Senior Maintenance Engineer (HVAC)

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Salary: £42,840 – £47,124 per annum (dependant on experience)

Contract Type: Open Ended (Permanent)

Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QX

Closing Date: 6th May 2024

Come and do the kind of engineering that made you want to be an engineer. Stretch your technical skills and, alongside world-leading scientists and technologists, shape projects that improve lives, and daily life, in the UK and far beyond.

Put simply, come and discover the impact you can make when you’re equipped, encouraged and inspired to perform to your very best. 

The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Estates department is responsible for the development of our three principal campuses; the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire, The Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire and the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh. 

We now have a new opportunity for a Senior Maintenance Engineer within the Estates department, this is a hands-on practical role that is responsible for the efficient day to day execution of maintenance activities primarily relating to HVAC and chilled water systems based at Rutherford Appleton laboratory in Oxfordshire. You will carry out maintenance duties to sustain and improve air-conditioning plant, chilled water systems, humidification plant, air handling units and general ventilation systems to support STFCs world-class scientific facilities. 

The role is responsible for undertaking the efficient and effective day-to-day execution of maintenance activities relating to the heating and ventilation services. The role reports to the Mechanical Services Supervisor, undertaking maintenance to ensure the provision of safe and reliable mechanical services across the STFC estate. You will be responsible for ensuring services meet or exceed relevant industry standards and comply with STFC’s Health and Safety codes and comply with the relevant statutory regulations.

You will be responsible for the continuous development of heating and ventilation standards through an ongoing proactive programme of maintenance regimes which are managed through the Estates Helpdesk. You will also have an active role in the installation of new/replacement mechanical services and systems across the estate. 

A further list of duties and responsibilities include: 

• Taking a lead role in the operation and maintenance of the estates mechanical services (heating/air conditioning/chilled water and other piped services).
• Overseeing works carried by less experienced members of the team and third party suppliers 
• Ensuring that all work carried out on STFC’s estate is completed in an effective and professional manner and that all current safety and technical legislation is adhered to, including; 
• assess risk assessments and method statements submitted by contractors
• assess risk assessments and method statements produced for in-house staff
• safe systems of work (permits/isolation procedures/hot works/chlorination/testing and re-commissioning) 
• Organise, implement and undertake maintenance, remedial works and upgrades; and effectively communicate subsequent impact to the relevant STFC estate stakeholders
• To carry out works efficiently and effectively; acquiring and signing off work through the STFC designated computer-aided facility management package via a mobile device.
• Installation, operation, fault finding, repair and maintenance of a wide range of mechanical building services such as plumbing, heating and ventilation systems.
• Carry out legionella related maintenance tasks, including system flushing, temperature tests, water sampling and storage vessel inspections.
• Ensuring that all work carried out on STFC’s estate is completed in an effective and professional manner and that all current safety and technical legislation is adhered to.
• Ensure that works are completed to a high standard and in a timely fashion in order to reduce their impact on scientific programmes.
• Attend training courses on future developments and technologies as required for the role.
• You may sometimes be required to take on additional authorised person responsibilities (for example pressure systems/legionella control).
• To be able to assist the Mechanical Supervisor with scheduling PPM’s and reactive works across both the in house and third-party resource.
• Ability to be on call during silent hours which will be compensated by an on-call allowance (one week in five, as part of a planned rotation). 

Essential:

• C&G Level 2/3 NVQ Certificate 6187 – Certificate in Servicing and Maintaining Air Conditioning and Heat Pump Systems 
• Good working knowledge of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and mechanical services
• Experience of fault finding in heating, ventilation and mechanical plant systems
• Knowledge of safety legislation
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Fluorinated Gas (F gas) training
• Confidence in dealing with suppliers and service users
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Conscientious with good attention to detail
• Ability to work with minimal supervision
• Ability to be on call out of hours, currently one in five weeks 

Desirable:

• Successfully completed a time-served trade apprenticeship
• Sound understanding of H&S legislation
• Boiler Operation Accreditation Scheme (BOAS) or relevant steam systems accreditation
• Basic knowledge of Computer Aided Facility Management Systems (CAFM)
• Good knowledge of Document L8 and its practical application
• Asbestos awareness trained
• IPAF and PASMA trained

STFC values their employees by offering a benefits package designed to provide an excellent work/life balance including 30 days annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege holidays, flexible working hours, a workplace nursery, exceptional average salary pension scheme, social and sporting activities and societies and a subsidised restaurant.

As one of Europe’s largest research organisations, this is a place where there’s always something new to learn about the world around us, about your career, but most of all, about yourself.

Join us and discover what’s possible by submitting your CV and covering letter which outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council is a world-leading multi-disciplinary science organisation where curiosity-driven, blue-skies thinking meets practical, application-led science and engineering. Our goal is to deliver economic, societal, scientific and international benefits to the UK and its people – and more broadly to the world.

One of Europe’s largest research organisations, we’re trusted to support, enable and undertake cutting-edge projects in an amazing diversity of fields. Through world-class facilities and people, we’re driving ground-breaking advances in science, engineering, computing and technology. Our research seeks to understand the Universe from the largest astronomical scales to the tiniest constituents of matter, yet creates impact on a very tangible, human scale.

For more information about STFC please visit https://stfc.ukri.org/

You can also visit our careers site https://www.stfccareers.co.uk/

How to Apply

Online applications only for this role. Please submit your CV and a covering letter if you wish along with your motivation to join STFC and the role you’re applying for. 

About UKRI

Launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). UK Research and Innovation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. More information can be found at https://www.ukri.org/. 

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