Building Services Engineer

Winchester College has an exciting opportunity to appoint a Building Services Engineer (BSE) starting as soon as possible.

The school has in its care an extraordinary range of buildings from chapels and classrooms to a swimming pool and science laboratories; from 14th – 21st centuries. The list includes 11 Boarding Houses and over 100 staff houses.

This built environment is maintained and improved by the Works Department. Under the direction of the Estate Bursar, who also manages the capital projects, The Works Manager has a staff of about 25 operatives and is supported by a small office team including a Re-active Maintenance Supervisor.

Members of staff have a great affection for the school and 18 of its number have worked her for over 10 years. Combined with this affection, their exemplary skills produce a comprehensive and reliable service to the school community

The department operates out of purpose-built facility in Normal Road. The building, completed in 2022, includes a well-equipped joinery workshop.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEER

The following summary of duties is not an exhaustive list but is intended to help the successful applicant in their understanding of the breadth of responsibilities expected. These include:

• On a day-to-day basis this will involve maintenance on a wide range of electrical, mechanical and electronic equipment, on both a reactive and preventative basis.

• Complete PPM and compliance tasks in line with the yearly programme to HVAC equipment including servicing and replacing Motors, Valves, Controls, pumps, life safety systems, plumbing and electrical tasks and water Hygiene.

• To provide technical support to the management team on all electrical, mechanical, and electronic equipment including existing and proposed designs, parts, components, and installation.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake planned or reactive maintenance work on college service assets ensuring optimum serviceability which meets both customers agreed service levels, and statutory regulations. This includes inspecting assets which are not meeting required performance levels by assessing and reporting what remedial action is required and undertaking that work.

• Carry out tasks which require in depth technical competence in Building Service Engineering according to CIBSE guidelines and work in other disciplines in which you have the competent skills to do so. Engage proactively in any work associated with delivering performance improvements within the building services environment.

• Use prevailing Winchester College IT and work management systems (for example Quadpro, BMS), as required. This includes receiving & closing work orders and entering accurate data.

• Respond to jobs in a courteous, efficient, and professional manner. You will be required to use Quadpro and other software to both communicate with others and record work done and time spent on college assets.

• Carry out dynamic risk assessments of working practices which ensure a safe working environment for yourself and others and contribute to the development of a safety culture whilst adhering to mandatory regulations and safety procedures.

• Communicate effectively with our customers on the progress and completion of work. Liaise with Building Services Supervisor to reduce minimum down time of a facility to the customer.

• Work with others, including colleagues and apprentices, on a one-to-one basis to improve technical proficiency and personal development.

• Maintain stock levels which are to be held at the local store’s points for use in maintenance routines and arrange the return of any repairable items to the relevant service centre or manufacturer for repair.

• Supervise contractors as directed whilst on site to ensure that work is carried out to Winchester College Safety and Technical standards. Instruct personnel who are required to operate electrical/mechanical equipment in the safe use of the equipment and advise on the hazards arising from improper operation.

• Participate in projects and working parties and carry out any other duties that may be outside the standard remit for the purpose of personal development, or as may be reasonably required by Winchester College.

• Responsible for personal and, if applicable, team compliance with Health and Safety, Security and Environment/Sustainable Development Policies, ensuring working practices minimise risk to self, work colleagues, customers, staff and the environment.

• To comply with all legal and statutory obligations applicable to this role.

• To ensure that the activities required by the safety, security, safeguarding, and environmental/sustainable development management systems are delivered throughout the areas of responsibility of this role.

• To ensure that any systems and procedures introduced by the Winchester College, are effectively implemented and adhered to.

Reporting Lines

The Building Services Engineer reports directly into the Building Services and Energy Manager

PERSON SPECIFICATION AND KEY QUALITIES

Professional Experience

• Ideally serviced in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering, including a City & Guilds qualification or equivalent experience

• Knowledge and experience of Electro-Mechanical or Building Services Engineering is essential

• Proven experience in Plumbing, Heating, Ventilation or Electrical maintenance

Skills and Knowledge

• Sound knowledge of Health & Safety regulations, including the preparation and application of risk assessments and method statements

• Good working knowledge of computers and electronic principles

• Excellent customer service and interpersonal communication skills

• Full clean driving license

Personal Attributes

• Self motivated with the ability to organise and manage own workload and projects effectively

• Able to work independently and prioritise tasks to meet operational requirements

• Strong organisational skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving

BENEFITS, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND APPLICATION

Start Date

Flexible start date for the right candidate with preference for commencement as soon as possible

Hours of Work

This position is full-time, 40 hours per week, 52 weeks of the year, Monday-Friday 08.00 – 16.30 with 30 minutes for lunch and 10 minutes morning break, with addition of some evening and weekend requirements as part of an emergency call-out rota. Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated bank account in 12 equal payments. Salary levels will next be reviewed on 1 September annually and this appointment will next be reviewed in September 2027

Salary

Salary of £45,000, commensurate with qualifications and experience. Salary is paid monthly, in arrears, to a nominated back account in 12 equal payments.

