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Area Technical Manager

THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION
South west
Full-time
8th February 2026

Area Technical Manager - South West Lifeguards South west Internal only

Area Technical Manager - South West Lifeguards South west Internal only

Internal vacancy

The RNLI actively promotes continuous development within the organisation and is only seeking applications from current RNLI employees and volunteers at this time. If this position is not filled internally it may be re-advertised openly. #LI-DNI

About us

Our purpose is simple: to save lives at sea. 24 hours a day, every day, RNLI lifesavers are ready to launch to the rescue.

The Regional Technical Team will support the RNLI by working collaboratively across Lifesaving Operations and Engineering & Supply to ensure the effective maintenance of RNLI assets and equipment. A particularly important relationship in this role will be with the corresponding Regional Lifeguard Leads.

Some of the benefits

  • Salary Grade F
  • Flexible working
  • 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
  • Outstanding pension scheme
  • Life assurance
  • Health and dental cashplan

Your role

As an Area Technical Manager, you will manage a team of Technicians responsible for the availability, serviceability and compliance of all RNLI assets and equipment.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Responsible for the safe, efficient, and effective delivery of preventative and corrective maintenance in accordance with RNLI policies, standards, and external legislation.
  • Ensure the safe operation of RNLI assets and equipment by working collaboratively with Lifesaving Operations colleagues.
  • Recruit and line manage a team of specialist technicians and carry out managerial assurance checks to ensure all regional technical team activities are completed in accordance with RNLI policies and procedures.
  • Support technical colleagues with their continuing professional development through the management of the training and development requirements of the team ensuring the appropriate licences and certification are held by the team to undertake RNLI operation activities.
  • Develop key face to face relationships to foster operational engineering ‘ways of working’ with internal and external stakeholders.

About you

You’ll be an effective team manager with a pragmatic approach to problem solving and a calm approach to a busy workload. Able to communicate at all levels, you’ll also be willing to travel as part of the role, spend evenings away from home and go afloat with our Lifesaving Operations teams.

To be an Area Technical Manager you will need:

  • HNC/D or Republic of Ireland (ROI) NFQ Level 6 in Engineering, or equivalent
  • Level 5 Cert in Team Leading or equivalent experience
  • Considerable proven experience of technical systems and experience implementing, delivering, and maintaining technical assurance and compliance.
  • Considerable proven experience of strategic implementation and support
  • Demonstrable experience in driving continuous improvement

So, if you consider yourself to be an experienced engineering manager, with a passion to ensure our fleet of boats and equipment are always maintained to a high standard, please apply via the button shown below.

This post requires a valid driving licence.

Safeguarding

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding; protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero-tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment. This will include relevant criminal record checks being carried out dependent on the eligibility of the role. (England & Wales; DBS check, Scotland; Disclosure Scotland PVG, Northern Ireland; Access NI, Republic of Ireland; Garda Vetting; International, International Child Protection Certificate process).

Diversity at the RNLI

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams, and consider it essential to help us deliver a world-class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values (trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable), and helping us work towards Our Vision: To save Every One.