Job Description:

SENIOR Plant Technician / Mobile Field Service Engineer - Rail Maintenance
 
£58,000 - £59,000 Basic Salary
OTE c£80,000 with Overtime + Company Van & Excellent Benefits
 
Location: Swindon, Gloucester, Bristol & Surrounding Areas with UK Wide travel to the train when needed to deal with a breakdown.
 
Permanent | Full-Time | Mobile / Field-Based
 
Are you an experienced Mechanical Heavy Plant Engineer Looking for a New Challenge?
 
We are recruiting an experienced Skilled Plant Technician / Mobile Field Service Engineer to join a specialist rail engineering operation, maintaining and repairing large On-Track Maintenance Trains operating across the UK.
 
This is an excellent opportunity for a technically experienced Mechanical, Electrical or Multi-Skilled Engineer looking for a rewarding position offering an exceptional salary, excellent earning potential and long-term career development.
 
With a basic salary of £58,000 - £59,000 and the opportunity to earn up to £80,000 with overtime, this is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys working independently, solving technical problems and travelling to different locations.
 
We are particularly interested in engineers with previous rail maintenance experience. However, candidates from heavy plant, construction machinery, HGV, agricultural machinery, industrial maintenance and military engineering backgrounds will also be considered.
Full specialist equipment training and relevant rail competency development will be provided.
 
Salary & Benefits:

• £58,000 - £59,000 basic salary, depending on experience
• OTE up to £80,000 with overtime
• Sundays paid at time and a half (1.5x)
• Bank Holiday Mondays paid at double time (2x), plus a day off in lieu
• Company van and fuel card
• All travel time paid and included within your working day
• Company-paid hotel accommodation when required
• Company credit card for authorised business expenses
• Work mobile phone with hotel-booking app
• 5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days' annual leave + 8 Bank Holidays
• Health Cash Plan
• All specialist tools, PPE and uniform provided
• Full technical training and rail competency development
• Regular performance and salary reviews
• Long-term career progression opportunities
• Permanent, full-time employment

The Role:
As a Skilled Plant Technician / Mobile Field Service Engineer, you will be responsible for providing specialist maintenance, advanced fault finding and repair support for a fleet of large On-Track Maintenance Trains.
 
These substantial machines are used to maintain railway infrastructure and incorporate complex mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electronic systems.
 
This is a technically demanding position involving a combination of planned maintenance, reactive breakdowns, major repairs, modifications and inspections.
 
Your responsibilities will include:

• Carrying out planned preventative maintenance, servicing and inspections on specialist On-Track Maintenance Trains.
• Diagnosing and repairing complex mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic faults.
• Responding to machinery breakdowns and undertaking reactive repairs.
• Carrying out major repairs, component replacements and modifications.
• Investigating recurring faults and identifying effective repair solutions.
• Supporting the reliability, performance and operational availability of specialist rail maintenance equipment.
• Travelling directly to machinery at various locations across the UK.
• Providing technical assistance to other maintenance engineers.
• Ordering parts, equipment and materials required for maintenance activities.
• Completing maintenance reports, technical documentation and records.
• Ensuring all maintenance and repairs are completed safely and to the required engineering standards.

This is a varied, technically challenging role where no two days will necessarily be the same.
 
Travel, Working Away & Flexibility - Important Information
 
Please read this section carefully before applying.
 
This is a genuinely mobile engineering position involving extensive travel, reactive breakdowns and regular overnight stays away from home.
 
You will be home-based, travelling directly to the location of the machinery using your company van.
 
Unlike a traditional field service position with a small, fixed geographical territory, this role involves supporting specialist railway maintenance equipment operating across a substantial geographical area.  You will be working every other weekend, and have this time off in the week.
 
Geographical Coverage:
Engineers based around Swindon, Gloucester or Bristol may be required to cover locations including:

• Cornwall and Devon
• Bristol and Gloucestershire
• Wiltshire and Swindon
• Oxfordshire and Banbury
• West London
• Wales
• Derby and the Midlands
• Other UK locations when operationally required

How Often Will You Stay Away?
There is no fixed working-away pattern.
The position involves both planned maintenance and reactive breakdown support, meaning your working locations and overnight accommodation requirements will vary depending on operational demands.
 
