48 – £20.99 per hour

The above amounts include Distant Islands Allowance.

You will be reporting to Fiona Ratter, Team Manager Business Support/Elections.

Your working pattern is 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. We are happy to talk flexible working, where possible.

The purpose of this role is to supervise and manage a team of Caretakers and a Caretaker Assistant, provide security, functional and administrative services and support premises management.

We are seeking a highly organised and dependable Senior Council Caretaker to support the effective day‑to‑day operation of the Council Offices. This role combines team leadership, building security, facilities management and a range of practical maintenance duties, ensuring our premises remain safe, functional and welcoming for staff, elected members and the public.

The post holder will provide daily supervision of the Caretaker team, overseeing task allocation, rotas, holiday and sickness cover, and applying HR policies including recruitment, annual good conversations, performance management and absence procedures. As a key holder, you will be responsible for opening and closing the Council Offices on a daily basis, ensuring the premises is secure at all times including monitoring corridors, buildings access/exits, storage areas within the Council Offices and grounds ensuring that there are no unacceptable fire or health and safety risks.

The role includes carrying out minor repairs, monitoring boilers and heating systems, replacing fittings where necessary, and maintaining external areas such as pathways and entrances. You will also support meeting and event setups, manage daily mail and parcel services. Additional responsibilities include Legionella water testing, monitoring oil tanks and managing flag‑flying duties in line with Council policy.

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated individual who thrives in a varied role and takes pride in maintaining high standards across a busy public building.

The necessary qualification, experience and skills required for this role are detailed in the ‘must have’ section of the attached job profile. These criteria are used for decisions on shortlisting and appointment of applicants.

This post involves a contractual requirement to participate in a standby rota, covering out of hours, click here for Standby Information.

This post requires a Level 1 Disclosure check.

Applications close at 23:59 on Sunday 28 June 2026, with shortlisting taking place week commencing Monday 29 June 2026 and interviews scheduled for week commencing 6 July 2026.

For a discussion about the role, contact Fiona Ratter, Team Manager Business Support/Elections at fiona.ratter@orkney.gov.uk or on 01856 873535 Ext. 2230.

For information on applying and our recruitment process, click here for Information for Applicants.

We would welcome your feedback on our recruitment process.