Service Engineer Level 3 - Lead Technician

South Eastern Railway; Ashford; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Final salary pension

24 days annual leave

Job summary

South Eastern Railway is seeking a Service Engineer Level 3 to join the Ashford Depot engineering team. You will lead primary defect repair in-service units, handle defect troubleshooting and diagnosis, and ensure work scope adherence within a fixed SE5-led team.

Ideal candidates will have electrical engineering background, NVQ3/equivalents, BTEC qualification, and IT/data interpretation skills. A full safety medical is required, along with valid references and pre-employment checks.

Qualifications

• Experienced in an engineering discipline (Electrical Based)
• NVQ 3 in engineering maintenance, electrical, mechanical or equivalent
• Hold a Technical Certificate in Engineering BTEC
• Have intermediate IT skills and able to interpret data
• Able to carry out first level fault finding and follow schematics and diagrams
• Physically fit and able to pass a medical to engineering standard.

Responsibilities

• This is a wide ranging role, providing technical expertise. The SE3 role will be responsible for primary defect repair including in service units, including, defect troubleshooting, defect diagnosis, work scope adherence and defect rectification
• Report directing to the SE5, the SE3 will carry out all engineering activities, including exams, defects rectification, modifications, time based maintenance packages and repair. SE3s will report to the SE5 in a fixed team structure.
• The SE3 is also responsible for in service defect repair, including liaising with external stakeholders and re railing activities.
• Key tasks will include technical expertise and defect repair, working with colleagues effectively to the required standards and specifications. Ensure effectiveness to meet production and operational deadlines targets.

Skills

Electrical engineering focus

Fault finding

Interpreting data

IT literacy

Education

NVQ 3 in engineering maintenance, electrical, mechanical or equivalent

Technical Certificate in Engineering BTEC

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Ashford T&RS Depot

Service Engineer Level 3 - Lead Technician

Job Reference seastern/TP/125/3614 - AD/W/010

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent - Full Time

£52,320 per annum

Working Hours:

35

Full address:

Ashford T&RS Depot

Closing Date:

26/10/2026

Job Category:

Region / Division:

Kent

Business Unit:

Job Introduction

Have you got a passion for Problem Solving? Technical work? Fault Finding? Repairs?Join our southeastern Engineering team as a Service Engineer Level 3 at our Ashford Depot.

• Imagine knowing hundreds of thousands of people are getting to work on time because of your attention to detail.
• Imagine seeing families set off safely on a fun day out because of the repair you made to the train they’re boarding.
• Imagine the pride you’ll feel every day as a southeastern engineer.

Main Responsibilities

What you’ll do

This is a wide ranging role, providing technical expertise. The SE3 role will be responsible for primary defect repair including in service units, including, defect troubleshooting, defect diagnosis, work scope adherence and defect rectification

Report directing to the SE5, the SE3 will carry out all engineering activities, including exams, defects rectification, modifications, time based maintenance packages and repair. SE3s will report to the SE5 in a fixed team structure.

The SE3 is also responsible for in service defect repair, including liaising with external stakeholders and re railing activities.

Key tasks will include technical expertise and defect repair, working with colleagues effectively to the required standards and specifications. Ensure effectiveness to meet production and operational deadlines targets.

The Ideal Candidate

The experience you’ll need to demonstrate in your application:

• Experienced in an engineering discipline (Electrical Based)
• NVQ 3 in engineering maintenance, electrical, mechanical or equivalent
• Hold a Technical Certificate in Engineering BTEC
• Have intermediate IT skills and able to interpret data
• Able to carry out first level fault finding and follow schematics and diagrams
• Physically fit and able to pass a medical to engineering standard.

All successful candidates will need to undertake and pass a full safety critical medical before formal offer. If you have any questions regarding this please do email [e-mail].

Given the start and end times of shifts, it’s also best to have your own transport to get to and from your place of work.

As proud members of the Armed Forces Covenant and Disability Confident Scheme, we will offer you an interview if you apply under these schemes and meet the minimum criteria for the role. Find out more here .

Other things to know

• All successful applicants will need to pass a Personal Track Safety course or a Depot Track Safety course (full training provided).
• This vacancy may close early if we receive a large number of applications. So, make sure you get yours in early.
• All offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references, a right to work verification, a basic criminal record check, and a pre-employment medical assessment. Work visa sponsorship isn’t available for this role.
• If you applied but weren’t successful in getting a similar role at Southern, please wait six months before applying again.

Along with your salary, the rewards you’ll get include:

• a final salary pension
• 24days annual leave allowance (including bank holidays)

We’re one of Britain's busiest train operators, serving London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. We run over 1,700 trains a day, carrying more than 500,000 passengers and serving 180 stations.

However, working on our railway is more than getting passengers from A to B. It’s about all the little moments that make a difference to their journey.

It’s also about making our railway a great place to work and building a team that represents the communities we serve. We’re committed to creating an inclusive, supportive environment, and we’re proud that this continues to be recognised through employer accreditations and our ongoing endorsement as a WORK180 Employer for Women .

Our ways of working are what we expect of everyone at Southern. They are powerful. Tiny moments, every day, from every one of us, add up to massive, positive change. Improving how it feels to work here and how it feels to travel with us.

At the heart of everything we do, our Safeguarding Team works to keep our customers, colleagues, and the public safe by improving safeguarding measures and knowledge making sure everyone gets home safe, every day.