You must be prepared for:

• Regular overnight stays away from home.
• Working away more than two nights per week when required.
• Travelling to different locations at short notice.
• Changes to your planned working day due to unexpected machinery breakdowns.
• Supporting engineers and equipment outside your usual geographical area.
• Travelling significant distances to attend urgent repairs.

For example, you could begin your working day maintaining equipment in Bristol and then be asked to travel to Devon or Cornwall to assist with a machinery breakdown.
 
Flexibility is absolutely essential.
 
This position is best suited to an engineer who genuinely enjoys travelling, working independently and dealing with the variety associated with a reactive field service engineering role.
 
If you are looking for a position with predictable daily working locations or a guaranteed limit on nights away from home, this opportunity is unlikely to be suitable.
 
All required hotel accommodation is paid for by the company, and you will have access to a dedicated hotel-booking app and company credit card for authorised business expenses.
 
Working Hours & Overtime:
 
The position normally operates on a roster of approximately 160 hours over a four-week period, including two weekends out of four.

• Sundays paid at time and a half (1.5x).
• Bank Holiday Mondays paid at double time (2x), plus an additional day off in lieu.
• Excellent opportunities to earn additional overtime.
• Potential total earnings of up to £80,000 per annum with overtime.
• Travel time included within your working day.
• Flexibility in managing your daily schedule, subject to operational requirements.

Due to the reactive nature of the role, engineers must be comfortable with changes to their working locations and schedules.
 
What We're Looking For:
 
We are particularly interested in experienced engineers with strong technical fault-finding and repair capabilities.
Rail Engineering Experience - Highly Desirable

• On-Track Machine (OTM) Maintenance Engineers
• On-Track Plant (OTP) Engineers
• Rail Plant Fitters / Technicians
• Rail Mechanical Maintenance Engineers
• Rail Electrical Maintenance Engineers
• Rail Field Service Engineers
• Skilled Plant Technicians

Other Engineering Backgrounds Considered
We will also consider technically experienced engineers from:

• Heavy Plant / Construction Machinery
• Mobile Plant Maintenance
• HGV / Heavy Vehicle Maintenance
• Agricultural Machinery
• Industrial Maintenance Engineering
• Manufacturing Maintenance
• Heavy Equipment Engineering
• Mobile Field Service Engineering
• Armed Forces / Military Engineering

Essential Skills & Experience
 
Ideally, you will have:

• A recognised Mechanical, Electrical or Maintenance Engineering qualification, or completed a time-served engineering apprenticeship.
• Strong hands-on experience maintaining, diagnosing and repairing complex machinery.
• Excellent mechanical and/or electrical fault-finding skills.
• Experience working with hydraulic, pneumatic and associated engineering systems.
• The ability to diagnose complex technical faults and identify effective solutions.
• Experience interpreting technical drawings, maintenance instructions and engineering documentation.
• Confidence undertaking repairs independently and taking responsibility for your work.
• Good organisational, communication and problem-solving skills.
• IT literacy and the ability to complete technical maintenance records accurately.
• A strong commitment to health and safety.
• A genuinely flexible attitude towards extensive travel, reactive breakdowns and regular overnight stays away from home.

A full UK driving licence is essential.
 
 
Why Consider This Opportunity?
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer looking for a technically challenging position offering exceptional earning potential, independence and long-term career development.
 
You'll benefit from:
£58,000 - £59,000 basic salary
Potential earnings up to £80,000 with overtime
Time and a half on Sundays
Double time on Bank Holiday Mondays plus a day off in lieu
Company van, fuel card and company credit card
Travel time included within your working day
Company-paid hotels when working away
3 days' holiday including Bank Holidays
5% employer pension contribution
Health Cash Plan
Full specialist technical training
Varied engineering work on complex rail maintenance machinery
Long-term career opportunities within the rail engineering sector
 
Interested? Apply Today!
If you're an experienced Skilled Plant Technician, Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Heavy Plant Fitter, Mobile Service Engineer or Rail Maintenance Technician looking for a highly rewarding position offering excellent earning potential and career development, we'd love to hear from you.
 
With a basic salary of up to £59,000 and potential earnings of £80,000 with overtime, this is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineer who enjoys a genuinely mobile role.
 
Please only apply if you are comfortable with extensive UK travel, regular overnight stays away from home and the flexibility required to respond to machinery breakdowns at different locations.
 
Apply today for further information and a confidential discussion about the opportunity.
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