Lead Mechanical Technician

ZipRecruiter; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment platform in London is seeking a Lead Mechanical Technician to manage a skilled maintenance team and oversee equipment within a gas canister filling site. The role involves hands-on repairs, leading planned maintenance, and managing significant site upgrades. Candidates should have a Level 4 Apprenticeship and at least two years of experience in a heavy-duty environment. Join us to make a real impact and transform the operation.

Benefits

Leadership role with hands-on opportunities

Impact on a legacy site transformation

Proper engineering workshop facilities

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience maintaining plant equipment in a heavy-duty environment.
• Experience in leading teams and managing maintenance schedules.
• Comfortable with noisy and gritty environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead a skilled maintenance team on-site.
• Fault find, repair, and monitor across mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation systems.
• Manage planned maintenance to ensure smooth operations.
• Oversee new equipment installations during site upgrades.

Skills

Leadership

Fault finding

Team management

Condition monitoring

Education

Level 4 Apprenticeship in Mechanical, Electrical, or Instrumentation

Job description

Job Description

Lead Mechanical Technician

Morden, SW, London

£50,000. Monday to Friday 6am till 2pm

This isn’t a spotless lab or a polished office block.

This is a gas canister filling site. It smells like oil, metal, and machinery — because real work gets done here. You walk in and hear the hum of old kit doing its thing, kept alive by people who know what they’re doing. People like you.

But it’s not staying old. Over the next 5 years, we’re putting £5 million into this site — upgrading, modernising, and expanding. And we need someone on the ground who knows how to lead that change without losing the soul of the place.

That’s where you come in.

Why this job matters:

As the Maintenance Working Supervisor, you’ll be in charge of keeping our equipment — and our people — working safely and efficiently. That means hands-on fault finding and fixing, but also stepping back to lead, plan, and improve. You’ll be managing a team, owning the planned maintenance programme, and guiding the site through a period of serious investment and change.

And when it gets tough? You’ll get your hands dirty — side by side with your team in a properly kitted-out engineering workshop (yes, the kind with space, gear, and freedom to do things right).

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading and motivating a small, skilled maintenance team on-site.
• Getting stuck into fault finding, repairs, and condition monitoring across mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation systems.
• Managing the planned maintenance schedule to keep everything running smoothly.
• Overseeing new equipment installations and supporting the major site upgrades ahead.
• Making sure safety procedures (and Permit to Work systems) are followed down to the last detail.
• Working directly with contractors, suppliers, and ops teams to keep things moving.

What you bring to the table:

• A Level 4 Apprenticeship (or equivalent trade experience) in Mechanical, Electrical, or Instrumentation disciplines.
• At least 2 years of experience maintaining plant equipment in a heavy-duty environment — manufacturing, industrial, or engineering.
• Confidence in leading others and stepping up when things go wrong.
• You’re comfortable with a bit of noise, grit, and old kit — but excited about upgrading it, too.
• Bonus if you’ve worked in explosive atmospheres or hold an ATEX qualification.

What’s in it for you:

• A leadership role that still keeps you close to the tools.
• Real impact — you’ll help transform a legacy site into a modern operation.
• Freedom to work in a proper engineering workshop (not a broom cupboard with a wrench).
• A site and team that need what you bring: skill, grit, and ownership.

This job has weight.

If you love the smell of oil and the challenge of keeping old machines alive while building toward something better, we want to hear from you.