Job Description
About BeWILDerwood
BeWILDerwood is a WILD and imaginative business running 2 family adventure parks – one in Norfolk and the other in Cheshire. With magical treehouses, exciting play structures and a hint of intriguing characters, BeWILDerwood brings a unique experience to the countryside. BeWILDerwood is based upon the Boggle at BeWILDerwood book series written by author and owner Tom Blofeld, and visitors are encouraged to enter into this magical world when they visit.
We encourage children and their families to enjoy traditional, imaginative and healthy outdoor play. Our parks are truly enchanting places and we are unlike any other tourist attractions, as there is no enforced secondary spend, no noisy rides, no electronics and no junk food. Having opened in 2008 BeWILDerwood Norfolk is long established as the “must visit” attraction in the East of England for families. BeWILDerwood Cheshire opened in April 2021, and is quickly developing the same accolade for itself in the North West!
We are now looking for a Maintenance Manager to head up our maintenance department at our Cheshire site, look after the facilities within the park, and monitor and deliver our health & safety policies and standards.
About the Role
This is an opportunity for an experienced Maintenance Manager to truly make their mark on the business, taking the reins leading our maintenance team.
The Maintenance Manager takes the lead to ensure all planned and reactive maintenance & facilities activities are completed to a high standard; keeping all play structures, buildings and the general site in tip top condition for our customers and staff alike. The role will also be responsible for leading on health and safety, liaising with outside contractors, stock and budget control and developing our yearly schedule of maintenance activities.
The ideal candidate will have the ability to work with, motivate and manage a small multi skilled team, have experience of build and maintenance of wooden framed structures and site infrastructure and knowledge of site health and safety regulations. The ability to organise, juggle and deliver various projects on time, on budget and to the correct standard is key to the success of this role.
Person Specification
Essential
- Significant experience of motivating, leading and developing maintenance teams.
- Experience of constructing schedules, managing and prioritising a high workload and issues in a changing environment.
- Procurement and budget management experience.
- Experience of managing buildings and/or maintaining wooden structures such as play equipment.
- Experience of managing a range of hard services and working with external contractors.
- IOSH/NEBOSH Qualification.
- Full driving licence.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to deliver high quality work with minimum supervision.
- Project management experience.
Desirable
- Experience in a similar environment – i.e. play structures or visitor attractions.
- A general knowledge of planning applications.
- Ability to read and work to plans e.g. CAD, Sketchup or Structural drawings.
- First aid and COSHH qualifications.
- IT Skills – Office, Project Management software.
Main Duties
Health & Safety
- Be accountable to the Head of Operations for implementing the Health & Safety policy, improving and refining where necessary and keeping all statutory paperwork in good order.
- Assist the Head of Operations in the development of safety procedures throughout the park, establishing rules and safe working practices.
- Ensure all relevant risk assessments, safe systems of work, COSHH assessments and any other statutory or required processes are followed at the correct frequency.
- Be responsible for ensuring that the park is safe and operational at the start of each day and for solving any maintenance issues that may arise.
- Ensure that daily maintenance checks are carried out, with the relevant paperwork completed and filed appropriately.
- Ensure that monthly checks are carried out in conjunction with the Head of Operations, with the relevant paperwork completed and filed appropriately.
- Where necessary, particularly after extreme weather incidents, perform detailed park checks in conjunction with the Head of Operations to ensure the park is safe.
- Ensure all Fire Safety checks are carried out as required and relevant paperwork is completely and filed appropriately.
- Ensure all Fire Fighting Equipment is in full working order on a weekly basis and that it is regularly serviced.
- Liaise with the company’s external Structural Engineer and The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, ensuring yearly checks are carried out, all necessary work is completed within an agreed time frame and relevant paperwork is filed and stored correctly.
- Liaise with the company’s external Tree Consultant, ensuring yearly checks are carried out, all necessary work is completed within an agreed time frame and relevant paperwork is filed and stored correctly.
Staff Management
- Manage the workload of the maintenance team, ensuring work is delegated correctly, the team have the required equipment and jobs are completed safely in a timely fashion.
- Manage the workload of the cleaning team, ensuring the park is cleaned regularly and to an excellent standard.
- Undertake weekly meetings with the Maintenance team, dealing with any queries and focusing all staff on working hard and keeping motivated.
- Manage all maintenance team holiday/TOIL requests, keeping records maintained and required training up to date in conjunction with the finance department.
- Sign off all maintenance and cleaning staff hours on a weekly basis via the company’s shift monitoring system.
- In conjunction with the Head of Operations, discuss and implement further training for all maintenance staff.
