Gravesend sits on the south bank of the Thames in north-west Kent, the main town of Gravesham borough with a population of around 75,000. The local jobs market has moved away from its old riverside cement and paper industry — the Blue Circle/Lafarge cement works at Northfleet closed in 2008 — towards logistics, warehousing, retail and health and social care. Live vacancies lean heavily on distribution, driving, care and the public sector, with a steady run of retail roles tied to the wider Ebbsfleet and Bluewater catchment.
The larger employers split between health, the council and the riverside industrial estates. Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust runs services at Gravesham Community Hospital on Bath Street (DA11 0DG), alongside Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, and Gravesham Borough Council employs across administration and frontline services. On the manufacturing and logistics side, Northfleet's Crete Hall Road is the main cluster: Kimberly-Clark makes tissue products at Northfleet Mill, Lidl runs a large regional distribution centre, and GXO Logistics handles warehousing nearby. The Imperial Business Park off West Mill (DA11 0DL) holds smaller industrial and trade firms, including a Howdens depot. The redeveloped land around the former cement works is increasingly used for rail-served logistics and freight.
Recruitment here is agency-heavy, especially for warehouse, driving and care shifts — much of the immediate, temp-to-perm work goes through high-street agencies in the town centre rather than direct postings. Transport is a strong point: Gravesend station runs Southeastern high-speed services to London St Pancras in about 22 minutes, and Ebbsfleet International, just west in Northfleet off the A2, reaches St Pancras in under 20 minutes and sits about five miles from the M25 at junction 2. Postcodes: DA11 covers Northfleet and the west, DA12 the town and eastern side, and DA13 the villages out towards Meopham and Istead Rise.
Jobs in Gravesend

Fire And Security Engineer

Bid Writer – Social Housing

Warehouse Forklift Operative

Production Operative with Forklift

Locum Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist

Production Director

Facilities Administrator - 6 Month FTC

Refuse Collectors

Conservatory Installer

Quantity Surveyor

Machine Operator (Nights)

Machine Operator - Days
Electrical Engineer Supervisor

Plant Vehicle Marshall

Apprentice General Operative


HR Operations Manager

SEN Teaching Assistant - Havering, London

Direct Commodity Buyer - Powertrain

Electronics Design Engineer
Frequently asked questions
What kind of jobs are most common in Gravesend?
Warehousing, distribution and driving roles make up a large share of local listings, driven by the Northfleet logistics estates and proximity to Ebbsfleet. Health and social care is the other major sector, with Gravesham Community Hospital and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust as significant recruiters. Retail and council jobs account for much of the rest.
Is Gravesend a realistic base for commuting to London for work?
Yes. It is one of the better-connected towns in north Kent. Gravesend station runs Southeastern high-speed services to London St Pancras in about 22 minutes, and Ebbsfleet International nearby does the same trip in under 20 minutes. That makes commuting to central London workable alongside local jobs.
Where are the main employment estates in Gravesend?
Crete Hall Road in Northfleet is the main hub, with Kimberly-Clark's Northfleet Mill, a Lidl regional distribution centre and GXO Logistics warehousing. Imperial Business Park off West Mill (DA11) holds smaller industrial and trade firms, including a Howdens depot. The redeveloped land around the former Northfleet cement works is also being used for rail-served logistics.