Maintenance Plumber/Heating Engineer

Salary: £29,605 to £30,487, with progression to £32,982 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 20 October 2023

The Role 
 

We are looking for an experienced & reliable Maintenance Plumber/ Heating Engineer to join our Direct Works team. Based within the Estates & Facilities (E&F) Service you will undertake a variety of Mechanical maintenance and installation tasks, as well as supporting other teams and trades as required.  The role is varied and interesting given the scope of our estates and you will have lots of opportunities to work with different people and areas of the business.

We are looking for someoe who is qualified to City and Guilds Advanced standard, NVQ level 3 or equivalent and/or have served a recognised apprenticeship or undergone modern training to an equivalent standard.

Working as part of the Maintenance team you will be carrying out efficient, effective repairs and planned preventative maintenance on all types of Plumbing and Heating plant and equipment.  Therefore, it is important that you are comfortable with working at heights and in confined spaces.   We also need you to come with a full driving licence in order to be able to work effectively across multiple buildings in our campus.

We would need you to join our 24hr emergency on call rota, and you may occasionally be required to work evening or weekends.

For further information please contact Martin Elsy, Direct Works Manager at martin.elsy@ncl.ac.uk. 

Key Accountabilities

• To carry out a wide range of trade related duties in order to improve the estate infrastructure. This will include but not be limited to Mechanical Building Services both internal and external, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, hot and cold water systems, fume extract, grey and black water systems. With training, ensure that room environments are adequately controlled by interrogation of the Building Management System
• To carry out Planned Preventive Maintenance (PPM) and defect repairs, both routine and emergency to all elements of mechanical building services and equipment, including any appropriate mandatory inspection and testing. Carry out minor installation and improvement works throughout the University’s properties
• Organise personal workloads and supervise any Maintenance Assistants, Apprentices or other staff members who may have been assigned to them as a team. Arrange and gain access to any area of the University in order to carry out the timely repair of defects including the requisition of any required spare parts
• Develop solutions to problems relating to mechanical services systems, carry out a diagnostic approach to the resolution of mechanical defects using the Building Energy Management System where appropriate. This will require the application of technical knowledge and the use of innovative and imaginative thinking. With training, the post holder will be expected to carry out minor electrical works relating to mechanical services
• Carry out isolation of mechanical building services, to enable the issue of isolation certificates and “Permits to Work” received from E & F supervisors (where appropriate) to contractors to ensure their safety. Reinstate supplies after verifying that work has been completed. Liaise with school/services contacts and safety representatives when undertaking works which may affect the normal operation of a system
• Participate in an “on-call” rota outside of normal working hours, covering all of the properties maintained by E & F, ensuring where possible an uninterrupted 24hr/365 day service. Respond to reports of problems and decide on appropriate courses of action, liaise with Security and any emergency services referring to Supervisor’s in exceptional circumstances only
• Ensure the accurate and timely completion of recording systems necessary to assess and account for the processes, actions and procedures carried out by the post holder, to ensure compliance with service level standards and health and safety legislation. Be familiar with and able to work to standard risk assessments and where applicable revise job specific risk assessments
• Act as “eyes and ears” to E & F pointing out to their Supervisor’s those systems, installations and plant that they may encounter where working practices may no longer be appropriate or acceptable, or where safety systems may be compromised. Take appropriate action to ensure the safety of themselves and others
• Ensure the above work is carried out in compliance with all applicable legislation, codes of practice, bye laws and health and safety requirements. This is to ensure (as far as is reasonably practicable) a safe environment. Be familiar with and understand the requirements of health and safety guidelines and university policies and procedures particularly with reference to asbestos and COSHH
• Where necessary carry out site or job specific risk assessments to ensure the safety of colleagues, staff, students and visitors to the University. Arrange any documentation which may be required in accordance with the University Safety Management System
• Carry out other duties such as standard plumbing repairs as may be deemed necessary by the Maintenance Manager, Maintenance Officers or Maintenance Supervisors. Work occasionally wit external contractors. 
   

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

•   Significant practical and theoretical knowledge of the post holders discipline including plumbing
•   An ability to determine the operating principles and develop subsequent fault resolutions to complex engineering plant/systems when failure occurs
•   Time served with demonstrable experience in maintenance, repair, and refurbishment of new buildings and extensions/alterations to existing buildings
•   Experience of working in a large complex organisation would also be advantageous

Qualifications

•   An appropriate City and Guilds Mechanical Craft Certificate or NVQ Level 3 in an Engineering Maintenance discipline

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University also holds the HR Excellence in Research award for our work to support the career development of our researchers, and is a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 21663