Mechanical Craftsperson

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university in Birmingham is seeking a Maintenance Craftsperson to perform mechanical, electrical, and building maintenance across campus. The position offers a fixed-term contract until July 2026 and the chance to work in a diverse environment that supports professional development. Applicants should have a recognised maintenance qualification and significant experience in repairs. A competitive salary range of £27,166 to £28,768 is offered, with potential progression. Flexible working arrangements and a generous benefits package are included.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Paid volunteering day

Occupational sick pay

Qualifications

• Significant experience in maintenance repairs within relevant skill areas.
• Practical working knowledge of multiple disciplines.
• Good literacy and numeracy skills.

Responsibilities

• Perform repairs in engineering installations, plant, and equipment.
• Diagnose faults and carry out planned maintenance.
• Maintain safe working practices and ensure compliance.

Skills

Excellent time management

Excellent communication

Ability to work under pressure

Education

Recognised CITB/EITB qualification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Position Details

Estates

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £27,166 to £28,768, with potential progression once in post to £32,145

Grade: 4

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to July 2026

Closing date: 26th January 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector‑leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide‑range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high‑quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state‑of‑the‑art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham.

Background

Performing planned and reactive, mechanical, electrical and building fabric maintenance activities across University buildings, facilities and wider estate.

Role Summary

The Maintenance Craftsperson is responsible to a Team Leader and / or their Deputy Team Leader on a day‑to‑day basis and is required to carry out work appropriate to their core specialist skills. He or she is also required to undertake within their level of competency, work of other crafts, following suitable training.

Main Duties

• Diagnose and repair faults in engineering installations, plant and equipment. To deal with new situations as they arise and to pass on knowledge to others.
• To interpret and work from instructions, drawings and specifications appropriate to University buildings.
• Show understanding and appreciation of all elements of engineering systems in University buildings.
• Work on unvented hot water systems, pressure systems, and HVAC systems.
• Support a wide range of work of other crafts, demonstrating flexible and multi‑skilled collaborative working.
• To learn new techniques and craft practices in line with evolving technology and legislative Health and Safety Requirements. This may involve attendance on training courses.
• To manufacture, assemble, erect and install new work to current standard.
• Carry out planned maintenance and repairs to efficiently maintain Mechanical systems and plant.
• To work as part of a multi‑disciplined team and understand fully the inter‑relationship between the various maintenance crafts.
• Instruct others on aspects relating to their work.
• Recording, completing and providing essential job information via IT based systems.
• Required to participate in the on‑call system as necessary to cover emergency breakdowns outside of normal working hours.
• Required to operate in various shift patterns in order to accommodate the needs of the University.
• Undertake all work in accordance with safe working practices and safe working procedures.
• Driving safely whilst obeying all traffic laws and regulations, when driving University vehicles.
• Carry out such other duties as are required according to your skill set or following suitable and sufficient training and / or instruction. This includes training support for new starters and apprentices.
• Adhere to University and Estates Office Policies & Procedures.
• Ensure work records are kept up‑to‑date to ensure effective monitoring of progress.
• Ensure that Health and Safety regulations, Codes of Practice and safe working procedures are understood and are adhered to at all times. Ensure that all supervised staff are aware of and adhere to these procedures.
• Maintain a commitment to personal development, including learning new techniques and craft practices in line with evolving technology and legislative H&S requirements. This may involve attendance in training courses.
• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

Qualifications

• Full driving licence
• Recognised CITB/EITB qualification or equivalent and preferably hold a minimum of City and Guilds Certificates or other approved training acceptable by the University of Birmingham and the appropriate training boards

Experience

• Significant maintenance repairs experience being fully familiar with own skill area and service requirements in it
• Good practical working knowledge and experience of multiple disciplines
• Experienced in analysing and solving a wide range of practical problems and ensuring a high‑quality service
• Ability to develop improvements to processes (service organisational) and similar in collaboration with Line Manager
• Experience of working in a highly customer focussed environment

Knowledge

• Sound knowledge of electrical systems in general
• Knowledge and understanding of safe working practices and procedures being responsible for own safety and safety of others affected by activity in the area where work is undertaken
• Safe driving rules and practices

Skills

• Excellent time management and organisational skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal relationships to interact effectively with co‑workers, supervisors and customers
• Ability to clarify issues objectively and to address them by priority
• Ability to identify and report difficult situations quickly, precisely and clearly
• The ability to operate and interrogate appropriate University computerised systems after training
• Safe use of hand and power tools
• Ability to understand and follow instructions
• Good literacy and numeracy skills
• Working independently or in a team
• Ability to work under pressure, often autonomously using own initiative and to agreed deadlines
• Basic IT skills including the use of Microsoft Office packages

Personal Qualities

• A focused customer‑service attitude
• A proactive attitude towards work
• Self‑motivation
• Commitment
• Trustworthiness
• Good communication supporting customer’s needs and communicating with them in a suitable and professional manner. Keep customers updated on progress where required and ensure customer satisfaction before, during and after works.

Informal enquiries to Scott Archer‑Richards, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here.

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.