The Role

Gosforth Group are a thriving and ambitious Multi Academy Trust, committed to excellence in education, where all students are valued equally, regardless of their background or ability.   

Create your future’ encapsulates our purpose as a Multi Academy Trust: to educate, support and nurture all of our students so they can achieve their potential and fulfil their ambitious aspirations. 

We are extremely proud of what we have achieved so far and as a collective group, we have an ambitious vision for future growth.  Currently, the Gosforth Group comprises of 6 academies, providing education to approx. 6000 students in middle, secondary and post 16-settings, across Newcastle upon Tyne and North Tyneside. 

We employ over approx. 650 colleagues across the group, who are responsible for creating and sustaining a culture of empowerment, growth and unrivalled support, making the Gosforth Group a special place to both work and learn.  

About the role 

The Assistant Facilities Manager – Painter/Decorator will be based in one of the academies within the Gosforth Group estate and will be required to travel between sites, and provide cover in the absence of facilities colleagues as required.  This role will work on a shift pattern, currently operating between the hours of 6.30am to 9.30pm weekdays, for which additional allowances will be paid, where applicable.  Flexible working options may be considered.

The successful candidate will assist the Facility Manager in ensuring that the school is clean, safe and conforms to all statutory requirements. One of the main focuses of this particular post is to lead on delivering the painting and decorating requirements across the Estate. However, day to day, the Assistant Facilities Manager will be required to open and secure the school, undertake some cleaning duties, supervising activities before school starts and those activities at the end of the day on a rotational basis, including providing porterage duties to meet the requirements of the school timetable. There will be a need to undertake facility inspections and to undertake remedial actions and arrangements arising from these inspections, including operating plant and machinery to maintain adequate conditions within the school and identifying and making recommendations for improvement where required. 

What we are looking for 

The successful candidate will have experience operating building heating, ventilation and plumbing systems, along with a working knowledge of health, safety and security practices.  Supervising staff and contractors while on site is a key part of the Assistant Facility Managers role, therefore, it is essential that you are able to quickly establish good working relationships, mutual respect and are able to communicate clear instructions and expectations to all stakeholders, resolving issues in a calm and methodical way, where necessary. 

Given the breadth of the role, the post holder will be required have a flexible approach and manage their time effectively to meet the competing demands of the role and have the ability to quickly adapt to new demands and changes. 

It is essential that the successful candidate has working experience of using Microsoft Office i.e. Outlook, Word and Excel, and it is desirable that you have experience of working with digital and manual reporting systems. 

Knowledge of cleaning practices, building security and the ability to undertake small remedial tasks, although desirable, would be an advantage in the role. 

The safety of our pupils is paramount, therefore it is essential that the successful post holder is committed to child protection and safeguarding. 

If you are interested in this opportunity to join our team at the Gosforth Group, you can find out more about the role and the essential requirements in the job description and person specification. 

What we can offer you 

• A competitive salary 
• Generous annual leave 
• Benefits including; excellent pension scheme, cycle to work scheme, free on-site parking. 
• An opportunity to work with highly-skilled professionals 
• Enthusiastic and motivated students 
• An exciting and extensive commitment to professional development 
• A school with its community at heart 
• An exciting programme of staff well-being activities
• Wider career development opportunities to be involved across the Gosforth Group 

If you would like to discuss this vacancy further, please contact Gary Livsey, Deputy Director Estates and Facilities, by email: gary.livsey@gosforthgroup.org.uk.   

To apply 

Just select the 'apply now' button and complete our online application form.

If you are unable to complete our online application form, please contact us by email: hr@gosforthgroup.org.uk for additional support.

We reserve the right to commence the interview process and close the vacancy prior to this date. 

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.  This means certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide and you can view our Policy on the Employment of Ex-offenders here.  

Gosforth Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment. References will normally be requested prior to interview for those candidates shortlisted. The successful candidate will be subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check, along with other relevant pre-employment checks, including an online check. 

The Trust is committed to equality, inclusion and diversity and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates.  

Following the shortlisting process, where applicable, candidates who attend interview, will be reimbursed reasonable expenses for travel and accommodation.