Facilities Assistant

This is a fabulous opportunity to work for an award-winning educational establishment, with an outstanding reputation. As a Facilities Assistant, you will have the opportunity to work amongst beautiful surroundings in Central Cambridge. As part of the team, your primary responsibilities will be to maintain clean, safe and secure school premises, carry out routine maintenance and refurbishment and minor repairs and all other aspects of site management as directed by the Facilities Manager. The role of Facilities Assistant will suit someone who has previous experience in a similar or relevant position, is able to multitask, adopts a flexible and adaptable approach to their work and demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills.

PLEASE NOTE: The hours of work for this role are 40 hours per week (9 hours a 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 occasional work evenings and Saturdays for special events such as Parents Evening, Sports Day and Open Days.

Specific Responsibilities

Maintenance: Ensure clean, safe and secure school premises, which includes all buildings and grounds; Carry out routine maintenance and refurbishment, decoration works and minor repairs; Maintain the school premises, furniture and fittings, reporting any issues to the Facilities ManagerSecurity: Assist with the drop-off of younger children at the beginning of the day; Check at the end of the day that all windows, doors and gates are locked, lights switched off, and gas and electrical appliances are turned off; Bring to the attention of the Facilities Manager all matters relating to school security and safetySafeguarding: Comply with the policies and procedures relating to child protection, health and safety, security, confidentiality and data protection, and equal opportunities, and report all concerns to an appropriate person; Supervising external contractors, and site use as directed by the Facilities ManagerHealth & Safety: Promote and ensure a safe working and learning environment in accordance with relevant legislation; Take appropriate action to identify, evaluate and minimise any risks to health, safety and security in the working environment; Carry out routine checks and inspections, with training and as directed by the Facilities Manager, to meet Health & Safety compliance requirements, e.g. Legionella checks, Portable Appliance Testing, Fire panel testing, etc.; Provide safe access to the school in cold weather conditionsCleaning: Carry out routine cleaning tasks such as clearing drains and gutters, pressure washing, etc; Carry out some daily cleaning and ad-hoc duties, such as litter picking and arranging the disposal of waste when school is in session; Carry out emergency cleaning duties, such as gritting and cleaning up spillagesGeneral: Carry out porterage duties, such as moving deliveries, furniture and equipment around the school; Establish constructive relationships and communication with all staff and other agencies/professionals; Provide cover for absent colleagues; Participate in an out-of-hours on-call duty rota as specified by the Facilities Manager; General duties as directed by the Facilities ManagerCommunity: Contribute to the overall ethos/work/aims of the school; Prepare for School and Parents’ Association Events - Fireworks, Parties, Sports Day and Speech Day etc, which may involve work out of hours as directed by the Facilities ManagerSpecialist / Development: Drive the school minibus when needed (training will be provided if required); Help to maintain the school swimming pool (training will be provided if required); Participate in training and other learning activities and performance development as required

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

Essential

• Minimum of GCSEs or equivalent, including English and Maths.
• Experience in a relevant, similar position or the ability to demonstrate the required competencies to fulfil the duties of the role as outlined
• Basic knowledge of health and safety regulations
• Strong practical skills in maintenance and repair tasks with the ability to use a variety of tools and equipment safely, e.g. basic hand tools, fuel powered tools to undertake basic minor repairs or maintenance
• Excellent range of interpersonal skills for dealing with the parents, children, staff and the public, good communication and listening skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• A multi-tasker with ability to prioritise and deal with multiple issues on a regular basis and work under pressure to deadlines
• A quick learner with a willingness to adapt, be flexible and happy to be deployed across the school
• Ability to implement emergency procedures
• Full and clean UK driving licence
• Reliable and punctual
• Proactive and able to use initiative
• Positive attitude and a commitment to providing a high standard of service
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Enhanced DBS check (Disclosure and Barring Service)
• A willingness to undertake cleaning duties using chemical substances
• A good level of fitness and an ability to perform physical tasks

Desirable

• IT skills, including the use of email and basic software applications
• Ability to manage small projects and coordinate with external contractors
• NVQ Level 2 in Facilities Services or a related field
• Experience working in a school or educational environment
• First Aid qualification (a willingness to undertake training is essential)
• A valid MiDAS training certificate to drive minibuses (a willingness to undertake training is essential)
• Relevant qualifications in Building Maintenance/Multi-Trade Repair/Electrical Installations or Plumbing (or a willingness to undertake training)
• Completion of relevant training courses or a willingness to complete them