Garage Hand / Valet, Fleet Services in Rainham

Job Title: Garage Hand / Valet, Fleet Services

Salary: The starting salary is £33,072, which includes allowances totalling £3,009.

The salary is broken down as £30,063 basic salary, which will increase annually until you reach the top of the scale £32,313. Plus, a location allowance of £2,009 and a non-pensionable allowance of £1,000.

About Fleet Services

The police vehicle fleet is an important physical asset. It enables officers and staff to do their job, carries key equipment required, and provides safe transportation for the public / prisoners.

The role of Fleet Services is to keep the Met mobile, ensuring we can detect, respond to, and prevent crime whilst building public trust and confidence. Fleet Services are committed to leading with innovation, responsibility and environmental consciousness, striving for a fleet that is safer, smarter and cleaner, with a focused approach as follows:

1 - We will manage responsibly to deliver an excellent service and achieve value for money

2 - We will deliver strategies to manage the fleet efficiently and effectively

3 - We will deliver a fit-for-purpose, flexible and available fleet

The complex needs of modern policing requires a wide range of vehicle types. We operate a fleet of over 5,200 assets on the road and river, as well as over 1,000 pedal cycles. London is the most complex and diverse city in the UK, and our fleet is reflective of that. We currently have over 220 different types of vehicles supporting all operational commands including armed response vehicles, HGVs, patrol cars, motorbikes and pedal cycles.

Customers can be broadly grouped into three strategic pillars – Frontline Policing, Met Ops & Performance, and Counter Terrorism / Specialist Operations. Collectively this covers pan London requirements as well as national CT responsibilities.

The overall fleet requirements and volumes are owned and governed by operational leaders at the Strategic Fleet Board. Operational teams are accountable for the volume of fleet required to undertake their roles, and Fleet Services support and enable effective decision making through provision of information and technical / industry knowledge.

Key responsibilities

• Administration Support - Assist with key maintenance processes of discreet and specialist vehicle fleet within Fleet Services' specialist workshop by providing practical administration of all aspects of repair, maintenance and cleaning of vehicles and the workshop. Reduce vehicle maintenance costs and maximise fleet availability by ensuring vehicle administration is carried out in a timely manner.




• Vehicle movements - Collect and deliver vehicles to local dealers and the collision repair team to aid with warranty repairs, disposal MOT tests and collision repairs.




• Vehicle checks - Inspect all vehicles collected from external agents to ensure they are acceptable prior to completion of collection documentation. Inspect vehicles that arrive on site, ensure the correct completion of the vehicle log book and identify unreported exterior damage.




• Vehicle cleaning - Clean vehicles to pre-described standards; normally involves cleaning all exterior bodywork, road wheels, glass and interior vacuum cleaning




• Tyres – when instructed, replace all vehicle tyres using the appropriate tools and workshop machinery, including the replacement of run flat tyres. Work to the required technical standards.




• Workshop consumable items - Manage workshop consumable items related to the replacement of vehicle tyres, including stock checks and liaising with the Parts Team to ensure the timely re-ordering of stock. Deliver and pick up parts as requested.




• Windscreens – when instructed, fix repairable vehicle windscreens using the latest equipment.




• Mileage data - Capture mileage data of vehicles under repair on a regular basis and correctly enter on to Fleet Services' IT systems.




• Workshop cleaning / maintenance - Regularly clean the vehicle workshop, including the separation of recyclable items and organise collection and clean spillages in a timely manner. Empty workshop waste oil receptors. Ensure all hazardous liquids are returned to the appropriate flame vault or dedicated storage area. Ensure areas are clean and tidy at all times




• Workshop equipment / tools – where required, ensure that tools are stored in the correct locations for use




• Workshop Deliveries - Facilitate workshop deliveries, inspecting and checking goods prior to delivery sign off.




• Health & Safety - Take primary responsibility for own health and safety and of others. Implement and comply with all Health & Safety training and / or requirements and wear the correct personal protective equipment for each task.

Additional Information

This role does not attract Shift Disturbance Allowance. If you are currently in a shift-working role, SDA should cease upon appointment to this job.

Essential For The Role, e.g. qualifications, licenses, languages, training

Knowledge and Skills

• Fleet Services - Understands how fleet services work




• Health & Safety - Health and Safety in Motor Vehicle Repair and Associated Industries (HSG261). Awareness of general risk assessments, COSHH regulations and Health and Safety regulations, pertinent to the vehicle maintenance industry




• Prioritise work - Ability to prioritise and work flexibly to meet the shifting demands of the user base and provide support to the workshop in case of planned or unexpected surges




• Accountability - Drives to achieve in all aspects of work and demonstrates resilience, accountability and determination to manage difficult situations




• Communication - Effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with staff and officers at all levels




• Problem solving - Work well equally alone or as part of a team with a methodical and thorough approach to problem solving




• Tyre changing – Knowledge of tyre changing processes




• Driving – Drives manual and automatic vehicles. It is desirable to hold C1, D and E entitlements.

Disability Confident Statement

The Met is committed to being an equitable (fair and impartial) and inclusive employer for disabled people, striving to have a diverse and representative workforce at all levels. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible range of backgrounds, cultures and experiences. We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and long-term conditions, ethnic minority groups and women.

As a Disability Confident Leader, the Met has committed to making disability equality part of our everyday practice. We ensure that people with disabilities and those with long term conditions have the opportunities to fulfil their potential and realise their aspirations.

The Met is committed to making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to ensure disabled applicants can perform at their best. If youneed any reasonable adjustments or changes to the application and recruitment process, we ask that you include this information within your application form. All matters will be treated in strict confidence.

Please note, if you are applying for a police officer role or to become a police community support officer (PCSO) or designated detention officer (DDO), there is a minimum requirement that you must pass a job-related fitness test (JRFT) at point of entry. This does not apply to police staff roles. Find out more about police fitness standards.

Read our full disability confidence statement.