Facilities Technician (Mechanical / Plumbing)

New College Swindon; Swindon; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

New College Swindon is seeking a hands-on Facilities Technician (Mechanical / Plumbing) to maintain safe, functional buildings and services across campuses. You will perform routine plumbing repairs, light mechanical maintenance and a range of facilities tasks, helping to minimise external contractor needs.

The role requires practical problem-solving, reliability and the ability to work independently while supporting the wider College operations.

Qualifications

• A relevant plumbing qualification, or clear willingness to complete within 12 months of appointment.
• Experience in facilities, maintenance, caretaking or a similar operational environment.
• Experience of routine plumbing maintenance or minor repairs.
• Ability to identify faults and decide when specialist support is required.
• Practical maintenance skills and safe working practices.

Responsibilities

• Undertake routine plumbing repairs (leaks, toilets, sinks).
• Carry out minor mechanical maintenance (bleeding radiators, heating faults).
• Maintain drinking water fountains and support water hygiene procedures.
• Identify faults and decide if in-house repair is possible or requires contractors.
• Support safety checks, alarms, and access control systems.
• Assist with events, room setups, porterage and moving equipment.
• Attend Helpdesk tasks and perform minor repairs on-site.
• Support presentation and cleanliness of external areas and respond to spillages.
• Provide responsive service to staff, students, visitors and contractors.
• Work flexibly across campuses and cover operational needs.
• Participate in out-of-hours on-call rota for alarms and urgent issues.

Skills

Plumbing

Maintenance

Facilities management

Health & safety

Customer service

Communication

Education

Plumbing qualification

Job description

Are you a practical, hands-on person with experience in plumbing, maintenance or facilities who enjoys solving problems and keeping buildings running smoothly?

As a Facilities Technician (Mechanical / Plumbing) at New College Swindon, you'll play an important role in maintaining safe, functional and well-presented College buildings and facilities. You'll carry out routine plumbing repairs, minor mechanical maintenance and a range of wider facilities duties across our campuses.

This is a varied, hands-on role where you'll be able to use your practical skills to resolve issues quickly, support day-to-day College operations and help reduce the need for external contractors. You'll need to be reliable, adaptable and confident working independently while knowing when specialist issues need to be escalated.

What you'll do

• Undertake routine plumbing repairs, including leaks, blocked toilets, sinks, urinals and minor pipework faults.
• Carry out minor mechanical maintenance, including bleeding radiators and attending minor heating faults.
• Maintain drinking water fountains and support water hygiene procedures, including low-use outlet flushing.
• Identify faults and determine whether they can be safely resolved in-house or require specialist contractor support.
• Support site security, safety checks, emergency procedures and the operation of relevant alarm and access control systems.
• Carry out room setups, porterage and furniture and equipment moves for teaching, examinations, events and other College activities.
• Respond to Helpdesk tasks and undertake minor repairs and first-line maintenance within your competence.
• Support the presentation and cleanliness of external areas, including responding to spillages and adverse weather conditions.
• Assist with examinations, enrolment, open events, commercial hires and other operational activities.
• Provide a helpful and responsive service to staff, students, visitors and contractors.
• Work flexibly across College campuses and provide operational cover when required.
• Participate in the out-of-hours on-call rota, responding to alarms, emergency call-outs and urgent operational issues.

What we're looking for

• A relevant plumbing qualification, or a clear willingness to successfully complete an agreed relevant plumbing qualification within 12 months of appointment.
• Experience in facilities, maintenance, caretaking or a similar operational environment.
• Experience of routine plumbing maintenance, minor plumbing repairs or first-line mechanical/plumbing response.
• The ability to identify plumbing or mechanical faults and determine when specialist support is required.
• Practical maintenance and repair skills, with the ability to work safely within your level of competence.
• A good understanding of Health & Safety responsibilities and safe moving and handling.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• The ability to organise and prioritise tasks, respond calmly to changing demands and work reliably under pressure.
• A proactive approach to practical problem-solving and maintaining safe, well-presented facilities.
• The ability to work independently using your own initiative, while contributing positively to a wider team.
• Level 2 English and Maths is desirable.
• Knowledge of legionella controls, water hygiene or low-use outlet flushing is desirable.
• Experience of supporting events, room setups or porterage is desirable.
• First Aid/Fire Warden qualification or willingness to undertake the training is essential.
• Willingness to work across North Star, Queens Drive and other College campuses as required.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of our community.

You must have the right to work in the UK. Please note, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

New College Swindon is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. All successful applicants will be required to complete appropriate pre-employment and DBS checks.