Evening Caretaker

Queen Mary’s College; Basingstoke; On-site; GBP 22,000 - 26,000; Full time

Job summary

Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke is seeking an evening caretaker to maintain a safe, secure and well-presented site for staff, students and visitors. The role focuses on locking up, security checks and routine upkeep of buildings and facilities.

You will work a 1pm–9pm schedule, with potential variations for events, and contribute to water hygiene, safety checks and basic building maintenance to support the College’s operations and safety commitments.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring the night-time security of the buildings and site; Locking up.
• Minimising cost and wastage by switching off lighting and heating as appropriate.
• Making safe pedestrian routes and ensuring lighting is sufficient during darkness.
• Porterage of deliveries, furniture and equipment as required.
• Cleaning duties if required.
• Routine maintenance and upkeep of minibuses.
• Maintenance and decorating tasks to support the Maintenance Technician.
• Identifying faults and minor works for attention and addressing where possible.
• Supporting the commercial operations department by managing expectations of non QMC users and ensuring safety of everyone on campus.
• Disposal of broken assets in line with waste management regulations.

Job description

With more than 2,000 students, 200 staff and numerous visitors attending the College each day, Queen Mary’s is a very busy place. The site is large at 23 acres and includes a sports centre and theatre. The site is made up of a number of separate buildings which vary in age and furnishings. There is a dedicated team of site services personnel, including: this role, a morning caretaker, grounds person, student and site security officer, cleaning staff and the Site Services Manager. The Team keeps the site suitably maintained, welcoming, clean and safe for staff, students and visitors. A recent Ofsted report graded us as Outstanding for Student Attitudes and Behaviour. The ideal applicant for this role is a reliable team player who will take responsibility for locking up each weekday evening. A self-starter with a strong eye for detail and someone comfortable working on their own and with others. The evening shift will start at 1pm for caretaking and team tasks, with lock up generally completed by 9pm Monday to Friday. There will be some exceptions to this for shows and events, when lock up can be later and the shift start time will be adjusted or lieu accrued. The individual will take pride in their role and help us provide a safe and well-maintained site for our students and stakeholders.

Purpose of Job:

To maintain buildings and other assets to provide a safe, secure and fit for purpose environment for students, staff, visitors and the wider community to enjoy.

Accountable to:

Site Services and Estates Manager

Key Outcomes:

• Site locked and secured each evening after use
• Safe and secure buildings and premises
• Maintenance and redecoration duties to ensure study and workspaces are fit for purpose and kept to a high standard
• Support for Exams Team to ensure compliant delivery of examinations
• Support for Sports Centre and Sport/PE Department to ensure safe delivery of services and equipment compliance
• Support Site Services and Estates Manager with contractor management
• Support Site Services and Estates Manager to ensure College complies with legislative and College policies, processes and arrangements
• Promotion of the College its amenities and brand protection
• Safe management and monitoring of water systems to support College water hygiene and water safety compliance.
• Identification and rectification of trip hazards and other minor site safety concerns to maintain a safe environment for staff, students, visitors, and contractors.
• Provision of basic plumbing maintenance and repairs to support the effective operation of College facilities.
• Provision of first-line support in response to electrical trips and power outages, ensuring issues are reported and escalated appropriately where required.

Specific Responsibilities - The post holder is responsible for a range of duties, which include, but are not limited to:

• Ensuring the night-time security of the buildings and site in general. Locking up, alarm sets.
• Minimising cost and wastage by switching off lighting and heating as appropriate.
• Making safe pedestrian routes and ensuring lighting is sufficient during the hours of darkness to enable safe passage.
• To exercise key holder responsibility on a shared basis
• Porterage of deliveries, furniture and equipment as required
• Cleaning duties if required
• Routine maintenance and upkeep of minibuses
• Maintenance and decorating tasks to support the Maintenance Technician
• Identifying faults and minor works for attention and proactively addressing where skills set allows
• Supporting our commercial operations department by managing expectations of non QMC users and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of everyone on campus
• Disposal of broken and damaged assets in line with waste management regulations and contractor limitations
• To act as a member of the emergency evacuation team
• To ensure Safeguarding commitments are upheld and followed by all.
• Undertake routine water safety checks as directed, including monitoring of water systems, temperature testing, flushing regimes, and reporting any concerns in accordance with College procedures and statutory requirements.
• Support the College's water hygiene management programme to minimise risks associated with water systems and ensure compliance with relevant legislation and guidance.
• Carry out regular inspections of buildings and grounds to identify trip hazards, slip hazards, and other site safety issues, taking corrective action where possible and reporting defects promptly.
• Undertake basic plumbing tasks including repairing minor leaks, replacing taps, unblocking sinks and toilets, and carrying out minor repairs to sanitary fittings.
• Provide first-response support for electrical trips and power interruptions, including resetting circuits where authorised and safe to do so, and reporting faults requiring specialist attention.
• Assist with routine safety inspections and report any electrical, mechanical, or building-related defects to the Site Services and Estates Manager.
• Maintain accurate records of water safety checks, site inspections, maintenance activities, and remedial actions as required.

Normal working hours:

37 hours per week throughout the year. Normally worked 1.00pm to 9pm Monday-Thursday and until 8.30pm on Fridays. With 30 minutes for lunch. Although we are open to discussing flexible hours which suit both the College and the individual. It is common practice for staff to work additional hours to support the business needs of the College such as Open Evenings of which some are in exchange for time off in lieu.

Annual Leave:

• Holiday entitlement: 25 days per year, in addition to Bank Holidays and additional Christmas closure days.

Please see the attached job description for further details.