Lead Reliability Maintenance Technician

South East Water; Lewes; On-site; GBP 42,904 - 52,439; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme

Holiday entitlement

Flexible annual leave

Volunteer days

Cycle to work

Health cash plan

Life assurance

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

South East Water is seeking a Lead Reliability Maintenance Technician to manage mechanical, electrical and instrumentation assets across our production sites. You will mentor the team and bridge daily tasks with larger projects to ensure safe, reliable operations.

You will perform complex maintenance, coach colleagues, manage permits and safety, and use Maximo/SCADA to monitor assets and report trends. The role requires a strong electrical/mechanical background and collaborative approach.

Qualifications

• Qualified to C&G electrical field with BS7671 compliance.
• Mechanical C&G qualification or equivalent vocational level.
• Good numeracy and literacy; water hygiene training provided.
• Ability to diagnose mechanical/electrical failures in assets.
• Experience using electronic work management systems (e.g., Maximo).
• Ability to communicate complex issues to management clearly.
• Experience in utilities/infrastructure, water industry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform complex mechanical or E&I planned maintenance and remedial work.
• Provide coaching and technical mentorship to the maintenance team.
• Be the first escalation point for on-site technical challenges.
• Issue Permits to Work and lead Confined Space Entries safely.
• Conduct 121s, support wellbeing, identify training needs.
• Review timesheets, audit H&S, update business systems (Maximo).
• Authorize annual leave and manage PPE/uniform procurement.
• Communicate asset reliability trends to leadership and plan updates.

Skills

Electrical qualification (C&G)

Mechanical qualification (C&G)

Numeracy & literacy

National Water Hygiene

Diagnostics of mechanical/electricals

PLC/SCADA familiarity

Reporting to management

Team mentorship

Stakeholder communication

Water utilities experience

Education

C&G electrical qualification

C&G mechanical qualification

National Water Hygiene certificate

Tools

Maximo

SCADA systems

PLC systems

Job description

Summary

As our Lead Reliability Maintenance Technician, you'll play a key part in looking after the mechanical or electrical and instrumentation equipment across our production sites. While you'll still get to do the specialised technical work that keeps our assets running reliably, you'll also step up as a trusted mentor and the go-to person for the team. Ultimately, you'll be the bridge between day-to-day tasks and bigger-picture operations, helping everyone work safely and deliver great results.

Responsibilities

• Perform complex mechanical or E&I planned maintenance activities and first-line remedial work in accordance with the organisational strategy.
• Provide 'over-the-shoulder' coaching and technical mentorship to the maintenance team.
• Act as the first point of escalation for technicians regarding technical challenges on-site.
• Issue Permits to Work, lead Confined Space Entries, and ensure all technicians adhere to safe systems of work.
• Conduct regular 121 meetings, support team wellbeing, and identify training needs in collaboration with the Reliability Maintenance Manager.
• Review and approve team timesheets, audit H&S compliance, and ensure accurate updates to business management systems (e.g., Maximo).
• Authorise annual leave, record absences and manage the procurement of PPE and uniforms.
• Communicate progress and asset reliability trends to the Reliability Maintenance Manager and work with Schedulers/Planners to update weekly work plans.

Qualifications & Experience

• Qualified to C&G or equivalent in the electrical field and fully compliant with Wiring Regulations (BS7671).
• For Mechanical Focus: Qualified to C&G or equivalent vocational level in the mechanical field.
• Good standard of secondary education and able to demonstrate a good standard of numeracy and literacy skills.
• National Water Hygiene (provided by the business).
• Ability to diagnose mechanical/electrical failures in assets such as pumps, valves and control systems.
• Ability to use electronic work management systems for logging work, viewing schematics and interacting with PLC or SCADA systems to monitor site operations and adjust parameters.
• Ability to clearly report complex technical issues to management and work effectively with external contractors and team members.
• Ability to develop trust within a team and share knowledge to upskill others.
• Ability to present clear technical justifications to stakeholders and management.
• Willingness to take responsibility for the team's combined output and quality rather than just personal results.
• Experience in the utilities/infrastructure industry (preferably the water industry).
• An appropriate level of experience in the mechanical/electrical maintenance of water specific production site assets.

Employees are required to be flexible and to be prepared to perform duties and other tasks within their capabilities. The nature of our business is such that the contents of any job profile are subject to change from time to time.

Benefits

• Excellent Stakeholder pension scheme, up to 10% employer contribution.
• 5 weeks holiday plus bank holidays per annum, increasing to 6 weeks with length of service.
• Flexible annual leave policy to buy or sell holiday leave.
• Paid volunteering days.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Health cash plan.
• Life assurance.
• Wellbeing related benefits.

Compensation

Compensation package: up to £47,672 p.a. (dependent on experience)