Mechanical Engineering Service Delivery Chargehand

CompanyForestry Commission

LocationSanton Downham, England, United Kingdom

Posted At1/19/2026

UK Visa Sponsorship Analytics

Analytics are greyed out due to low classification confidence (53.0%).

Occupation Type

Metal working production and maintenance fitters

Occupation Code Skill LevelMedium Skilled

Sponsorship Salary Threshold

£41,700 (£21.38 per hour)

Standard minimum applies

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Description

Santon Downham, East of England, IP27 0TJ

Job Summary

What you’ll do…

As the Mechanical Engineering Support Chargehand, you will have responsibility for managing and monitoring all aspects of our fast paced and flexible service provision for Forestry England vehicles, machinery and equipment.

Working closely with admin support staff at our Santon Downham workshop, you will ensure all vehicles, machinery and equipment under your remit, are inspected, serviced and repaired to the highest standard; utilising internal resources and establishing links with key external suppliers within your area of responsibility. You will mentor and develop a team of four to ensure the mechanical support provided is in accordance with the organisations vision and values.

Leading your team to successfully deliver business objectives, outcomes and targets, you will complete mid and end-of-year performance reviews, setting clear and defined objectives. In addition, you will communicate technical and safety information to your team engendering a culture of compliance and safe working. Adherence to Health and Safety Policy by ensuring staff complete Risk Assessments and maintain workshop husbandry standards is important in this role.

Repairing and Maintaining Vehicles, Machinery & Equipment is core to the workshop's business, therefore working knowledge of light vehicle repairs and systems is key. Regular work planning meetings are held between Chargehand and Area Fleet Manager to assess where internal resources should be prioritised and accurately recorded on the fleet management system.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

The role will be based at Santon Downham and you will be expected to work flexibly as part of a multi-disciplinary team, providing a wide range of specific technical duties and work collaboratively with colleagues who are based at different sites. To support this, some infrequent travel may be required.

Job Description

Leading your team to successfully deliver business objectives/ outcomes/ targets.

Ensure standards of conduct and performance are set and applied consistently across your team to Civil Service and Forestry England standards.
Complete all mid and end-of-year performance reviews as required.
Ensure both technical and safety topics are discussed, and information is cascaded to your team through use of toolbox talk sessions and newsletters, in addition to that of scheduled training events.
Ensure knowledge, skills and best practice is shared across your team and your staff assist in driving their own Continual Professional Development (CPD).
Act promptly to address performance related issues using ‘Managing Poor Performance’ policy.
Manage your team’s attendance to minimise business disruption whilst maintaining good standards of staff welfare.

Address vacancies within your team effectively through your assistance with recruitment activity.

Through discussions with your team members, identify and highlight training requirements to line management to be included within departmental budgets.

Repair and Maintenance of Vehicles, Machinery & Equipment.

Ensure that all maintenance, inspections, servicing, and statutory checks (Such as PUWER, LOLER, PSSR, MOT’s, Fuel Bowser, Plant, Trailers, AV’s, etc) are scheduled and completed in accordance with the manufacturers specifications and internal policy.
Identify and maintain an approved supplier network to enable efficient and effective external sourcing of maintenance for VME in those geographical areas which may require this.
Ensure regular and routine work planning meetings are held between Chargehand & Area Fleet Manager to review daily workload and assess where internal resource should be prioritised.
Ensure that records of all and any maintenance event, whether scheduled or otherwise, are recorded within the asset management software.
Ensure all workshop equipment safety check processes are completed, actioning any defects by removing any required items from use until repairs are arranged.

Oversee stocked items are kept relevant to live assets and seek solutions to overcome any supply chain issues which are identified.

Financial

Authorise/check invoices within 3 working days of receipt from your Admin Officer whilst adhering to delegated authority limits. Escalate pre-approved invoices to the Area Fleet Manager.
Ensure staff overtime claims are authorised with the Area Fleet Manager before submission to Head office by 10th day of the following month.
Assist Admin Officer’s in setting up New Suppliers in accordance with Forestry England’s Financial policy.

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Leading your team to successfully deliver business objectives/ outcomes/ targets.

Ensure standards of conduct and performance are set and applied consistently across your team to Civil Service and Forestry England standards.
Complete all mid and end-of-year performance reviews as required.
Ensure both technical and safety topics are discussed, and information is cascaded to your team through use of toolbox talk sessions and newsletters, in addition to that of scheduled training events.

Ensure knowledge, skills and best practice is shared across your team and your staff assist in driving their own Continual Professional Development (CPD).

Act promptly to address performance related issues using ‘Managing Poor Performance’ policy.

Manage your team’s attendance to minimise business disruption whilst maintaining good standards of staff welfare.

Address vacancies within your team effectively through your assistance with recruitment activity.

Through discussions with your team members, identify and highlight training requirements to line management to be included within departmental budgets.

Repair and Maintenance of Vehicles, Machinery & Equipment.

Ensure that all maintenance, inspections, servicing, and statutory checks (Such as PUWER, LOLER, PSSR, MOT’s, Fuel Bowser, Plant, Trailers, AV’s, etc) are scheduled and completed in accordance with the manufacturers specifications and internal policy.
Identify and maintain an approved supplier network to enable efficient and effective external sourcing of maintenance for VME in those geographical areas which may require this.
Ensure regular and routine work planning meetings are held between Chargehand & Area Fleet Manager to review daily workload and assess where internal resource should be prioritised.

Ensure that records of all and any maintenance event, whether scheduled or otherwise, are recorded within the asset management software.

Ensure all workshop equipment safety check processes are completed, actioning any defects by removing any required items from use until repairs are arranged.

Oversee stocked items are kept relevant to live assets and seek solutions to overcome any supply chain issues which are identified.

Financial

Authorise/check invoices within 3 working days of receipt from your Admin Officer whilst adhering to delegated authority limits. Escalate pre-approved invoices to the Area Fleet Manager.
Ensure staff overtime claims are authorised with the Area Fleet Manager before submission to Head office by 10th day of the following month.
Assist Admin Officer’s in setting up New Suppliers in accordance with Forestry England’s Financial policy.

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Essential Professional And Technical Experience

Demonstrable experience and qualification of working in a customer and technical engineering focused environment.

A sound understanding of legislative and regulatory inspection and testing compliance in an engineering setting.

A sound working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages – in particular Word, Excel and Outlook.

Approachable and customer focused.

Experience of financial business and budgets.

Desirable Professional And Technical Experience

Knowledge and use of fleet management software, including asset records.
Experience in working as part of a wider team across geographical areas.
Demonstrable experience in leading a team successfully against set targets.

Essential Qualifications

A recognised technical qualification such as NVQ, SVQ to minimum level 3 and/or significant relevant experience in vehicle mechanics.
Recognised time served experience in an engineering, fleet or motor industry role.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Delivering at Pace
Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

To be confirmed.

Alongside your salary of £33,854, Forestry Commission contributes £9,807 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Benefits…

Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.
STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.
free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How To Apply…

You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.

You will be assessed on a technical skill and experience based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

Delivering at Pace

Managing a Quality Service

Making Effective Decisions

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first.

Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact

Name : FC Recruitment Team
Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Recruitment team

Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.