Building Services Engineer in Chester

Department - Building Services Team (Estate Management Dept)

Primary location - Eaton Estate, Chester

Contract type - Permanent

Working pattern - Full Time, on-site, 40 hours per week Mon - Fri

This role will involve occasional travel to other locations - Abbeystead Estate, Lancashire; Reay Forest Estate, Scotland; Properties, London.

Main purpose of role

The primary purpose of the role is to provide mechanical and electrical engineering support and specialist advice for the effective maintenance and management of building services systems across key properties on the Eaton Estate in Cheshire. Occasional support may also be at other Estate properties in Lancashire, Sutherland and London. Central to the role is the management of a proactive planned preventative maintenance regime, alongside reactive repairs and routine servicing of mechanical and electrical systems. The role requires a proactive, responsive and self-motivated individual with strong experience in the built environment, capable of setting and upholding appropriate standards. It plays a key role in shaping processes and systems to ensure the effective maintenance of building services installations within priority properties, working closely with the Agent, Director of Building Services and other department heads. The role also carries responsibility for the management and oversight of the Estate’s consultant and contractor supply chain in relation to mechanical and electrical maintenance.

Key responsibilities

• Provide contract management and coordination for all building services maintenance activities across key properties.
• Deliver a hands-on reactive response to mechanical and electrical faults and issues, including participation in out-of-hours response arrangements.
• Undertake day-to-day maintenance and servicing tasks at the key properties.
• Manage, maintain and assure the integrity of the Estate’s property data management and compliance systems.
• Appoint, manage and performance-monitor suppliers and contractors against agreed service levels and targets.
• Receive, review and record all statutory compliance certificates and servicing documentation, liaising closely with the Compliance Manager as necessary.
• Instruct, coordinate and oversee remedial works arising from statutory compliance inspections and servicing activities.
• Produce timely, accurate and succinct reports and updates.

Biomass District Heating Systems, Renewable Energy & Low Carbon Assets

• Manage the external maintenance service contract for all district heating systems across the estate, encompassing six networks in total.
• Deliver a hands-on reactive response to faults and issues, including participation in out-of-hours response arrangements.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of biomass district heating networks, working closely with the General Manager of Grosvenor TimberWorks in relation to the woodchip supply and delivery.
• Assist in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the district systems, with a focus on resilience, reduced downtime and overall performance.
• Liaise with estate-appointed external consultants to obtain specialist advice and subject-matter expertise.
• Oversee the installation, maintenance and ongoing performance of solar PV and building heat pump systems as they are implemented across estate properties.
• Assist in the development, implementation and operation of EV charging facilities across the estate.
• Assist in the development and implementation of low carbon heating solutions for estate properties.
• Assist the Sustainability Team in the consideration and development of climate mitigation options for our built environment.

Eaton Estate let portfolios

• Act as a technical point of contact for the Estate Management Team on mechanical and electrical matters relating to the commercial and residential let portfolios.
• Support project managers with mechanical and electrical system assurance during construction, commissioning and handover of projects.
• Coordinate certification, commissioning and handover information into estate systems.
• Support statutory compliance obligations in liaison with the Compliance Manager.
• Review and assist in approving tenant alterations and fit-out works affecting mechanical and electrical systems within the commercial portfolio.

General responsibilities

• Monitor and report on asset/system condition, identifying opportunities for improvement and lifecycle planning.
• Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, health and safety regulations, and industry best practices.
• To ensure H&S responsibilities are fulfilled, including:
• To have responsibility for personal safety and the safety of others.
• To ensure that all H&S responsibilities are fulfilled and that safety and welfare is maintained.
• Plan enough time for work to be done in a healthy and safe way.
• To assume delegated authority to take aversive/proactive action where appropriate to prevent a potential situation escalating to an accident or health and safety failure.
• Manage maintenance records and documentation for audit and reporting purposes.
• To assist with audit processes with a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Co-ordinate with insurers in respect of statutory insurance inspections.
• Liaise with Health and Safety representatives for incidents/accidents/ill-health investigations, carry out training needs analysis and arranging training, plan for and provide suitable and sufficient resources to meet policy requirements.
• Attend and input into team meetings.
• To complete any other duties as required from time to time.
• The role may require additional travel from the principal location from time to time.
• The role will require the employee to be available out of hours on an emergency basis and as a result it is anticipated that the role will be housed in an estate property for better performance of duties.
• Some weekend work may be required from time to time.

Essential skills and attributes:

• Higher education or professional qualification in Building Services, Engineering, or Mechanical or Electrical Engineering such as BSc, HND/HNC NVQ Level 3 / 4.
• Strong technical competence with extensive experience of building engineering services across operational estates.
• Proven experience managing planned preventative maintenance (PPM) programmes within multi-site environments.
• Working knowledge of low-carbon technologies, including biomass heating systems and district heat networks.
• Ability to interpret and challenge technical drawings, specifications and contractor proposals.
• Competence with maintenance/compliance management systems and all Microsoft Office applications.
• Up-to-date technical knowledge and awareness of relevant legislation and best practice.
• Full driving licence.

Project Delivery

• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise workloads and manage competing demands.
• Demonstrates commercial awareness, including budget control, value for money and delivery to agreed financial targets.
• Delivers high-quality outcomes to agreed programmes while operating within time and budget constraints.

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated and capable of working autonomously to achieve agreed objectives.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a proactive, solutions-focused mindset and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage, influence and build positive working relationships.
• Adapts confidently to change, managing uncertainty and supporting the communication and implementation of new ideas.
• Committed to continuous learning and professional development, actively seeking to capture and share knowledge.
• Communicates with clarity and focus, differentiating clearly between fact, opinion and professional judgement.
• Plans and organises work effectively by setting standards, developing processes and monitoring performance.
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism and a strong customer-focused approach in all interactions.

All employees must uphold the shared values of Grosvenor: Integrity, be honest, fair and open; Trust, be loyal, reliable and deliver on commitments; Respect, be inclusive, straightforward, collaborative, caring and thoughtful.

Key performance indicators

• Critical Systems Availability – uptime and reliability of core services in family properties, heat networks and other critical building services.
• Percentage of planned and statutory maintenance activities completed on time within directly managed properties.
• Reactive Maintenance Performance – Response and resolution times achieved against agreed SLAs.
• Audit Compliance – zero high or medium-risk non-conformances arising from inspections or audits.
• Budget & Cost Control – Delivery of maintenance and departmental budgets within approved limits.
• Energy & Carbon Performance – Measurable improvements in energy efficiency and performance of low-carbon systems.
• Customer & Stakeholder Satisfaction – Positive feedback from tenants and internal stakeholders.
• Contractor Performance – Quality, compliance and value for money of contractor and consultant delivery.

For the better performance of duties, this role will be housed within the vicinity of the Eaton Estate in an Estate property.