General Operative

Mears Group; Gateshead; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Annual Mears Fun Day

Volunteering Leave

Staff perks with Mears Rewards

Family friendly policies

Access to EAP Counselling sessions

Job summary

Mears Group in the North East is seeking a reliable General Operative to deliver repairs, maintenance and refurbishments to housing properties in occupied and void homes across Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead. This permanent, full-time role is 42.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8:00am–5:00pm, with a focus on safe, high-quality workmanship and excellent customer service.

You must have experience in a similar role, in social housing, a full UK driving licence, and good communication

Qualifications

• Experience in a similar role.
• Experience working in social housing and planned works.
• Ability to complete general repairs and maintenance on properties.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Full UK driving license.

Responsibilities

• Carrying out property inspections
• Complete general repairs, maintenance, and refurbishment works to a high standard and on schedule. To include but not limited to: Changing light bulbs, popping blinds, silicone, recuring doors
• Check smoke alarms as part of property inspections
• Meeting landlords onsite to give access
• Take ownership of tasks, aiming for first-time completion within budget and time constraints.
• Deliver exceptional customer service, maintaining professionalism in all interactions and ensuring a positive customer experience.
• Accurately record all work electronically using a handheld device (PDA), including worksheets, timesheets, photographs, stock management, risk assessments, and method statements.
• Maintain company assets, including vehicles and equipment, reporting any damage promptly.
• Manage materials and stock in line with standard operating procedures.
• Attend required meetings and training sessions.
• Participate in emergency call-out cover when necessary to support contract compliance and service user satisfaction.

Job description

Annual salary: up to £29,426.25

General Operative

Location: Newcastle, Sunderland & Gateshead

Salary: £29426.25 per annum plus commercial vehicle and fuel card

Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time, 42.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm

About the Role:

We are seeking a reliable and motivated General Operative to join our local team, delivering high-quality repairs, planned maintenance, and refurbishment work to housing properties. This will be a combination of occupied and void properties.

The role requires a focus on excellent customer service, strict adherence to health and safety standards, and the efficient completion of tasks within agreed timelines and budgets. You will be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of workmanship while maintaining a professional appearance, using company equipment responsibly, and supporting a positive experience for all service users.

Key Responsibilities:

• Carrying out property inspections

• Complete general repairs, maintenance, and refurbishment works to a high standard and on schedule. To include but not limited to: Changing light bulbs, popping blinds, silicone, recuring doors

• Check smoke alarms as part of property inspections

• Meeting landlords onsite to give access

• Take ownership of tasks, aiming for first-time completion within budget and time constraints.

• Deliver exceptional customer service, maintaining professionalism in all interactions and ensuring a positive customer experience.

• Accurately record all work electronically using a handheld device (PDA), including worksheets, timesheets, photographs, stock management, risk assessments, and method statements.

• Maintain company assets, including vehicles and equipment, reporting any damage promptly.

• Manage materials and stock in line with standard operating procedures.

• Attend required meetings and training sessions.

• Participate in emergency call-out cover when necessary to support contract compliance and service user satisfaction.

Key Criteria:

• Experience in a similar role

• Experience working in social housing and planned works

• Ability to complete general repairs and maintenance on properties

• Good written and verbal communication skills

• Full UK driving license

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

• Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!

• Volunteering Leave - Mears supports employees to undertake paid volunteering in the community, in support of our social value commitment.

• Staff perks with Mears Rewards - discounts of up to 10% weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share save scheme, plus much more

• Family friendly policies

• Access to EAP Counselling sessions

All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK, Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

To drive a Mears vehicle, you must be aged over 21 have held your licence over 3 months and have less than 9 points.

As part of the recruitment process for this role, we will carry out a Background, Identity, Security clearance & BPSS check. For these checks to be completed, we will require from you the relevant identification, including Proof of Address, References, a valid passport and proof that you have lived in the UK for the last 5 years.

At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, we are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.

In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.