Lead Maintenance Engineer - South - Luton

Partou Childcare; Luton; On-site; GBP 41,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Partou UK is seeking a Lead Maintenance Engineer to oversee maintenance services across nursery sites in the South region. You will lead Maintenance Partners and ensure safe, compliant environments for children, staff and visitors while guiding technical issue resolution.

The role blends hands-on work with leadership, contractor coordination and continuous service improvement. A relevant technical qualification and full UK driving licence are required.

Qualifications

• Broad maintenance knowledge across building services and crafts.
• Ability to organise workloads and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Strong problem-solving, planning and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day maintenance across nursery sites in the South region and lead Maintenance Engineers.
• Ensure monthly inspections and develop partnerships with operations.
• Conduct regular 1:1 meetings to review performance, workload and development.
• Allocate tasks and manage workloads across teams.
• Coordinate and manage contractors, ensuring safe systems of work.
• Carry out hands-on maintenance tasks when required.
• Act as initial escalation point for technical issues and liaise with specialists.
• Maintain accurate maintenance records and support compliance audits.

Skills

Maintenance experience

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Health & Safety

Education

Technical qualification in building maintenance/engineering

Full UK driving licence

Health & Safety awareness training (IOSH)

Job description

Partou UK is one of the UK's largest and fastest-growing childcare providers, formed through the acquisition of Just Childcare in June 2021 and All About Children in September 2022. Since then, the organisation has continued to grow with clear intent - balancing expansion with a deep commitment to the wellbeing, development and experience of children, families and teams. Our approach to growth is thoughtful and people centred. We recognise that behind every nursery are dedicated teams, trusted relationships with families and unique local communities. As we expand, we invest significantly in high-quality early years practice, professional development and reflective ways of working that support continuous improvement and shared learning across the organisation.

Lead Maintenance Engineer

£45,000 per annum DOE

South Regions

37.5 hours per week

Permanent

What You’ll Be Doing

The Lead Maintenance Partner is responsible for overseeing maintenance services across nursery sites in South regions. The role ensures safe, compliant, and high-quality environments for children, staff, and visitors while providing leadership to Maintenance Partners and acting as the first point of escalation for technical issues.

Facilities Operations

• Oversee day-to-day maintenance across multiple nursery sites Lead and support Maintenance Engineers across regions
• Ensure the development of the partnering with operations and ensure monthly inspections are under taken
• Conduct regular 1:1 meetings including Partou and You conversations with Maintenance Partners to review performance, workload, and development
• Allocate tasks and manage workloads across teams
• Coordinate and manage contractors, ensuring safe systems of work
• Carry out hands-on maintenance tasks when required

Subject Matter Expert

• Act as the initial escalation point for technical issues, liaising with specialist contractors or technical support where required
• Ensure statutory compliance and health & safety standards are consistently met
• Provide innovative suggestions for service based on oversight.

Regulation & Compliance

• Maintain accurate maintenance records using Fresh Desk system and support planning/update of PPM schedules
• Ensure all required documentation is kept up to date, in a legible manner and available at all times for H&S and Ofsted Audits.
• Reporting of all compliance issues on estate supporting on trend analysis.

Financial Management

• Ensuring Quality first time fixes and arranging works efficiently to minimise travel and incurred costs as well as minimising the business’ carbon footprint and reporting.
• Proactive advising of possible cost savings as part of service for year-on-year savings against budget.

What It Takes

PROFFESIONAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES REQUIRED:

• Ability to demonstrate a wide understanding of customer needs and being able to manage their expectations.
• Commitment to quality, Great Customer Service and Compliance.
• Demonstrable experience of ability to organise team workload to meet tight deadlines, coping well under pressure and difficult situations and ability to identify and act on own development needs.
• Willingness to undertake further training to meet evolving needs of the role as legislation changes.
• Willingness to travel within the designated division and further afield as required.
• Is structured, organised, flexible and adaptable in the approach.
• Instils confidence and resilience in others and is enthusiastic, pragmatic and motivating.
• Confident and approachable / assertive as required and displays good self-awareness.
• Excellent analytical, conceptual thinking, problem solving, planning and execution skills.
• Strong experience in maintenance and general trades
• Compliance knowledge and training desirable (Fire/Legionella).
• Displays critical thinking and credible presentational capability.
• Customer service & support excellence with a problem solving & decision-making mind-set.
• Strategic focus with future facing view to improve service delivery year on year.

Essential

Qualifications & Training

• Relevant technical qualification in building maintenance, engineering, or related trade
• Full UK driving licence
• Health & Safety awareness training (IOSH etc.)

Desirable

• NEBOSH or equivalent qualification
• Trade certifications (e.g. electrical, plumbing, carpentry)
• PAT testing certification
• Asbestos training to undertake the annual reviews.
• Fire Door Inspection Certification (FireQual)

Why Partou?

Become a Partou team member and join a supportive, caring community where you can enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career. With access to world-class childcare research, resources, and expertise, we help you develop skills, and empower you to create a positive impact on the development of the next generation, as they lead us into a better future.

Learn more about working at Partou: www.partou.co.uk/careers

Safer Recruitment: All applicants will undergo Enhanced DBS checks and thorough vetting. This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Partou is proud be a part of the National Partnership in Early Learning and Childcare (NPELC) - a group of 10 of the largest childcare providers across England. Together, we operate over 1,300 childcare settings, employ more than 38,000 people, and take care of over 160,000 children.