Lead Motor Vehicle Technician - Midsomer Norton

Lead Motor Vehicle Technician (Master Technician) – Midsomer Norton

Are you an experienced Motor Vehicle Technician that is looking for your next challenge? Could you help to keep our varied emergency vehicle fleet on the road?

An opportunity has become available within our Transport Services Department for an experienced Lead Motor Vehicle Technician to join our team. In Avon and Somerset Police, our Lead Motor Vehicle Technicians are responsible for the day-to-day running of our satellite vehicle workshops. You will lead a small team to provide an exemplary service locally, maintaining and repairing all fleet vehicles assigned to your workshop, including the latest vehicles with integrated emergency equipment fitted. Whilst you’ll run the day-to-day operation, you’ll have the support of colleagues in other workshops and the workshop management team. We are recruiting for a vacancy at our Midsomer Norton workshop (occasionally you may need to work from other workshop locations in the force area).

We strive to achieve very high standards and a first-time fix across our fleet – safety cannot be compromised on our emergency response vehicle fleet. You’ll play a critical role maximising vehicle uptime and providing the highest levels of support to frontline officers and staff.

Main responsibilities of the role:

Be the responsible person for a satellite workshop location. You’ll have a small team to supervise, but you’ll be the crucial link between your workshop and officers and staff in your geographic area.
Build effective customer relationships with frontline colleagues in your geographic area.
Develop strong relationships with your suppliers and franchised dealer networks in your geographic area – by working together you’ll ensure maximum fleet availability of our critical emergency service vehicles.
Participate in regular workshop planning meetings via MS Teams and in person with the forcewide workshop management team.
Apply technical knowledge and skills to effectively service, preventatively maintain and repair all types of fleet vehicles, including cars, commercial vehicles, plant and equipment.
Working to the highest of standards to ensure officer safety whilst vehicles are driven and tested in the most arduous of conditions.
Accurately record all labour, parts and consumables on your job card and uploading this to our electronic fleet management systems
Diagnosing and resolving defects with vehicles and their police system installations, including police warning equipment, communication technology and on-board systems (we’ll train you on the maintenance of police equipment if necessary). Where necessary, you may be required to accompany police officers on high-speed road testing.
Remain up to date with technical and product developments around vehicle maintenance and on-board systems. We’re proud to maintain a late-model fleet and are innovating nationally with the introduction of electric and hybrid police response vehicles.
Attend police stations and liaise with customers to effectively determine defects and provide technical support to frontline police officers and staff.
Whilst your role will be primarily workshop-based at Midsomer Norton, you may be required to go mobile and attend police stations, respond to incidents at the roadside or attend supplier locations. You’ll have the use of a fully equipped fleet vehicle for this.

Skills, experience and qualifications:

You must hold a City and Guilds Advanced Technical Certificate in the Automotive Industry (Level 3) or NVQ Vehicle Maintenance and Repair (Level 3) or BTEC in Motor Vehicle Engineering (Level 3) or equivalent.
Recent experience in a franchised dealer environments or as a breakdown service patrol is highly desirable. It’s essential however that you have current and up-to-date knowledge of vehicle technology including electric vehicles to provide maintenance and repairs to a very high standard alongside.
Alongside your technical expertise, experience of leading a small team or building customer relationships is essential for our Lead Vehicle Technicians.
You will need to hold or be willing to work towards an MOT testers’ licence, an Electric Vehicle certification and C1/D1 driving licence categories. If you don’t have these yet, we’ll provide this fully funded training to the right candidate.
A good understanding of automotive electrics is required for this role and experience in a similar role would be advantageous however full training in police vehicle systems will be given as part of your induction.

What we can offer you:

We recognise the extensive skills and experience that a Lead Motor Vehicle Technician will bring to our team, and we offer a range of financial, lifestyle and health benefits to support whatever stage of life you're in, including:

A competitive salary for a 37-hour working week
A Local Government Pension Scheme, with typical 28% employer contribution
12.5% shift disturbance allowance
No weekend or bank holiday working
Opportunity for overtime
Company provided tooling and laptop
Company provided uniform and PPE
Genuine job satisfaction and the opportunity to ‘own your area’
Fully funded qualifications as required by the role
Continuous professional development
Employee Assistance scheme offering help through counselling services, legal advice, fitness advice, personal coaching and health assessment
Access to Blue Light Card (for a £5 annual fee) offering discounts on products and services, shopping, days out, sporting events, and holidays

Additional information:

Working Hours:

The working hours will be split across a two week shift pattern:

Week 1 – Monday to Thursday working 07.00-15.00 and Friday 07.00-14.30
Week 2 – Monday to Thursday working 11.00-19.00 and Friday 11.30-19.00

Reporting Line:

This role directly reports to a Workshop Controller based at Avonmouth Workshop.

Interview Process Timescales:

Shortlisting will take place 22nd & 23rd October

In person interviews will take place W/C 3rd November

Should you be invited to interview please be advised that you will be required to bring evidence of the requested qualifications.

This role will be based at our Midsomer Norton workshop. Travel to our other workshops in Avonmouth, Yeovil and Bridgwater and our Headquarters at Portishead will be occasionally required.

To be eligible to apply for this role you must have a 3 year ‘checkable history’ in the UK – ideally this means that you would have been resident in the UK for the last 3 years.

If you would like to make a difference by maintaining fleet availability to support Policing, then this is the role for you. Click the link below to apply.