Job Description

Job Title:Maintenance Foreman

Responsible to: Estates Manager

Responsible for: N/A

Hours of Work:Permanent, part-time position.
25 hours per week (Monday to Friday 8.00am to 1.30pm with a 30 minute unpaid break)

Salary:circa £25,000 pro rata to £16,447 for part-time hours.

Job Purpose:
The post-holder is expected to uphold and actively promote the ethos of St Leonards School. TheMaintenance Foreman will supervise and co-ordinate the daily operation of the Estates Department, allocating jobs to internal staff and external contractors, as deemed necessary. The post-holder will have a full and working knowledge of buildings maintenanceas a skilled tradesman (essential).

The primary focus of the Maintenance Foreman is to reduce the reliance on external contractors and allocate jobs in a manner that achieves efficient and effective maintenance expenditure for the School.

Reporting to and line managed by the Estates Manager, the role of Maintenance Foreman is hands-on, dealing with a variety of remedial works.Ultimately the post-holder is accountable to the School’s Bursar who leads the School’s support functions.

Key areas of responsibility:

  • Monitoring the Estates’ Helpdesk and investigating and assessing maintenance requests, implementing solutions and monitoring works to ensure that a satisfactory solution is reached. Updating the Estates’ Helpdesk, once work has been completed.
  • Supervising and leading the School’s maintenance technicians, allocating work/jobs to them and monitoring progress. Highlighting any concerns with performance or workmanship to the Estates’ Manager.
  • Maintaining an effective balance between planned and reactive works and, where possible, effectively assessing, prioritising and planning such works and re-prioritising works when required.
  • In conjunction with the Estates’ Manager, surveying and costing remedial works and tendering to contractors, if deemed necessary. Taking a pro-active approach and monitoring the School buildings and grounds for potential remedial works and highlighting these to the Estates’ Manager.
  • Ensuring that all work is carried out to the highest standards of workmanship and safety. A full and working knowledge of Health and Safety regulations is an essential requirement of this role.
  • Compiling documentation for any quotes gathered to justify expenditure on external contractors and any other administration which may be deemed necessary.
  • Liaising with and monitoring external contractors to ensure compliance with various regulations e.g. Health and Safety, Child Protection etc. and that their services are delivered in line with contract Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
  • Providing hands-on technical support and attending to maintenance works, as and when required, making repairs or adjustments to the building fabric, mechanical or electrical services in line with skills and qualifications.
  • Attending the weekly Estates’ team meeting to communicate planned works, developments, changes to schedules etc. Building effective working relationships with other members of the Estates’ team to communicate and co-ordinate activities in the most efficient means.
  • In this client facing role, maintaining effective working relationships with the wider School community and external stakeholders to the highest standards of customer service.
  • On a rota basis, responding to emergency call-outs during ‘out of hours’.
  • Checking the operation of boiler and hot water plant and making simple adjustments as required (training will be provided).
  • Checking the operation of swimming pool water treatment equipment (training will be provided).
  • Deputising for the Estates Manager, as and when required.
  • Keeping own knowledge up to date through continuous professional development and networking opportunities.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties. It is expected that the post-holder will participate in other reasonable activities which may be required to meet the needs of the School or for better fulfilment of the role.

Person Specification

Criteria / Essential / Desirable
Education, Training and Qualifications /
  • Accredited City and Guilds qualification in a related buildings maintenance trade or equivalent.
  • Accredited ‘Health and Safety’ qualification e.g. NEBOSH, CIEH, IOSH etc. or equivalent experience.
/
  • Accredited City and Guilds qualification in a construction trade or equivalent.

Experience /
  • Significant experience of working in a buildings maintenance role.
  • Experience in costing and delivering small works projects.
/
  • Experience of supervising technicians, contractors and operatives in a similar environment.

Skills /
  • Good all round maintenance knowledge and skills.
  • IT literate (Word & Excel).
  • Ability to work with minimum supervision.
  • Excellent problem solving skills and ability to use initiative.
  • Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written).
  • Excellent planning and organisational skills.
  • General commercial awareness and current knowledge of the latest Health & Safety developments.

Interpersonal skills /
  • Full & clean driving licence.
  • Helpful and friendly manner.
  • Customer focussed with the ability to communicate with people at all levels in the organisation.
  • An effective delegator with a fair approach to the allocation of tasks.
  • Ability to work calmly under pressure. Resilient.
  • A flexible approach to work, adapting to change at short notice.
  • Professional manner and appearance.
/
  • Empathy with the aims and ethos of the Independent Schools’ sector.