- Be part of the wider BeWILDerwood family of parks, making efforts to share good practice with maintenance staff at other parks on a regular basis including travelling to other parks.
Maintenance Work
- Be an active part of park maintenance work, pitching in with practical work when needed and leading the team from the front.
- Ensure all planned maintenance work is completed in a timely manner, liaising with other departments and prioritising safety critical work above all else.
- React appropriately to all unplanned maintenance work.
- Liaising closely with the Head of Operations, ensure that the winter maintenance schedule is planned in advance, taking on board external consultant requirements, and that the work is completed on time, on budget and to the correct standard.
- Support other departments in relation to their maintenance needs – for example supporting the Events Manager to build and maintain all events equipment, specifically for the October Half Term and Easter events.
Project Management
- Produce formal project plans for major works within an agreed project management framework.
- Plan, schedule and prioritise all maintenance work, if required in conjunction with the Head of Operations.
- Project Manage any new builds within the park, ensuring all maintenance work continues to be carried out and timeframes and budgets are adhered to.
Facilities
- Manage the provision of the yearly maintenance regime, including external contract works such as alarms, fire suppression, waste disposal, licences, vehicle maintenance, pest control, ecological surveys, electrical testing and site security.
- Ensure all plumbing, electrical, water and waste systems are operational, in good working order, regularly checked and arrange relevant services with competent external contractors.
- Ensure the disposal of waste throughout the park is managed correctly.
- Ensure the park is secured at the end of each day and all security issues are highlighted to the Head of Operations and investigated correctly.
- Be the first point of contact for the external CCTV provider, ensuring equipment is regularly maintained and call outs are dealt with appropriately.
- Manage the completion of paperwork to ensure that facilities are in good working order and relevant legislation is being followed.
New Build
- Work closely with the Park Owner, Head of Operations and design department to develop new structures and buildings in the park.
- In conjunction with the design department, procure the correct equipment for new build, sourcing from the correct suppliers and where possible, have an input in all planning matters.
- Develop a build schedule for new builds.
- Liaise with any required external contractors throughout the project, ensuring new structures are built to the correct standards and signed off accordingly before use.
Vehicles/Equipment
- Develop and maintain a list of all maintenance tools and stock, ensuring equipment is well looked after and maintained to the correct standards.
- Ensure regular stock takes are carried out on all equipment and maintenance stock, with records maintained. Investigate any discrepancies in conjunction with the Head of Operations and Finance team.
- Ensure that a list of approved suppliers and contractors is maintained, with details of goods purchased from each is available to all Managers.
- Ensure all vehicles are regularly maintained, from weekly checks and cleaning to annual servicing and MOTs.
- Provide all required PPE equipment and clothing for the maintenance team, ensuring it is regularly maintained and used when required.
Maintenance Budget
- In conjunction with the Head of Operations and Finance team, ensure the maintenance budget is managed with all purchases recorded, paperwork filed, costs controlled and an update on spend presented regularly.
- Be responsible for overseeing the purchase of all maintenance equipment, from screws and hammers to vehicles and timber stock.
- Control the maintenance purchase order system – getting the best prices for the right equipment, the purchases are within budget and recorded correctly.
- Ensure regular checks of all maintenance stock are completed and reported.
Reporting
- Report all department activities on a weekly basis to the Head of Operations, updating on progress, giving an overview for future plans, spend and highlighting any areas of concern.
- Report all department activities, including spend and future projects on a monthly basis to the Board, via the Board report.
- Regularly liaise with the Finance Team regarding Maintenance spend.
Other duties
- Maintain BeWILDerwood values in everything you do - we’re all about families playing together in a happy safe place.
- Manage and maintain strong relationships with staff, both seasonal and full time, in all areas of BeWILDerwood.
- Carry out any other duties that may be reasonably required.
- Be kind to animals, little people and creatures as one day they may rise up and get you back.
- Read Tom’s books (with your kids if you have them) and get a feeling for the stories they tell and the creatures who live at BeWILDerwood.
- Be good, work hard, be part of our team, take responsibility, make sure our visitors both large and small have fun.
- Have fun yourself, smile, go home, eat fudge, relax.
Policies
- To carry out all duties in accordance with the policies of BeWILDerwood.
- Uphold your legal duty to take care of your own Health and Safety and that of your colleagues.
Closing Date – Wednesday 26th May 2023, although we may close the applications early if sufficient applicants have been received, so please apply quickly to avoid disappointment!
For further information or an informal chat about the role, please contact our Head of Operations, Tom Gilliford on 01829 830730.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Salary: £30,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Discounted or free food
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekend availability
Work Location: In person
Application deadline: 26/05/2023