Head of Maintenance
The Head of Maintenance is a key player in the routine day to day operational running of the school in both term time and school holidays as well as having the core responsibility of developing, improving and maintaining all school buildings. The role requires dedication, with possible work out of hours, reflecting the boarding nature of the school. A willingness to embrace H&S and a personable manner are essential criteria. This is an important post within the support staff and the Head of Maintenance will contribute to the strategic planning of the development of the School Site.
Overview
Primary Role
The Head of Maintenance’s primary role is the development, improvement, maintenance and upkeep of all School buildings. In addition, the Maintenance Manager is a key player in the routine day to day operational running of the school, in both term time and school holidays.
Line Manager
The Line Manager for the Head of Maintenance is the Estates and Operations Manager who is responsible to the Bursar.
Main responsibilities
This is a demanding and wide-ranging appointment within the school and the incumbent is an important member of the support staff. The key elements of this role include but are not limited to:
Leader and Line Manager – the Head of Maintenance leads the Maintenance team. The Head of Maintenance must have a good understanding of line management procedures such as appraisal, recruitment, competency and discipline protocols.
Budget Holder – the Head of Maintenance is responsible for managing expenditure as part of the Maintenance Budget held by the Estates and Operations Manager. The job holder is responsible for the management of expenditure in line with the terms of the School’s Finance Regulations.
Maintenance – the Head of Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all School buildings including staff residential accommodation. He or she is required to run a comprehensive programme of preventative maintenance (including a rolling maintenance programme such as gutter, gully and drain cleaning) as well as provision of an efficient, timely and effective reactive maintenance service. The Head of Maintenance is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all maintenance equipment and the servicing and safety inspections of all boilers (that the school owns) on the site. The Head of Maintenance is responsible for monitoring and the reporting of faults with any contractor owned equipment (biomass boilers). the Head of Maintenance provides an on-call out-of-hours emergency maintenance call-out service 365 days a year. He will organise the roster and be available for out of hours call-out.
Health and Safety – the Head of Maintenance assists the Estates and Operations Manager in her role as Health and Safety Coordinator for the School. In addition, he is responsible for all elements of Health and Safety with regard to the activity of the maintenance department staff and any contractors on site. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring the school is compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act (as it applies to the maintenance department) and Construction (Design and Materials) Regulations, Legionella legislation, Working at Height, Manual Handling and Asbestos legislation. It is a key responsibility for the Head of Maintenance to ensure that any works carried out on site are safe, and that the Health and Safety records, including suitable and sufficient risk assessments, method statements and training records, are all produced and recorded as necessary. The Head of Maintenance is a member of the School’s Health and Safety Committee.
Small Projects – the Head of Maintenance, as directed by the Estates and Operations Manager, will manage a series of small projects each year. This will include planning, budgeting, execution, safety (including CDM considerations) and coordination with other School departments to minimise the impact of works on the running of the school. These small projects will often involve external contractors and the Head of Maintenance acts as the first point of contact and coordinator for contractors and sub-contractors working on the site.
Major Projects – the Head of Maintenance role will vary with major projects, but he will be required to advise and support the Estates and Operations Manager at all stages of a project and is likely to have an important role with regard to quality control and liaison with the contractors.
Fire Safety – the Head of Maintenance is responsible for the provision of a modern and effective Fire Safety warning system including its maintenance and testing. He or she is also required to plan, implement and record the maintenance and servicing of all other fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and emergency lighting. The Head of Maintenance leads on all aspects of the fire panels on site and is responsible for providing an on-call (reasonably prompt response, ideally within 30 minutes) duty member of staff 365 days per year to act as the Fire Safety Support Officer in the event of the fire alarm sounding.
Swimming Pool – the Head of Maintenance is responsible for the provision of a safe and attractive swimming pool facility for use by the school community and other authorised groups through the efficient management of the swimming pool plant including a strict regime of water quality testing.
Events – the Head of Maintenance is required to support a wide range of School and Commercial activities such as Speech Days, Parents Association events, Summer Balls, lettings and many other routine and one-off events.
Security – in conjunction with the Estates and Operations Manager, the Head of Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance of the security aspects of the School. This includes the provision and upkeep of Door Code PIN security.
Miscellaneous – in addition, the support staff are part of a team that provides all aspects of support for the Headmaster and his Senior Leadership Team to run the school. The Head of Maintenance will be required to work with many of the teaching and pastoral staff in order to support the aims of the school. He may also be required to perform other duties as required by the Estates and Operations Manager.
Please see full Job description for further details
Job Description
Application Form
Recruitment and Staff Monitoring Form
Where to send your application
Application Process
Interviews will be held on receipt of a positive letter of interest and application form. There will be an opportunity to meet other members of staff and to see the school at work. Details of West Buckland Schools competitive salary will be discussed at Interview.
Interested applicants should submit an application form and letter of interest to:
HR Manager, West Buckland School, Barnstaple, EX32 0SX or e-mail: [email protected]
