COLFE'S SCHOOL
36,500 - 40,000 per year
Colfe’s School, London, SE12 8AW
Full-time
15th December 2025
Maintenance Supervisor Location: Colfe’s School, London, SE12 8AW Salary: Hours: £36,500 - £40,000 dependent on experience 40 hours per week (Mon-Fri) throughout the year. Core working hours are between 0600-1700 with a 1-hour unpaid lunch break. Overtime is required on occasions for early mornings, evenings and weekends Start: TBC Reporting to: Facilities Manager (Hard FM) Responsible for: Maintenance Assistants Key Relationships: Senior Premises Manager, Head Groundsman, Operations Manager, Leisure Centre Operations Manager, Administration Support Assistant, Director of Operations & Estates About the role: This is a hands-on supervisory role responsible for leading, motivating and developing the Maintenance Team to ensure the School’s buildings, facilities and infrastructure are maintained to a high standard. The Maintenance Supervisor will plan, allocate and oversee both reactive and planned maintenance tasks, ensuring that work is completed safely, efficiently and to a professional standard. While the post holder will undertake a range of practical maintenance activities themselves, a key focus of the role is coordinating the workload of the Maintenance Assistants, providing guidance, training and quality assurance. The role also involves liaising with contractors, managing priorities, and maintaining compliance with health and safety requirements. The successful candidate will combine strong leadership skills with practical, hands-on expertise and a proactive approach to problem-solving. Colfe’s School Colfe’s is one of London’s oldest schools. It takes its name from Reverend Abraham Colfe, Vicar of Lewisham, who re- founded the school in 1652. In his will, he entrusted the care of the School to the Leathersellers’ Livery Company, which governs the school to this day. A former grammar school, Colfe’s is a fully co-educational day school with over 1300 pupils in all from ages 3 to 18. Colfe’s is welcoming environment with a deep feeling of community pride among its students, parents, staff and alumni. Academic standards are high: students perform well with many going on to top universities. Excellent pastoral care gives pupils the tools they need to learn and to live, supporting them at school and preparing them for life beyond. Colfe’s is more inclusive than many independent schools, more than 10% of pupils in a typical Sixth Form year group come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds and the School is committed to widening access still further. Key Responsibilities: Leadership • • Development of the Maintenance Assistants through coaching and demonstration of plumbing, carpentry, Line management and supervision of the Maintenance Assistants decorating and general handyman skills Reactive Maintenance • • • When work requests are assigned to the Maintenance Team, distribute these to the Maintenance Assistants and yourself, ensuring that all maintenance requests are promptly responded to, with repairs and maintenance of the buildings, facilities, assets and infrastructure carried out safely and to a high standard. Supervise the work of the Maintenance Assistants, providing feedback and coaching to improve skills and the standard of work. Troubleshoot more complex problems that require the support of an external contractor, ensuring that the appropriate engineer/expertise is identified and any information that needs to be shared with the contractor ahead of site attendance is provided to the Facilities Manager (Hard FM) or Facilities Coordinator. Ensure that external contractors who are requested to undertake reactive maintenance tasks are met at Reception, escorted to the relevant area (and directly supervised when required) and provided with assistance. Ensure that the contractor’s work is reviewed prior to the contractor leaving site and that a paper or digital worksheet is provided. • • Ensure that you and your team check the relevant building asbestos register before undertaking any works that may disturb an asbestos containing material. Planned Maintenance • • Conduct regular inspections of the school to promptly identify any issues with the building fabric, furniture, fittings and equipment - especially those which are a source of danger to others or affect the security of the building or the ability of staff and students to work or study – and arrange for repairs and maintenance to be carried out within the team or by an external contractor. Ensure that routine inspections and tests on life safety systems are carried out according to the schedule, assigning tasks to the Maintenance Assistants and yourself (e.g., fire extinguishers, fire alarms, emergency lights). Ensure that planned preventative maintenance tasks such as checking fire doors, first aid kits, tap temperature monitoring, flushing infrequently used outlets etc, are carried out according to the schedule, assigning tasks to the Maintenance Assistants and yourself. Ensure that all of the Operations Department’s tools, equipment and machinery are correctly maintained and serviced and that they are kept in good and safe working order. • • • Work with the Facilities Manager (Hard FM) to ensure compliance with health and safety legislation and guidance as well as School policies and procedures. General Duties • Regularly review the School’s CAFM system to ensure that all tasks allocated to the Maintenance Team are being progressed within expected timescales. Ensure that you and the team maintain records of maintenance work and inspections. Take delivery of stores, materials and other goods and conveying them to their points of storage/distribution. • Maintain an adequate inventory of supplies for repairs and maintenance. • • • Use stepladders, leaning ladders and fall restraint equipment to safely work at height. • • • When required, assist with setting up and dismantling furniture/equipment for events. • Work closely with School Keeping and Grounds staff and other colleagues within the Operations department Ensure that the team segregates and disposes of waste in accordance with School policy. Support the department in keeping the estate clean, safe, and well-presented. • • on any areas of overlapping responsibility. Act as a first aider and fire warden, acting as a first point of contact for the emergency services when required. Any other task within capability as reasonably requested by the Headmaster, Bursar, Director of Operations & Estates or Facilities Manager (Hard FM). Person Specification Essential Qualifications, Experience & Skills • At least 3 years’ experience providing maintenance services including plumbing, carpentry, decorating and general handyman tasks. • Good understanding of HVAC systems, sufficient to triage and fault-find any issues, ensuring the right specialist is called out where necessary. Experience in supervising contractors. Able to assess and triage maintenance issues effectively. Able to work diligently and without supervision. • • • • Capable of leading and developing a team. • • • Proactive with a good eye for detail and proud of the work you undertake. Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to work. An ability to work calmly, efficiently and professionally under pressure, and to meet tight deadlines and deal with minor maintenance emergencies if they should arise. Sufficient fitness to carry out the manual handling aspects of the role. • Good communication and customer service skills. • Understanding of health and safety systems and permits to work. • • GCSE English & Maths Grade 4. • Competent at using computer and Microsoft applications e.g., Outlook, Word, Excel. • First aid certificate or willingness to undertake first aid training. Desirable Qualifications, Experience & Skills • • • • • • Previous experience working in an environment with asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) where you are responsible for checking the asbestos register to ensure ACMs are not disturbed. Experience working with a CAFM system. IPAF PAL Card for operating MEWPs. PASMA Towers for Users. Experience working in a school or similar environment. Full driving licence valid for the UK, with fewer than 6 penalty points and no endorsements for serious convictions. • D1 driving entitlement. Benefits • Membership of contributory defined contribution pension scheme. • • Complimentary membership of Colfe’s Leisure Services: gym and swimming pool. School lunches provided. Application procedure The recruitment process will require all applicants to complete an application form, accompanied by a letter of application, current CV and details of two referees, who will be contacted prior to interview, in accordance with the School’s Safer Recruitment procedures. The applications should be submitted by email to recruitment@colfes.com. The deadline for applications is 15th December 2025 at 12noon. Colfe’s reserves the right to appoint to this post before the closing date. Colfe’s School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure & Barring Service.