Estates and Facilities

Grade 6: - £26,715-£32,817 per annum

Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time

Contracted Hours per Week: 35

Closing Date: 28-Sep-2021, 6:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Estates and Information Infrastructure Services

Job Reference Number:

Job Title:                               Assistant Mechanical Engineer (Development Role)

Department:                          Estates and Facilities Directorate

                                               Estates Operations

Responsible to:                    Head of Engineering Maintenance

Grade:                                   Grade 6

Salary range:                        £26,715-£32,817

Contract type:                       Permanent

Working arrangements:      Full-time (35 hours)

Closing date:                       

Interview date (if known):  

Reward and Benefits

To support the delivery of the University's People Strategy to attract, retain and reward the very best, we offer a fantastic range of rewards and benefits to our staff, including:

• 27 days annual leave, plus 4 customary days and 8 bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time) and the option to purchase additional leave
• Automatic enrolment into a pension scheme
• Corporate and local discounts
• Wellbeing resources and discounted health benefits
• Health discounts on sports and activities at Maiden Castle Health and Activity Centre
• Reward and Recognition Schemes
• Personal and career development
• And SO much more, with further information available here.

The Department and role purpose

The Estates and Facilities Directorate provides a number of essential services to Durham University and is responsible for managing, maintaining and developing the infrastructure and building fabric of the various campuses, including:

• maintaining and regularly reviewing a maintenance programme which takes account of short, medium and long term needs of all buildings and University grounds
• implementing the works identified and funded within the various maintenance programmes and operating a system for dealing with day-to day requirements, including the provision of an out-of-hours emergency service
• providing a professional, technical service to the University for the design, construction and procurement of new buildings and adaptation works to existing buildings;
• identifying and recording the use of space and advising on ways of increasing space utilisation
• property and asset management
• acquisition and disposal of built environment related assets
• procuring and managing utilities and services
• providing postal, delivery and security arrangements and advice to the University; and
• the delivery of a wide-range of customer-facing services, including: contract management; estates and facilities relationships management; housekeeping and cleaning, business resilience, event management; reception helpdesk; university retail; business support; health and safety; and management information.

The Assistant Maintenance Engineer (Mechanical) will be responsible for providing a highly effective, efficient and customer-focused, mechanical engineering maintenance and minor works service to the University.

The post-holder will be responsible for assisting in managing compliance assurance on a range of statutory inspections of engineering assets and systems.

This is a development role and the successful candidate will, in addition to engineering skills, have the ability and potential to develop leadership attributes and skills.  The post-holder will undertake a two-year development programme, leading to a formal qualification

The qualification will form part of a development plan, created in conjunction with the successful candidate, focusing on the requirements of the Grade 7 role, and taking into account their individual needs.  This plan will be regularly reviewed and form the basis of the assessment to move to the Grade 7 role.  It is anticipated that the development process will take two years to complete; however, it may be extended if the University considers it necessary.

Upon successful completion of the development programme and plan, the post-holder would move to the Grade 7 post (Mechanical Engineer).

If the post-holder is unable to meet the full requirements of the Grade 7 post at the end of the development process, subject to performance, they may be retained in the Grade 6 post.

Core responsibilities

• Experienced service practitioner, planning and co-ordinating of projects and work streams with inter-related activities.
• Plan and organise own workload with or without involvement with project work streams.
• Specialist support with problem solving and query handling.
• Reactive and proactive service provision with others to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience.
• Relationship building, network participation internally and externally to build and update knowledge and skills.
• Engage with external peers and specialists to exchange knowledge and information.
• Supervises service users and stakeholders undertaking activities, events, project work and exhibitions.
• Interpret designs, information and data.
• Implement and monitor protocols, procedures, processes and regulations.
• Monitor and report incidents.
• Carry out more in-depth investigations, searches and research information and data to identify trends and patterns.
• Take responsibility for day-to-day decision-making, within own area of responsibility, for operational aspects of service delivery, translating external requirements into practical application and advice.
• Implement and monitor recognised procedures, to ensure compliance and meet University values of inclusion, diversity and participation.
• Contribute to business meetings, working groups and committees to help shape service delivery and stakeholder expectations.
• Accountable for managing/maintaining financial and budget records and reconciling consumable expenditure queries.
• Involved in the purchase and return of goods and services.
• Support the capture of business requirements from users and work with colleagues to translate these into recommendations for future service provision.
• Assist in managing planned preventative maintenance, reactive and minor works revenue, as well as some capital works budgets, keeping records and processing invoices.

