Welder and Fabrication Supervisor

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering; Leiston; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Balfour Beatty Ground Engineering in Leiston, Suffolk, leads welding and fabrication for the Sizewell C ground engineering works. The role supervises welders and fabricators, coordinates repairs, and ensures safety and quality on high-wear tooling and heavy plant.

You will plan workloads, monitor progress and collaborate with site teams to minimise downtime while upholding standards and safe working practices.

Qualifications

• Time-served Welder/Fabricator with heavy fabrication, repair and maintenance experience.
• recognised welding/fabrication qualification, apprenticeship or NVQ Level 3 or equivalent.
• Experience supervising welding, fabrication or workshop teams.
• Strong MIG/MAG welding, cutting, grinding and fabrication skills.
• Experience with hard facing and high-wear components (desirable).
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specs.
• Knowledge of Health & Safety relating to welding, hot works, lifting and workshops.
• IOSH Managing Safely (desirable).

Responsibilities

• Supervise welders and fabrication personnel, allocating work, monitoring progress and supporting safe, efficient delivery.
• Oversee fabrication, modification and repair work on tooling, piling rigs, heavy plant and components.
• Manage wear-resistant material applications to extend tool life.
• Inspect welding/fabrication work for defects and remediate before return to service.
• Ensure safe use of welding equipment, plasma cutters, torches and fabrication tools.
• Plan daily workloads and coordinate with site teams to minimise downtime.
• Ensure compliance with risk assessments, hot works permits and safe systems of work.
• Maintain accurate fabrication records and quality standards.
• Coach and develop team members to improve capability and consistency.
• Participate in daily briefings and team communications.
• Promote continuous improvement and reduce waste in turnaround times.

Skills

Supervising welding/fabrication teams

MIG/MAG welding

Read engineering drawings

Health & Safety knowledge

Education

Welding/fabrication qualification (NVQ/Apprenticeship)

Tools

Plasma cutters

Welding equipment

Job description

About The Role

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Welding and Fabrication Supervisor to join our GroundEngineering team working on the Sizewell C project in Leiston, Suffolk.

Be part of this ‘once in a generation’ project that will deliver clean energy to 6 million homes for the next 60 years. Sizewell C will see the creation of a 3.2 Gigawatt nuclear power station on the Suffolk coast to provide reliable load low-carbon electricity.

The Civil Works Alliance is an extended delivery enterprise involving Sizewell C and three international construction companies: Balfour Beatty, Bouygues Travaux Publics and Laing O’Rourke.

We are more than just an alliance; we are bringing together a single delivery organisation with years of learning and experience from other major complex infrastructure programmes worldwide.

Role purpose

To lead coordinate welding, fabrication, repair and hard facing activities for heavy digging tools, piling equipment and associated plant, ensuring work is completed safely, efficiently and to the required quality standards while minimising operational downtime.

What you'll be doing

The Successful Candidate Will Have The Following Accountabilities

• Supervise welders and fabrication personnel, allocating work, monitoring progress and supporting safe, efficient delivery;


• Oversee and complete fabrication, modification and repair work on tooling, piling rigs, heavy plant and associated components;


• Manage the application of wear-resistant materials to extend the life of digging tools and high-wear components;


• Inspect completed welding and fabrication work, identify defects or structural weaknesses, and ensure remedial action is completed before equipment returns to service;


• Ensure safe and competent use of welding equipment, plasma cutters, torches, reminders and other fabrication tools;


• Plan daily workloads, prioritise urgent repairs and coordinate with supervisors, fitters and site teams to minimise downtime;


• Ensure all welding and fabrication activities comply with risk assessments, hot works permits, safe systems of work and site safety requirements;


• Report all near misses, hazards or observations via the appropriate reporting route and to management;


• Ensure maintenance, inspection and fabrication records are completed accurately, on time and submitted as required;


• Maintain required standards for quality, productivity, housekeeping and equipment care within the fabrication area;


• Coach, support and share knowledge with team members to improve capability and consistency of work;


• Actively and positively participate in Daily Activity Briefings and all relevant team briefings;


• Communicate clearly with supervisors, fitters, site teams and management to support effective repairs and fabrication delivery;


• Promote continuous improvement by identifying better ways of working, reducing waste and improving turnaround times.

Who we're looking for

The Successful Candidate Will

• Be a time served Welder/Fabricator with significant experience in heavy fabrication, repair and maintenance environments;


• Hold a recognised welding/fabrication qualification, apprenticeship, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent experience;


• Have proven experience supervising or leading welding, fabrication or technical workshop teams;


• Possess strong practical knowledge of MIG/MAG welding, cutting, grinding, fabrication techniques and repair methods;


• Have experience with hard facing, heavy steel fabrication and repair of high-wear components (desirable);


• An ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, technical specifications and repair instructions;


• Have sound knowledge of Health & Safety requirements relating to welding, fabrication, hot works, lifting and workshop activities;


• Have undertaken IOSH Managing Safely (or equivalent) safety training (desirable);


• Be a confident communicator with the ability to coordinate workloads and engage effectively with site teams, fitters, supervisors and managers;


• Have excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise repairs, manage changing workloads and maintain quality standards;


• Be willing to go the extra mile to exceed expectations and continually searches for ways to add value and improve team performance;


• Be able to put aside personal agendas to work for the benefit of customers, suppliers and other stakeholders, proactively sharing knowledge, ideas and expertise with others.

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;


• 25 days annual leave + 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 experience 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/

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