Unite Students
Lead Maintenance Operative
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Lead Maintenance Operative
Location: Birmingham South & Coventry Contract Type: Permanent Salary: Competitive + benefits
At Unite Group, we create Homes for Success through our student accommodation brands, Unite Students and Hello Student. This opportunity is with our Unite Students OR Hello Student brand.
About the Role
Share your expertise. Support the team. Deliver great maintenance standards.
As a Lead Maintenance Operative, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality maintenance across our student accommodation property. Working closely with the Maintenance Manager and wider operational teams, you’ll carry out hands-on maintenance tasks while coordinating day-to-day maintenance activities. You’ll help ensure our buildings remain safe, compliant, and well maintained, stepping into a leadership role when required.
This is a great opportunity for someone with strong technical skills who enjoys:
- Problem-solving
- Taking ownership
- Supporting others to deliver consistently high standards
Your Impact
Responsibilities
While no two days are the same at Unite Students, you’ll perform a variety of tasks, including:
- Deliver hands-on reactive and planned maintenance tasks, ensuring issues are resolved efficiently and to a high standard
- Support the day-to-day coordination of maintenance activities, managing:
- Workloads
- Priorities
- Service delivery
- Maintain safe and compliant buildings, supporting:
- Health and safety checks
- Safe working practices
- Step into a lead role when required, providing:
- Guidance and support to colleagues
- Continuity (in the absence of the Maintenance Manager)
- Monitor and maintain property standards, including:
- Low-level repairs
- General upkeep across communal areas
- Identify, log, and track:
- Maintenance issues
- Safety concerns
- Operational problems (through internal systems)
- Liaise with contractors and suppliers to support required maintenance works
- Support stock control and ensure efficient use of:
- Materials
- Tools
- PPE
- Respond to incidents and emergencies, providing first-line support as needed
- Promote a positive resident experience by resolving maintenance issues promptly and professionally
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Your Background
You don’t need to follow a traditional path. What matters most is:
Requirements
To be successful in this role, you will have:
- Experience in a maintenance, facilities, or property maintenance role
- Confidence delivering:
- Reactive repairs
- Planned maintenance tasks
- A strong understanding of:
- Health and safety
- Safe working practices
- Comfort diagnosing and resolving general building maintenance issues
- Strong:
- Organisational skills
- Problem-solving abilities
- The ability to:
- Work effectively as part of a team
- Work independently
- Excellent communication skills and a customer-focused approach
- Technical knowledge (of benefit, but not mandatory) in:
- Plumbing
- Electrical work
- HVAC systems
- General building maintenance
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Why Work with US?
In this values-led organisation, you’ll help to:
- Shape welcoming, vibrant student communities
- Make a meaningful difference
We’ll help you build skills, confidence, and a career you’re proud of—whether this is your first step or your next one.
Benefits
Alongside a competitive salary, you’ll receive:
- Performance-related bonus (twice yearly)
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Optional extra leave (up to 5 extra days)
- Generous pension scheme (contributions: 4% to 11% depending on savings)
- Life assurance (worth 4 times your salary)
- Share Save scheme (access to purchase Unite Students shares at a discounted rate)
- Enhanced Family Leave policies
- Medicash (Health Cash Plan)
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
- One free volunteering day per year
- Discounts on retail and hospitality services
Additionally, you’ll have access to:
- Learning and development programs
- Career progression support
Ordinary? Not if you’re with us. Unite Students (US) is different—and we’re proud of it. Let’s see how far you can go.
Join US today and find out.
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