Engineering Facilities Manager in Manchester

Northern is transforming. We’re investing in our assets, modernising our facilities, and mobilising service providers to deliver better for our sites and our colleagues. It’s an exciting time to join our Infrastructure, Facilities, and Digital team; and we need a Facilities Manager who can make that change happen.

As Facilities Manager you’ll take ownership of engineering locations across the North West, making sure every site is safe, compliant, and ready to support the teams who keep our fleet moving. This is a role with real responsibility and visibility, you’ll be the person who makes sure our facilities and service providers deliver what our colleagues need.

You’ll manage relationships with key FM service providers – covering everything from building maintenance to security, and make sure standards are met without compromise. Alongside this, you’ll lead a small, skilled team who act like an in-house service provider, supporting specialist kit and plant at our Train Care Centres.

But this role isn’t just about managing services and assets– it’s about insight and influence. You’ll be comfortable with data, spotting trends, and building compelling narratives that drive decisions. What you know and how you communicate it matters. You’ll be as confident talking performance with directors as you are engaging with front‑line colleagues. This is a platform role: variety, exposure, and the chance to make a massive difference. If you bring the attitude, energy and know what good FM means, we’ll equip you with the knowledge to succeed.

What makes this role exciting?

• You’ll be at the heart of a transformation programme that’s improving safety, reliability, and consistency across our train care centres.
• You’ll shape how service providers work with us; driving accountability and better outcomes for our people.
• You’ll have variety, visibility, and the chance to make a real impact every day.

What you’ll be doing:

• Acting as the ‘go to’ person for depot facilities, compliance, and service delivery across your locations.
• Managing FM service providers for hard and soft services, including building maintenance, security, cleaning, and waste.
• Leading a small internal team (including a Technical Team Leader) who support railway specialist plant and facilities.
• Building strong relationships with contractors, suppliers, train care centre leaders, and colleagues in specialist support areas like energy and environment.
• Using data and insight to track performance, spot risks early, and tell the story behind the numbers.
• Managing budgets for facilities and maintenance work, and shaping investment plans where improvements are needed.
• Acting as the bridge between central asset management and regional teams – making sure everyone understands our standards.
• Leading by example on safety – creating an environment where people feel confident to speak up and do the right thing.

What your day might look like:

You start the morning reviewing performance data and spot a trend that needs attention. A quick call with a service provider follows, where you agree a clear plan to improve standards. Mid‑morning, your facilities supervisor calls from a satellite site: a critical piece of plant has failed, and without it, trains won’t be serviced tonight. You act fast, coordinating your internal team and Network Rail to put a safe temporary fix in place while the replacement part is delivered. Later, you call into the plant office and walk the depot with your Team Leader, checking housekeeping and making sure compliance records are up to date. You pass the contractor carrying out LOLER inspections and confirm they’ll finish by Wednesday – but they’re struggling to access one area because a train is being serviced. You speak to production colleagues to find a solution. In the afternoon, you join Health & Safety colleagues to discuss the recent fire risk assessment and how actions are being closed down. Then you meet the Energy & Environment business partner to shape an investment case for better lighting – improving conditions and cutting costs. Before you finish, you send feedback on the new service road project, giving the Train Care Centre Manager a clear, compelling story about what’s working and what needs attention.

About you:

You’re confident, practical, and calm under pressure. You know how to lead people, manage contractors, and keep standards high in safety‑critical environments. You’re not afraid to make tough calls when safety is at stake – and you bring clarity and momentum to complex situations.

What you’ll bring:

• Proven experience leading teams in an engineering, facilities or depot environment.
• A natural ability to communicate clearly with contractors, service providers and internal teams – you’re approachable, confident and fair.
• The credibility to be the person others rely on when decisions need to be made.
• A good working knowledge of health, safety, quality and environmental requirements in an operational setting.
• An engineering qualification to HNC level (or equivalent experience).
• A NEBOSH Certificate (or willingness to work towards one).
• An understanding of hard and soft facilities management, and a willingness to take positions of responsibility for key compliance areas.

What’s in it for you?

• Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and your dependents on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks in the UK and Europe.
• Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.
• Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.
• Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle, and more.
• Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training to our colleagues and opportunities to gain recognised qualifications. Plus enhanced career pathways no matter what part of the business you’re in.
• Recognition: We know how important it is to show how much we appreciate our people. That’s why we have our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards, recognising and celebrating brilliance every day.

Why Northern?

We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North – connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,500 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.

Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, after which rail quickly spread across the globe – and this year, we’re celebrating 200 years of the modern railway. As we look back on the historic events that led us here, we also look towards the future as we move into the era of Great British Rail. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.

A place for everyone

The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board. At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B – we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We’re also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.

We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment. No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.