Vehicle Maintenance Technician - Medway

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust; Gillingham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is seeking a Band 5 Vehicle Maintenance Technician to join the Medway workshop. You will service, inspect and repair ambulances and support vehicles, ensuring frontline services remain operational across the region.

We offer manufacturer and specialist training including EV systems, with a focus on safety and adherence to NHS standards. A C1 licence and relevant qualifications are essential for this role.

Qualifications

• Must hold a recognised qualification in motor vehicle maintenance such as BTEC / HNC level or City & Guilds level 3 and above.
• Must have driving licence for C1 category with no more than 3 penalty points.
• Good knowledge of vehicle electrical systems and diagnostic equipment.
• Experience with petrol/diesel vehicle maintenance and ability to work unsupervised.

Responsibilities

• Carry out planned and reactive maintenance across a diverse fleet of emergency and support vehicles.
• Diagnose faults using advanced diagnostic systems (Mercedes Star, Witech, ODIS, Autel).
• Perform preventative maintenance and safety inspections to maximise vehicle availability.
• Prepare vehicles for MOT testing and undertake repairs of electrical systems, hydraulics, and air conditioning.

Skills

Vehicle maintenance

Diagnostic skills

Electrical systems knowledge

C1 driving licence

Education

BTEC / HNC level or City & Guilds level 3 and above

Tools

Mercedes Star

Witech

ODIS

Autel

Job description

Main area Fleet Maintenance Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (37.5 hours per week) Job ref 278-VMTM-0926-AS

Employer South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Medway make ready centre Town Gillingham Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum plus 17% unsocial hours Salary period Yearly Closing 25/09/2026 09:00

Vehicle Maintenance Technician - Medway

Band 5

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has a vision to ‘support our staff to provide a caring, high quality and efficient urgent and emergency care service to our communities’. We are rated ‘Good’ for care by the Care Quality Commission and while the other areas under their most recent report require improvement, our aim is to continually improve and to reach outstanding across all areas of the Trust.

Our 4,000+ workforce provide services to 4.9m people across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North East Hampshire. We handle over 1 million calls to 999 and 1 million calls to NHS 111 every year. More information regarding our services and locations can be found on our website.

Job overview

Looking for a role where your technical skills are valued, your development is supported, and you can work on a varied fleet without the pressure of sales targets?

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is recruiting Vehicle Maintenance Technicians to join our Medway workshop team.

Working on a fleet of over 700 vehicles, including ambulances, rapid response vehicles, 4x4s and specialist support vehicles, you'll play a vital role in ensuring our frontline services remain operational and ready to respond across the South East.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced technician looking to broaden their skills through manufacturer and specialist training, including Mercedes, MAN, Fiat, Electric Vehicle (EV) systems and C1 licence training where required.

Working as part of a supportive and professional team, you'll use modern diagnostic equipment and industry-leading practices to maintain a fleet that is essential to delivering emergency and urgent care services to our communities.

Training and development

We are committed to investing in your development. If you don’t already hold a C1 licence, we will support you in obtaining this. You’ll also receive specialist manufacturer training across our fleet, including MAN, Mercedes and Fiat, as well as training in electric vehicles (EV), air conditioning and other specialist systems, ensuring you stay up to date with the latest technologies and industry standards.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job

As a Vehicle Maintenance Technician, you will be responsible for carrying out planned and reactive maintenance across a diverse fleet of emergency and support vehicles.

Your duties will include:

• Servicing, inspecting and repairing ambulances, rapid response vehicles, 4x4s and support vehicles
• Diagnosing faults using advanced diagnostic systems, including Mercedes Star, Fiat Witech, ODIS and Autel
• Carrying out preventative maintenance and safety inspections to maximise vehicle availability.
• Preparing vehicles for MOT testing (Class IV and VII)
• Undertaking repairs involving electrical systems, welding and fabrication, hydraulics, heating and air conditioning systems.
• Maintaining accurate maintenance and repair records.
• Ensuring all work is completed in accordance with Health & Safety legislation, Trust policies and manufacturer standards.
• Supporting colleagues and contributing to a positive team environment.
• The workshop operates seven days a week between 6am and 8pm. The role is based on a shift rota and includes weekend and bank holiday working, with enhancements paid for unsocial hours.

Working for our organisation

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides emergency and urgent care services across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, serving a population of more than 4.9 million people.

Our Vehicle Maintenance team plays a crucial role in supporting these services by ensuring our fleet remains safe, compliant and operational. Every vehicle maintained by our workshops supports the delivery of care to patients across the region.

We are committed to investing in our people and offer a range of benefits including:

• Minimum 27 days annual leave, increasing with service
• Manufacturer and specialist training opportunities
• C1 licence training where required
• Occupational health and wellbeing support
• Access to NHS discounts and staff benefits
• Opportunities for personal and professional development

At SECAmb, we are proud of our values of Courage, Integrity and Kindness and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for a full list of duties and responsibilities.

