Caretaker (Estates)

Abingdon and Witney College; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 26,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Holiday schemes

Professional development

Flexible working options

Gym membership

Cycle/tech scheme

Job summary

Abingdon and Witney College is seeking a practical Estates attendant to join our team in Abingdon. You will maintain the safety, cleanliness and security of the College while supporting the upkeep of buildings, facilities and grounds, and you will be a visible, approachable presence on site.

This hands-on role includes opening and closing the College, carrying out routine safety inspections, basic repairs, room setups and ensuring safe access routes.

Qualifications

• Practical maintenance or caretaking experience.
• Knowledge of health & safety and safe working practices.
• A proactive approach to problem-solving and site upkeep.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong communication skills and a helpful, professional manner.
• Flexible, reliable, and committed to high standards.

Responsibilities

• Opening and closing the College, ensuring buildings are secure.
• Carrying out routine compliance checks and safety inspections.
• Supporting day‑to‑day maintenance across buildings and grounds.
• Completing basic repairs (e.g. plumbing, joinery, painting, minor fixes).
• Maintaining clear and safe access routes, especially in adverse weather.
• Assisting with room setups and general porterage duties.
• Monitoring and responding to alarms and security issues.
• Delivering high standards of cleaning across the site.
• Supporting fire alarm testing and emergency procedures.
• Responding to enquiries from staff, students and visitors.

Skills

Practical maintenance or caretaking

Health & safety knowledge

Proactive problem-solving

Independent yet team player

Strong communication

Flexibility and reliability

Job description

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification / criteria. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you!

Salary: £25,458 - £26,290 per annum

Hours per week: 37

Working pattern: Monday to Thursday 7.5 hours, Friday 7 hours

Weeks per Annum: 52 weeks per annum

Location: Abingdon

Contract type: Permanent

Are you practical, reliable, and take pride in maintaining high standards?

Join our Estates team and play a vital role in creating a safe, clean, and secure environment for students, staff and visitors. This is a hands‑on, varied role where no two days are the same - from opening the campus each morning to ensuring everything runs smoothly behind the scenes.

The Role:

You'll be responsible for maintaining the safety, cleanliness and security of the College while supporting the upkeep of buildings, facilities and grounds. You'll be a visible and approachable presence on site, helping ensure a welcoming environment for everyone.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Opening and closing the College, ensuring buildings are secure.
• Carrying out routine compliance checks and safety inspections.
• Supporting day‑to‑day maintenance across buildings and grounds.
• Completing basic repairs (e.g. plumbing, joinery, painting, minor fixes).
• Maintaining clear and safe access routes, especially in adverse weather.
• Assisting with room setups and general porterage duties.
• Monitoring and responding to alarms and security issues.
• Delivering high standards of cleaning across the site.
• Supporting fire alarm testing and emergency procedures.
• Responding to enquiries from staff, students and visitors.

What We're Looking For:

• Practical maintenance or caretaking experience.
• Knowledge of health & safety and safe working practices.
• A proactive approach to problem‑solving and site upkeep.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Strong communication skills and a helpful, professional manner.
• Flexible, reliable, and committed to high standards.

Why Work with Us

Excellent benefits for our employees including generous pension and holiday schemes (with potential Christmas closure days), continued professional development, flexible working options, corporate gym membership, cycle/tech scheme and much more.

*Abingdon and Witney College reserve the right to close all applications before posted closing date.

AWC values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and all appointments are subject to satisfactory clearances including enhanced DBS checks.

Abingdon and Witney College are committed to safer recruitment practices. In addition to our pre‑employment checks, we will conduct an online search. This includes checking Google main results feed as well as the 'News' and 'Images' tab. We will be checking for any publicly available information that suggests the applicant may not be suitable to work with children or young/vulnerable people or content that could potentially damage Abingdon and Witney College's reputation. This may include inappropriate posts, comments or images displaying evidence of offensive or inappropriate behaviour, jokes or language, discriminatory comments, inappropriate photos, drug or alcohol misuse.