Head of Maintenance

Somerville College; Oxford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Somerville College in Oxford seeks an experienced, motivated maintenance manager to oversee the Estates Team responsible for our in-house maintenance service across trades. You will lead four maintenance staff, plan and direct work, and occasionally undertake hands-on tasks during peak periods.

You will also join the on-call rota for out-of-hours issues. Effective communication with academics, support staff, students and external contractors is essential; you will report to the Head of Estates

Qualifications

• Experience leading a maintenance team and coordinating multi-trade trades.
• Strong administrative and planning skills.
• Solid knowledge of health and safety requirements.
• Excellent communication with stakeholders at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Oversee a team of four maintenance staff including plumber and carpenter.
• Plan, direct and prioritise maintenance work across trades.
• Participate in on‑call out-of-hours responses.
• Liaise with academics, support staff, students and contractors.
• Report to the Head of Estates and ensure smooth department operation.

Skills

Team leadership

Management

Health & safety

Communication

Prioritisation

Education

Trade qualification

Job description

This is a fabulous opportunity for an experienced, motivated and well-organised individual to play a key role in our Estates Team running our maintenance service which covers all trades and provides many opportunities to get involved in a wide variety of day to day and project works.

You will use your management skills to oversee a team of four maintenance staff; a plumber, carpenter, two general/multi-trade members and a range of support contractors ensuring that an efficient, effective and responsive maintenance service is provided to all college users throughout the year. As well as planning and directing work, you will have opportunities to get involved with hands‑on work, particularly during busy periods, and will be part of the on‑call team that responds to out‑of‑hours issues and emergencies. Separate renumeration arrangements are in place for on‑call work.

In addition to a recognised trade qualification or proven experience, you will have sound administrative skills, good working knowledge of health and safety requirements and processes and be skilled at prioritising work and deploying people and resources to ensure the smooth running of the maintenance department. You will report to the Head of Estates and liaise with academics, support staff, students and contractors so will be a clear and competent communicator, both verbally and in writing, and be comfortable dealing with people at all levels in a variety of situations.

For a full job description and further details please download the further particulars from the link below:

The closing date for completed applications is noon on Tuesday, 22 September 2026