Facilities Assistant

St John's College School is seeking to appoint two Facilities Assistant to join the Facilities and Maintenance team which is a vital part of the daily operation of the School.

The School is situated across a number of sites along Grange Road in Cambridge, including the Junior Department (Byron House) at 63 Grange Road, the Head’s house at 67 Grange Road, the boarding house (Whitfield House) at 69 Grange Road and the Senior Department (Senior House) at 73-75 Grange. The buildings are owned by St John’s College and maintained by the School’s Facilities Team, with some functions outsourced to subcontractors (e.g. garden maintenance). The Facilities team is based at 75 Grange Road and provides support across all locations.

The Facilities Assistants work as part of the team to:

• Maintain clean, safe and secure school premises, which includes buildings and grounds
• Carry out routine maintenance and refurbishment, and minor repairs
• Promote health and safety around the school
• All other aspects of site management, such as supervising external contractors, and site use as directed by the Facilities Manager.

Further details regarding specific responsibilities can be found in the job description.

Terms of Employment

Hours

The hours of work for this role are 40 hours per week plus an hour unpaid lunch a day (lunch from the School’s dining hall is provided free of charge), all year round (52 weeks a year), meaning you will be on site for 9 hours per day. The start and end times of the day will be set by the Facilities Manager and may vary across the team in order to provide cover on site before and after the normal school day.

You may be required to work evenings and Saturdays for special events such as Sports Day and Open Days. You will also be expected to be available for major school events, such as Firework Night. You will also be required to provide cover for absent colleagues, including for the School’s minibus drivers for morning bus routes to school. There may also be the opportunity to work extra hours during holiday periods, as agreed with your Line Manager.

Salary

The full-time salary starting salary for this role working 40 hours for 52 weeks a year is £23,000 - £26,000, depending on skills and experience.

Holidays

The annual holiday entitlement for this role is 5.6 weeks, inclusive of Bank Holidays. The annual holiday year runs from 1 September to 31 August.  

Person specification

Essential

• Experience in a relevant, similar position or the ability to demonstrate the required competencies to fulfil the duties of the role as outlined;
• Excellent range of interpersonal skills for dealing with the parents, children, staff and the public;
• Good communication and listening skills;
• A friendly and approachable manner and an ability to maintain this when dealing with difficult or challenging situations;
• Ability to work on own and form part of an effective team;
• Ability to learn quickly and a willingness to adapt, be flexible and happy to be deployed across the School;
• Ability to multi-task with ability to prioritise and deal with multiple issues on a regular basis and work under pressure;
• Ability to work in a manual handling environment, lifting heavy equipment and furniture on occasion in line with training and support equipment provided;
• Ability to use basic hand tools, fuel powered tools and undertake basic minor repairs or maintenance;
• Ability to undertake cleaning duties using chemical substances;
• Ability to implement emergency procedures, and an awareness of health and safety at work practice;
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable;
• Full and clean UK driving licence;
• A commitment to the school’s educational ethos and aims;
• A commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of both colleagues and pupils.

Desirable

• First Aid qualification (or a willingness to undertake training);
• A valid MiDAS training certificate to drive minibuses (or a willingness to undertake training);
• A relevant qualification in Building Maintenance and Multi-Trade Repair (or a willingness to undertake training)
• A relevant qualification in Electrical Installations or Plumbing (or a willingness to undertake training)
• Completion of relevant training courses or a willingness to complete them, e.g.: IOSH Working Safely; Asbestos Awareness; Legionella Awareness; Fire Safety Awareness; Manual Handling Awareness; Working At Height Awareness; COSHH Awareness; Data Protection Awareness

Applications

A fully completed application form and covering letter should be submitted to the Director of Operations (recruitment@sjcs.co.uk) by 8AM on Monday 22nd April.

St John’s College School in committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

Applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service.

All appointments are subject to a criminal background check and proof of qualifications in accordance with the requirements of the Children Act.