Key responsibilities include:

• Planned and reactive maintenance of Trust vehicles and equipment
• Vehicle diagnostics, fault finding and repair
• MOT preparation and compliance activities
• Recovery and inspection of vehicles where required
• Accurate completion of maintenance records and fleet management documentation
• Safe working practices in accordance with Trust policies and Health & Safety legislation
• Participation in training, development and continuous improvement activities
• Supporting fleet availability to meet operational requirements

Person specification

• Hold a recognised qualification in motor vehicle maintenance such as BTEC / HNC level or City & Guilds level 3 and above
• Must have driving licence for categories of all types of SECAmb vehicles (C1 driving licence) with no more than 3 penalty points

Knowledge

• Good overall mechanical knowledge of cars and light commercial vehicles
• Knowledge of the operation and function of a fleet maintenance workshop
• To have comprehensive knowledge of vehicle electrical systems, including modern vehicle electrical management and computer based workshop diagnostic equipment.

Experience

• Extensive experience in the repair and maintenance of petrol and diesel vehicles, with the ability to work unsupervised on a diverse and specialised fleet.
• To have comprehensive knowledge of vehicle electrical systems, including modern vehicle electronic management, and of computer based workshop diagnostic equipment.
• Ability to repair and maintain to the required standard Service vehicles which have specialised bodywork/livery and fittings.
• Experience with light commercial vehicles and small plant and machinery

Please note that the salary range noted on the vacancy is in line with agenda for change (AFC) pay scales. All successful applicants would be placed automatically at the bottom of the banding, unless proven, relevant NHS or equivalent experience can be demonstrated.

Following the revision of current national legislation (Vaccine as a Condition of Deployment), the Trust has reviewed our requirements relating to staff uptake of the SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) vaccination.

Going forward, for patient facing positions, we strongly recommend that new starters will be appropriately vaccinated unless medically exempt in order to offer greater protection against exposure to the virus for front line staff.

In line with this recommendation, if you are successful in your application for a front line post, we will seek information from you in relation to your vaccine status, including exemption status, as applicable.

Please note, all positions come with a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check relevant to the post. This will either be a basic, standard, or enhanced check depending on the role. The level of check will be outlined in the conditional offer letter sent to successful applicants.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to declare any unspent/unfiltered convictions. If you are shortlisted you will then be sent a self declaration form, which must be completed prior to attending interview. for any queries relating to declarations, please contact the Recruitment Advisor listed on the vacancy.

The Trust is passionately committed to being an inclusive employer - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed. As an employer we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement networks, facilities and services to support staff from different backgrounds.

We actively support equality of opportunity for all our staff and welcome applications from individuals regardless of age, any disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief. The Trust is making progress towards its aim of becoming more reflective of the diversity of our community in our workforce and guarantees an interview to candidates with disability who meet the essential criteria specified. We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and disabled applicants and those from other under-represented groups.

The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people - including those with long term health conditions, learning disabilities and hidden disabilities such as dyslexia. If you tell us that you have a disability we can make reasonable adjustments to ensure that any selection processes - including the interview - are fair and equitable.

We are a committed to offering opportunities to individuals with disabilities and offer on-going support, should you be successful, with any adjustments you may need when performing your role.

When completing the application please use your name as it appears on your passport and please ensure you include email addresses and contact numbers for your referees to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

Please note that under our Trust policies, we're unable to employ anyone under the age of 18 years old.

The majority of our roles will include some travel between sites for business purposes. If the vacancy you’re applying for includes work related travel, you will be required to ensure that you hold and have covered the cost of suitable car insurance to support this.

Should you require an application form in an alternative format including large print or braille, please contact [emailprotected] stating the vacancy reference number and we will be happy to provide this.

When completing the reference section, please include details to cover the last three years’ history.

Due to the high volume of applications at SECAmb, we regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants who are shortlisted for interview. If you have not heard from us within 10 working days of the closing date, then please assume you have not been shortlisted for interview on this particular occasion.

Please note that we contact all applicants via Trac Jobs and would advise you check your Trac Jobs account regularley.

Please be aware that the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy early if sufficient applications are received. For this reason we recommend completing your application as early as possible.

We understand that AI tools can be useful for generating ideas or structuring your application. However, any content submitted must reflect your own experiences, skills, and understanding. Applications that are generated wholly or in large part by AI, without personalisation or accuracy, may be excluded from consideration. We value honesty, authenticity, and integrity in the recruitment process and expect all applicants to uphold these principles.

If you are a current SECAmb employee, by applying for this position, if successful you will move to the terms and conditions associated with the post. Any unsocial hours payments will be paid under the Section 2 agreement of agenda for change. Section 2 unsocial hours will need to be claimed via your monthly timesheet. More information regarding section 2 can be found in the Agenda for Change handbook and on theour dedicatedSection 2 page on The Zon e.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.