Facilities Assistant

Birmingham City University; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave

Hybrid working

Career development

Wellbeing support

Staff benefits

Job summary

Birmingham City University is seeking a Facilities Assistant based at City Centre Campus to deliver frontline facilities support and customer service while contributing to building maintenance and safety. You will work closely with a Facilities Supervisor, handling a range of tasks from room layouts to light repairs and safety checks.

Ideal candidates will have strong communication, MS Office skills (Outlook/Teams/Exel), a PDA, health and safety knowledge, and a valid driving licence.

Qualifications

• Clear communication: effective email communication
• Microsoft Office proficiency with Outlook/Teams/Exel
• PDA familiarity for site checks and updates
• Health and safety knowledge and compliance
• Full driving licence essential

Responsibilities

• Respond to soft facilities service requests via the Helpdesk
• Carry out general porterage, first-line repairs, fault reporting
• Arrange room layouts and light replacements
• Manage periodic high-level facilities activities
• Ensure furniture layouts meet customer needs in teaching spaces and events
• Check equipment and address maintenance issues
• Handle frontline repairs (toilets, leaks, heating, ventilation, lighting)
• Assist with building incidents and emergencies
• Conduct weekly fire alarm tests and safety inspections
• Report repairs via the Helpdesk and provide progress updates
• Support Open Days and events, including some weekends
• Collaborate with Security and Student Union to meet customer expectations

Skills

Clear communication

Microsoft Office Proficiency

PDA Familiarity

Health and Safety Knowledge

Full Driving Licence

Tools

Outlook

Teams

Exel

Job description

Department Facilities Management Location City South Campus Salary £26,293 to £28,995 per annum Permanent Post Type Full Time Release Date 11 August 2026 Closing Date 23.59 hours BST on Friday 04 September 2026 Reference E726025

About Birmingham City University

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world-class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK's Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

Role Summary

The Estates and Facilities department is seeking a dedicated Facilities Assistant to join our team. Based at the City Centre Campus in Birmingham City Centre, you will work closely with a Facilities Supervisor, demonstrating a professional, flexible, committed and enthusiastic approach to providing excellent customer service and facilities management support. Our goal is to uphold the university’s core values through efficient service delivery.

To excel in this role, you should have experience in a customer-focused environment. Want to be part of a collaborative team, be able to handle a diverse range of tasks, meet deadlines, and address challenges head-on. Effective communication with our customers is essential for success, we take pride in delivering outstanding service. Familiarity with general building maintenance and repairs would be advantageous, especially as you’ll be part of the first response team for reactive jobs across the campus.

Main Activities And Responsibilities

As a Facilities Assistant, your responsibilities will include:

Front Line Services

• Responding to soft facilities service requests via the Estates and Facilities Helpdesk.
• Performing general porterage tasks, first-line repairs, and fault reporting.
• Arranging room layouts and handling light replacements.
• Managing periodic high‑level activities.

Furniture Layout And Support

• Ensuring furniture arrangements in teaching spaces, exam rooms and events meet customer requirements.
• Checking equipment, addressing maintenance issues, and providing solutions.

Frontline Repairs And Emergency Assistance

• Handling frontline repairs (e.g. toilet blockages, water leaks, heating, ventilation and lighting failures).
• Assisting with building incidents and emergencies.

Safety And Compliance

• Conducting weekly fire bell tests and maintaining records.
• Completing daily, weekly and monthly building inspections to ensure health & safety and environmental compliance.

Customer Interaction

• Reporting repairs and maintenance jobs via the Estates and Facilities Helpdesk portal.
• Following up on job progress and providing timely feedback to customers.
• Supporting faculty and student events, including Open Days (some weekends).

Collaboration

• Working closely with other operational staff within estates and Facilities, such as Security and Student Union to meet customer expectations.

Skills And Experience

To thrive in this role, you should possess the following:

• Clear communication: Ability to communicate effectively via email
• Microsoft Office Proficiency: Familiarity with tools with Outlook, Teams and Exel
• PDA Familiarity: Experience using a handheld device (PDA)
• Health and Safety Knowledge: Understanding of best practices and compliance
• Full Driving Licence: Essential for this role.

Why work for us

• Work-life balance - Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
• Career development - Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
• Reward and wellbeing - Competitive pay, pension, wellbeingsupport and staff benefits.
• Inclusive culture - A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.

Use of AI in applications

At BCU, we welcome applications that clearly demonstrate how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role. AI tools may be used to support you in preparing your application, but the information you provide must be accurate, authentic and based on your own experience. Applications that rely too heavily on AI, appear generic or do not provide specific evidence against the role criteria are less likely to progress to the next stage of the recruitment process. For more information, please refer to our candidate guidance; How to Apply - Jobs at Birmingham City University

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

Disability Confident Employer

Birmingham City University is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company, BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to re‑enter the scheme may do so and will be employed directly by the University.