Plant Assistant

Balfour Beatty plc; Leiston; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Attractive salary

Company car

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Pension savings schemes

Enhanced maternity/paternity policies

Access to Refer and Earn scheme

Discretionary annual salary reviews

Job summary

A leading infrastructure company in the UK is seeking a Plant Assistant to support plant administration and coordination of servicing and maintenance for geotechnical sites. In this site-based role, you will manage plant hire requests, establish maintenance records, and liaise with internal teams and suppliers to ensure efficient plant operations. Ideal candidates will have experience in plant hire and possess strong organizational skills. Opportunities for professional development within a significant infrastructure project are included.

Qualifications

• Experience in plant hire or construction-related administration.
• Good understanding of plant servicing, maintenance and compliance.
• Familiarity with CPA contract terms and external hire procedures.

Responsibilities

• Support coordination and administration of plant hire and servicing.
• Process plant hire requests and maintain accurate records.
• Coordinate repair activities and assist with onboarding new plant assets.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Proactiveness

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Outlook

Plant management systems (Insphire, MCS)

Job description

About The Role

Be part of a once-in-a-generation infrastructure project that will help power 6 million homes with clean, reliable energy for decades to come. Sizewell C Nuclear Power Station is a landmark development on the Suffolk coast, delivering a 3.2GW nuclear power station that will play a critical role in the UK’s low‑carbon future.

The project is delivered through the Civil Works Alliance, bringing together world‑class expertise from major global infrastructure programmes. Within this, the Geotechnical Sub Alliance (GSA) is responsible for delivering complex ground engineering works, including piling, ground improvement and diaphragm walls, from January 2026 to mid‑2028.

As a Plant Assistant, you’ll play a key role in supporting the Deputy Plant Manager and wider plant team to deliver efficient, reliable and compliant plant services across multiple geotechnical sites. You’ll help ensure that plant hire, servicing and maintenance activities are well coordinated, accurately recorded and aligned with project requirements.

This is a site‑based role offering exposure to large‑scale plant operations within one of the UK’s most significant infrastructure programmes, with excellent opportunities to develop your technical and commercial understanding of plant management.

What you'll be doing

In this role, you’ll support the coordination and administration of plant hire, servicing and operational activities across the GSA sites, helping to keep site teams fully equipped and productive.

You’ll process plant hire requests from site teams, maintain accurate hire and utilisation records, and liaise with internal plant teams and approved external suppliers to arrange deliveries, collections, servicing and repairs. You’ll assist with obtaining quotations and managing external hire agreements in line with CPA contract terms.

You’ll gather and manage weekly inspection forms, delivery inspections and PUWER logs, ensuring that service schedules, certifications and compliance documentation are kept up to date. By tracking maintenance and inspection requirements, you’ll help ensure all plant remains safe, reliable and fit for purpose.

You’ll coordinate repair activities for faulty or damaged equipment, responding promptly to breakdowns and arranging suitable replacements where required. You’ll also support the onboarding of new plant assets, including tagging, documentation and system updates.

Working closely with procurement and logistics teams, you’ll help deliver timely and cost‑effective plant provision. You’ll contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, support audits and inspections, and ensure all plant‑related data is handled in line with GDPR and internal policies.

Who we're looking for

We’re looking for an organised, detail‑focused and proactive individual who enjoys working in a busy operational environment and takes pride in delivering high‑quality support.

You’ll ideally have experience in plant hire, plant administration or customer support within construction or a related industry, along with a good understanding of plant servicing, maintenance and compliance requirements. Familiarity with CPA contract terms and external hire procedures will be highly beneficial.

You’ll bring strong communication and organisational skills, enabling you to work effectively with site teams, suppliers and internal stakeholders. You’ll be comfortable managing multiple priorities and responding quickly to changing operational demands.

You’ll be confident using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word and Outlook, and have experience working with plant management systems such as Insphire or MCS. A practical understanding of plant operations and repair processes within a construction setting will support your success in this role.

Most importantly, you’ll demonstrate a collaborative mindset, a commitment to safety and quality, and a genuine desire to contribute to a nationally significant project that will leave a lasting legacy.

Why work for us

Our people are our biggest asset and we focus on recruiting, training and developing the people who can apply innovation to deliver the infrastructure of the future. We nurture these talents, offer a great benefits package in addition to a competitive base salary and continually invest in developing the skills of our people at every level.

Some of our key benefits are

• An attractive/negotiated salary
• Company car
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Pension savings schemes
• Enhanced maternity/paternity and family‑friendly policies
• Access to our Refer and Earn scheme
• Discretionary annual salary reviews

About Us

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering is one of the UK’s leading specialist geo‑technical contractors, providing innovative piling and ground improvement solutions across all sectors.

Our comprehensive ground engineering capabilities, equipment and expertise provide the solid foundations for infrastructure and buildings of any height, ranging from city skyscrapers to cross‑country rail and road projects.

Our reputation as one of the UK’s leading specialist geo‑technical contractors is earned through the delivery of ground engineering solutions on some of the UK’s largest and most prestigious projects including HS2, The Shard, Wembley Stadium, Reading Station Viaduct, Marble Arch Place, Battersea Power Station redevelopment and the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon improvement project.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone D&I Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion.

We are a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long‑term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/.