Induction and Continuous Training and Development

The school is fully committed to the induction, training and development of all our staff, with staff supported to grow and reach their full potential.

We deliver a range of training, run by both our own staff and external providers, varying from highly practical First Aid courses to seminars and learning lunches on many aspects of teaching and learning.

There is an annual cycle of appraisal offering the opportunity to reflect on professional practice and development opportunities.

The school also offers a wide range of apprenticeships supporting staff development and progression.

Pension and Life Cover

On employment, employees will be auto-enrolled into the College’s pension scheme according to legislative thresholds. Those who are not eligible for auto-enrolment may still elect to join the College’s pension scheme.

Initially, when joining the College’s pension scheme, employees will become a member of the College’s Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP). For this Plan, known as Tier 1, the employee contributes 4% and the employer 3%.

After 9 month’s membership of the Tier 1 plan, employees may opt to join Tier 2, which is also a GPP, where the employee contributes 5% and the employer 9%.

Employees in Tier 1 automatically qualify for a Life Cover of 2 times salary. On entry to Tier 2, Life Cover changes to 4 times salary.

Annual Leave

The College leave year runs from 1 September to 31 August. This position will be entitled to 28 days holiday annually, which includes the usual Public Bank Holidays. Any Public Bank Holiday occurring during term time is deemed to be a normal working day. All leave must be taken by prior arrangement and must be taken outside of the school’s term times.

Subject to the discretion of the school’s Bursar, a gift may also be given of extra time off during the Christmas period.

Wider Benefits

Free staff lunches during term time.

• Free use of some sports facilities and discounted hire charges for others

• Tour of the College, with discounted rates available for booking venues within the school’s grounds for hospitality events.

• Cycle to work scheme.

• Free access to an ongoing cycle of cultural, musical, theatrical and sporting talks and events.

• Employee Referral Scheme, with a reward of up to £250 for staff (subject to scheme conditions).

• Free Library membership with access to a range of online journals and magazines.

• Reduced green fee rates for local golf course.

Probation, Notice Periods

The first three months of employment will be a probationary period. Regular reviews with line managers take place over the probationary period with the opportunity to discuss progress, identify any areas for action and ensure that there is appropriate guidance and support in place to enable successful completion of the probationary period.

During the probationary period, the notice required by either party to terminate employment will be one week. Once employment is confirmed, the notice period will be one month.

Disclosure Check

As Winchester College is an educational establishment, a condition of employment will be that the successful candidate must consent to the school obtaining an Enhanced Level Disclosure Check through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This will reveal all spent and unspent convictions, warnings, cautions and bind-overs. A policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on the school’s website.

Safeguarding is one of the primary responsibilities of this role. The jobholder is responsible for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young persons for whom they are responsible, or with whom they come into contact with, and will need to adhere to and ensure compliance with the school’s Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy at all times. The postholder should be conversant with the responsibilities and procedures detailed in this policy and with the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education. If, in the course of carrying out the duties of the post, the postholder becomes aware of any actual or potential risks to the safety or welfare of children in the school, they must report any concerns to the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, or in their absence, the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.

References and Other Pre-employment Checks

The appointment will be dependent upon the receipt of a successful medical check and satisfactory references. The College will usually seek references from shortlisted candidates before interview and may approach previous employers for information to verify particular experience or qualifications. At least one referee must be the current or most recent employer. Where applicants are not currently working with children but have done so in the past, one referee must be the person by whom they were most recently employed when working with children.

Only applications completed on the school website will be accepted. Please attach a full CV with your application.

Please note that applications will be dealt with as they arrive. Winchester College reserves the right to appoint before the deadline passes.

Closing date for applications: Midnight on 15th October 2026

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the recruitment process, please email recruitment@wincoll.ac.uk

Diversity and Inclusion

We embrace diversity and inclusion in the workplace and are committed to promoting a fair and supportive environment for all our employees. We are keen to welcome applications from all applicants that feel that they meet the requirements of the role, regardless of their background and culture.

Data Protection

Winchester College collects and processes relevant personal data as part of its everyday operations and is obliged to process it in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation and Data Act 2018. The school is the Data Controller of this data under the Act and is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office. Its registration number is Z5751669.

If you have any queries or comments about this policy or how personal data is processed by the school, please contact the Bursar and his team by emailing: dataprotection@wincoll.ac.uk or by writing to: Data Protection, The Bursary, Winchester College, College Street, Winchester, SO23 9NA.