Role responsibilities

• Work independently or with other staff or contractors across the University, in the delivery of high-quality estates and infrastructure support services, setting and maintaining quality and performance standards for the department; ensuring reliability, longevity and safe, efficient operation of equipment and systems.
• Liaise and network with contractors and third-party suppliers to facilitate the exchange of information, and help focus joint effort with mechanical engineering maintenance and minor works services.
• Liaise with key stakeholders and client representatives across the University, to inform and advise about key structural, physical, and virtual environmental changes, relating to engineering maintenance.
• Manage and monitor systems to ensure safety, security and compliance with regulations for the University estate and infrastructure.
• Engage with internal and external networks, exchanging knowledge and information to provide input into the planning and development of future projects and services.
• Plan, review, monitor and investigate mechanisms, to ensure all organisational stakeholder requirements have been met.
• Plan and manage projects, ensuring the delivery of objectives, to maintain and improve service provision.
• Ensure the monitoring of systems, identifying and resolving / repairing system faults and failures using professional knowledge and independent judgement.
• Schedule, manage and monitor maintenance and installation works, projects and work streams across the University, liaising and communicating with customers and key contacts, to plan works and minimise disruption to operational activity.
• Maintain engineering services plant and equipment asset registers, ensuring that the administration of registers is up-to-date.
• Demonstrate ability to use a range of tools and equipment, and virtual or digital services.
• Liaise with internal and external agencies, local authorities, industries and visitors, where appropriate.
• Take responsibility for monitoring and updating risk assessments and safety procedures, providing guidance to others, where necessary.
• Record data and information accurately, provide reports and distribute information to key stakeholders in the process or service.
• Provide demonstrations and instruction to others outside the team.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• Participate in an out-of-hours management on-call rota.
• Work evenings and weekends, as business needs.
• Undertake all training and development, as required by development role

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for the role, candidates must be able to evidence, in the CV, covering letter, application questions, or interview, each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application. 

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

1. A CV.
2. A covering letter, to include how you achieve the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria.
3. The question matrix as part of the application process.

Please ensure that you submit the documentation listed above or your application will not be considered.

Contact details

For further information, please contact: Paul Hammond, Paul.Hammond@durham.ac.uk.

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force, including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria

1. Good oral and written communication skills.
2. Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
3. Completed a recognised, engineering building services apprenticeship/training programme in a mechanical engineering-related discipline (or equivalent).
4. Proven experience of providing a customer-focussed service in a highly-serviced building engineering services sector, including higher education, commercial, industrial or domestic equipment, undertaking mechanical installation/maintenance works.
5. Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
6. Ability to solve problems and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
7. Experience of contributing to the delivery of buildings, and estates services.
8. Health and safety compliance knowledge.
9. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
10. Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information, for development purposes, and building strong and productive working relationships.

Desirable Criteria

1. Experience of managing either directly employed maintenance staff or specialist contractors.
2. Experience of managing maintenance or minor works project budgets.
3. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines, particularly building services related statutory compliance.

Realising Your Potential Approach

Providing Excellent Student Services and Professional Support: providing the best quality service to all our students, customers and stakeholders. Building genuine and long-term relationships, through every day interactions, in order to drive up service standards and to enhance their experience.

1. Using feedback to drive improvements.
2. Tailoring communication to meet students’, customers’ and stakeholders’ needs.
3. Fostering a continuous improvement philosophy.
4. Delivering consistent service standards

Providing Leadership and Direction: seeing the work that you do in the context of the bigger picture and taking a long-term view. Communicating vision clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate others.

1. Making links between individual, team, department and University objectives/ strategies clear for others.
2. Giving team members support and advice when they need it, especially during periods of setback and change.

Embracing Change: adjusting to unfamiliar situations, demands and changing roles. Seeing change as an opportunity and being receptive to new ideas.

1. Encouraging others to initiate and embrace change.
2. Providing ongoing support and encouragement to others who are developing and testing ideas.
3. Adapting approach to respond to changes outside University.

Finding Solutions: taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically and with creativity to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

1. Fostering a culture that encourages people to take acceptable risks in pursuing innovation.
2. Sharing learning and experience to facilitate others’ decision-making.
3. Seeking input from others to develop team solutions.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.