At a Glance
- Tasks: Ensure repairs service is delivered, maintain properties, and support neighbourhood objectives.
- Company: Onward Homes, a leading social housing provider in the Northwest.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, 40 days holiday, flexible working, and health cash plan.
- Other info: Hybrid role with excellent career development and training opportunities.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in your community while developing your career.
- Qualifications: HNC/D in Building studies; experience in property inspections and customer service.
The predicted salary is between 40650 - 40650 £ per year.
About The Role
The role involves ensuring our repairs service is delivered to customers, maintaining properties, and supporting the delivery of neighbourhood plan objectives.
What you can expect from us:
- Competitive salary of £40,650 per annum
- 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays – total of 40 days paid holiday per annum
- Access to short and long‑term loans and savings facility
- Opportunity to increase annual leave through service or holiday purchase scheme
- Immediate entry to our pension scheme – matched contributions up to 10%
- Flexible working environment and family‑friendly policies
- Health cash plan covering dental, optical, physiotherapy, 24‑hour GP access and more
- Paid leave for sickness, maternity, paternity, and adoption
- Learning for Life scheme – up to £150 annually
- Wide range of discounts and cash‑back offers across retail, automotive, holidays, and cycle‑to‑work scheme
- Supportive career development, training, and qualifications opportunities
About the role
We are recruiting a Repairs Specialist on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract. This is a hybrid role with a regular requirement to travel to neighbourhood sites across Merseyside to complete surveys and inspections, in addition to attending the Watson office in Liverpool.
Key Responsibilities
Customer Service
- Inspect empty properties and ensure work brings them to a lettable standard
- Respond to customer enquiries that require face‑to‑face visits
- Listen to customer views, encouraging resident involvement and making recommendations for organisational response
- Deal directly with customers experiencing contractor performance problems, taking personal responsibility for satisfactory resolution
- Provide advice and assistance to customers to help maintain their homes, addressing issues such as condensation and fuel poverty
Contract Management
- Carry out property defect and repair inspections and appropriate diagnosis
- Issue orders to contractors, prioritising, cost‑coding and estimating
- Ensure all work meets standards, monitor and control supervision of work in progress, and adopt a project‑management approach for major works
- Monitor spend against budgets, reporting differences and taking action to keep spend within budget
- Agree cost‑efficient variations to work
- Ensure colleagues, contractors and customers comply with health and safety, equal opportunity and other statutory guidelines, and handle all contracts, tendering and payments
Skills & Experience Required
- Knowledge and awareness of related housing regulations and law
- Experience of contract management and property inspections
- Experience delivering face‑to‑face customer service
- Experience developing partnership working with support agencies, local authorities and community groups
- Good understanding of the social, economic and political context in the neighbourhoods in which we operate
- Intermediate IT skills – Microsoft Office
- A full UK driving licence and access to a private car
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to HNC/D in Building related studies
Desirable
- Degree in a related field
About Us
Onward Repairs is the in‑house repairs and maintenance service for Onward Homes, keeping customers’ homes safe, secure and well maintained. We deliver responsive repairs, planned works and voids services, combining high standards, strong teamwork and a customer‑first approach. Onward Homes is one of the largest registered providers of social housing in the Northwest, with 35,000 properties across the region. We believe that everyone deserves a place to call their own, which is why we’re committed to building 500 new homes each year. We aim to make a real difference for our customers and create a positive, progressive workspace to enable colleagues to achieve their full potential. We embrace diversity and strive to create an inclusive culture that represents the communities we serve. We will make reasonable adjustments to accommodate candidates and can be contacted for recruitment support at HumanResourcesTeam@onward.co.uk.
Repairs Specialist employer: Onward Homes
Onward Homes is an exceptional employer, offering a competitive salary and a generous holiday allowance of 40 days per year, alongside a flexible working environment that prioritises family-friendly policies. With a strong commitment to employee development through training and qualifications, as well as a supportive culture that values diversity and inclusion, Onward Homes provides a meaningful opportunity for Repairs Specialists to make a real impact in the community while enjoying a range of benefits including health cash plans and pension contributions.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Repairs Specialist
✨Get Your Foot in the Door
Temporary roles in construction often rely on quick recruitment, so make sure to visit local recruitment agencies that specialise in the construction sector. They usually have a go-to list of companies that need staff urgently, helping us connect with potential employers faster.
✨Leverage Community Connections
Construction is all about connections! Check out local trade events, networking gatherings, or even social media groups focused on your area. Engaging with the community can lead to insider knowledge about temporary job openings that might not be advertised anywhere else.
✨Showcase Your Skills with a Solid Portfolio
Even for temporary gigs, a visual portfolio can really set you apart. Take photos of previous projects you’ve worked on, or if you're fresh in the industry, show examples of your work during training. This can help us demonstrate our hands-on experience to potential employers, like Onward Homes.
✨Apply Directly at Construction Sites
Don’t overlook the power of walking directly into construction sites. Many temporary positions are filled on the spot, so it’s worth popping by local sites and having a face-to-face chat. Bring your CV and be ready to impress, as companies like Onward Homes appreciate proactive candidates ready to jump in when needed.
We think you need these skills to ace Repairs Specialist
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Relevant Experience:In the construction game, having hands-on experience matters! Be sure to showcase any previous temporary roles or projects you've worked on in your CV. Mention specific skills like safety protocols, tools you're familiar with, or types of construction work you've done – this will help you stand out!
Showcase Certifications and Training:If you've got any relevant certifications or training like a CSCS card or health and safety courses, flaunt them! Include them in your CV and mention them in your cover letter. It shows that you're not just ready to get to work but that you've got the essential safety knowledge, which is super important in the construction industry.
Emphasise Flexibility and Availability:For a temporary role, flexibility is key! In your cover letter, make sure to clearly state your availability – are you ready to start immediately? Can you work various shifts? Letting Onward Homes know how adaptable you are might just get you the edge over other candidates.
Keep it Concise and Clear:When applying for temporary roles in construction, employers often appreciate brevity. Keep your CV and cover letter clear and to the point. Focus on the skills and experiences that align most with what Onward Homes is looking for. Avoid unnecessary fluff to make it easier for them to see why you’re the perfect fit!
How to prepare for a job interview at Onward Homes
✨Show Off Your Safety Knowledge
In construction, health and safety is non-negotiable. Get comfortable with specific safety regulations like COSHH or Working at Height – you might get asked how you’d handle risk assessments or unsafe conditions. We need to show that we prioritise safety above all else.
✨Be Ready for Hands-On Scenarios
Expect practical questions or even a mini test where you’ll need to demonstrate basic skills. They might set up a scenario and ask how you would approach a specific task. Let’s prepare by brushing up on our trade skills and thinking through past projects we’ve worked on.
✨Flexibility is Key
Since this is a temporary role, they’ll want to know if you can adapt quickly to different teams and situations. Let's think about past experiences where we've had to adjust on the fly. This will show we’re ready to hit the ground running!
✨Highlight Your Previous Experience
Temporary roles often require hitting the ground running, so make sure to have a few stories lined up that showcase your relevant experience in construction. We want to emphasise skills that might not be on our CV—like teamwork and problem-solving when things don't go to plan.
