Assistant Service Engineer Level 1- Secondment/ FTC until 31st March 2027

Southeastern Railway; Warwick; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Final salary pension

24 days annual leave

Free rail travel

4 on 4 off Shift Pattern

Job summary

Southeastern Railway is hiring an Interior Standards Operative at Grove Park on a fixed-term contract until 31 March 2027. You will maintain train interiors to high standards of presentation, safety and compliance, including cleaning, minor repairs, and winterisation work to keep services safe and welcoming for customers.

The role requires practical mechanical skills, a proactive approach to cleanliness, and a commitment to customer experiences.

Qualifications

• Basic mechanical aptitude and practical skills.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to work safely and follow procedures.
• A proactive approach to maintaining high standards of cleanliness and presentation.

Responsibilities

• Carry out repairs and maintenance to train interiors, including replacing seat covers and fixtures.
• Maintain a clean, welcoming, and high-standard interior.
• Conduct internal and external cleaning activities, including graffiti removal.
• Perform first-line fault finding and basic rectification of toilet faults.
• Prepare trains for seasonal conditions with winterisation and fluid checks.
• Support depot and sidings winterisation and de-icing tasks.
• Ensure tools and equipment are prepared and reported for faults.
• Monitor stock levels and report shortages to meet operations.

Skills

Mechanical aptitude

Teamwork

Attention to detail

Safety procedures

Customer focus

Job description

Job Introduction

Are you looking for a career where you can make a real difference to our customers' day?

Southeastern is seeking a dedicated, customer-focused, and detail-oriented individual to join our team at Grove Park as an Interior Standards Operative on a fixed-term contract until 31 March 2027.

As an Interior Standards Operative, you will play a vital role in ensuring our trains are maintained to the highest standards of presentation, safety, and compliance. Your work will directly contribute to providing a clean, safe, and welcoming environment for our customers.

Main Responsibilities

Key responsibilities include:

• Carrying out repairs and maintenance to train interiors, including replacing seat covers, window films, seat bases, armrests, table tops, and toilet fixtures and fittings.
• Maintaining a customer-focused approach by ensuring train interiors are clean, welcoming, and presented to a high standard.
• Conducting comprehensive internal and external cleaning activities, including graffiti removal.
• Carrying out first-line fault finding and basic rectification of toilet faults.
• Preparing trains for seasonal conditions by completing winterisation activities, sanding operations, and checking and replenishing fluid levels, including screen wash and anti-ice fluid.
• Assisting with depot and sidings winterisation activities, including applying anti-ice and de-icing products to walkways, roadways, and conductor rails (under isolation), as well as snow clearance where required.
• Ensuring tools and equipment are correctly prepared and used at the start and end of each shift, reporting defective equipment promptly, and supporting maintenance procedures.
• Monitoring stock levels of materials, tools, and equipment and reporting shortages to ensure operational requirements are met.

The Ideal Candidate

To be successful in this role, we would expect you to demonstrate:

• Basic mechanical aptitude and practical skills.
• Strong teamwork and communication skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to work safely and follow procedures.
• A proactive approach to maintaining high standards of cleanliness and presentation.
• A commitment to delivering excellent customer experiences.

All successful candidates will need to undertake and pass a full safety critical medical before formal offer. If you have any questions regarding this please do email [e-mail].

Given the start and end times of shifts, it’s also best to have your own transport to get to and from your place of work.

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role.

Other Things To Know

• All successful applicants will need to pass a Personal Track Safety course or a Depot Track Safety course (full training provided).
• This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early.
• All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role.
• If you applied but weren’t successful in getting a similar role at Southwestern, please wait six months before applying again.

What You’ll Get In Return

Along with your salary, the rewards you’ll get include:

• a final salary pension
• 24 days annual leave allowance (including bank holidays)
• free rail travel across our networks.
• 4 on 4 off Shift Pattern

Meaning you can feel secure in your career as well as fulfilled by your work.

A Bit About Southern

We’re one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations.

However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey.

It’s also about making our railway a great place to work and building a team that represents the communities we serve. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive environment, and we’re proud that this continues to be recognised through employer accreditations and our ongoing endorsement as a WORK180 Employer for Women .

Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us.

At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day.

Learn more about our railway

SE Trains Limited