Mechanical Facilities Technician

UK Research and Innovation; East Hagbourne; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 38,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous pension

Annual leave allowance

Job summary

UK Research and Innovation is seeking a Mechanical Facilities Engineer for the MRC Harwell site in Didcot. The role covers installation, maintenance and fault finding across HVAC, piping and building services, with the opportunity to develop cross‑discipline knowledge.

You will work 36 hours per week on-site, with overtime and a generous pension and annual leave provision. Essential qualifications include City & Guilds Level 2/3 in a mechanical discipline, plus two years post‑qualification

Qualifications

• Essential: Recognised Mechanical Qualification City & Guilds Level 2/3 in HVAC/ Plumbing & Heating/ Pipe fitting.
• Proven experience in a mechanical facilities engineering role.
• UK driving licence.
• Desirable: City & Guilds Mechanical Engineering (9209-01).
• HNC/HND in relevant engineering field.

Responsibilities

• Undertake installation, fault finding and maintenance of MRC Harwell site's mechanical building services.
• Carry out works efficiently and sign off via the mobile work app.
• Procure materials and manage stock levels to maintain efficiency.
• Support site condition surveys and compliance testing including Legionella where required.
• Active involvement in on-call duties and training as required.

Skills

Mechanical maintenance

UK driving licence

Education

City & Guilds Level 2/3 in HVAC/Plumbing

HNC/HND in engineering

Job description

Salary: £33,419 - £37,582 + additional discretionary £5k allowance per annum, dependant on candidate skills and experience. Plus, separate overtime and on-call allowance. Band: MRC-5 S1 Contract type: Open ended Hours: Full time (36 hours) Location: Harwell, Oxfordshire, on-site Closing date: Sunday 27 September 2026

Overall Purpose

The role will undertake mechanical installation, maintenance, repairs, and fault-finding on mechanical infrastructure to the estate to ensure systems are maintained and operational supporting the ongoing scientific research programmes on site. Working in the Engineering and Estates Department, you will work on a variety of piped systems and building services where you will have opportunity to work and train on a variety of systems such as heating/cooling, HVAC, steam. The Engineering and Estates team promotes crossover of skills, whereby engineers will have opportunities to diversify, and learn skills from colleagues in the electrical engineering roles. You will be reporting to the Building Services supervisors, assisting with the planning and undertaking of planned, reactive and scheduled project works on site delivering and maintaining the highest standards of mechanical practice. Working on a single site, the role is based on Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot. All tools, PPE and uniform are provided, overtime available with generous pension and annual leave allowance.

Main Duties/Key Responsibilities

• Undertake installation, operation, fault finding and maintenance of the MRC Harwell site's wide range of mechanical building services, including HVAC, domestic water system, steam systems, compressed air and all other piped systems
• Carry out works efficiently and effectively, acquiring and signing off work through the mobile work app
• Procure materials, components and spares, ensuring that stock levels are managed to maintain efficiency
• Undertake an active role in site services condition surveys and where required, formal inspection, testing and verification of systems will be required (additional training may be provided)
• Active involvement in site Legionella management (training provided), carrying out compliance-related maintenance tasks, including Legionella water monitoring, systems flushing (ACoP L8), boiler water sampling and water storage vessel inspections
• Fault-finding on a wide range of site plant using core and learned skills
• Ensure that all work carried out on the MRC site is completed in line with industry recognised standards ensuring safe working is adhered to at all times
• Working to comply with risk assessments and method statements
• Adhering to safe systems of work (permits/isolation procedures/hot works/testing and recommissioning)
• Ensure that works are completed to a high standard and in a timely fashion to minimise their impact upon scientific programmes
• Accept training in future developments and technologies, taking on additional nominated person responsibilities as required
• Provide additional support and assistance to the Building Services team by supporting general maintenance and repairs of the estate
• Engage in the mentoring and development of team members (including the support of apprentices)
• Deliver a high level of customer service
• To participate as part of an engineering on-call team as required (subject to management approval and operational requirements)
• Undertake the role of first aider (training will be provided)

Working Relationships

Colleagues, researchers, senior managers, external contractors.

Person Requirements

Education/Qualifications/Training Required

• Essential: Recognised Mechanical Qualification City & Guilds Level 2/3 in a mechanical discipline such as HVAC/ Plumbing & Heating/ Pipe fitting
• Proven experience in a previous mechanical facilities engineering role
• UK driving licence
• Desirable: City & Guilds Mechanical Engineering (9209-01)
• HNC/HND in relevant engineering field

Previous Work Experience Required

• Essential: Two years' post qualification experience within mechanical facilities engineering
• Experience of various mechanical wet/piped systems maintenance
• Experience working with commercial mechanical wet/piped systems
• Desirable: Demonstrable experience with varied piped systems, mechanical plant, and controls (e.g. steam, HVAC, compressed air/gases etc)
• Demonstrable experience working in a building services environment

Knowledge and Experience

• Essential: Comprehensive understanding of industrial pipe fitting and system design
• Knowledge of mechanical systems operation and theory
• Good working knowledge of HVAC and mechanical services engineering practices
• Desirable: Understanding of Legionella document L8 and maintenance requirements
• Demonstrable experience/knowledge of building services systems and controls
• Prior knowledge of routine planned preventative maintenance systems and applications
• Experience working with young learners (apprentices)

Personal skills/Behaviours/Qualities

• Essential: Conscientiousness, self-motivated, punctual, team player with excellent interpersonal skills
• Able to work with minimal supervision and able to work in a methodical and structured way, having confidence to deal with suppliers and service users
• Able to work within a multi-disciplinary team and able to communicate effectively with colleagues and the wider scientific community
• Willingness to undertake relevant training where necessary

Equality & Diversity

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all. Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities. The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) is located in an expanding science and innovation park in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research. As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support a number of distinct research clusters spread across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer, developmental disorders and neurodegeneration. The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions. There is a range of training and development opportunities that will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.