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Senior Technician Mechanical Engineering
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Salary: £26,916 - £29,225 per annum
The Sheffield College
The Sheffield College is a thriving further and higher education community, empowering around 13,000 learners each year to achieve their goals. Driven by our mission to transform lives through learning, we foster an inclusive environment — recognised through our 2026 Investors in Diversity Gold award and 3rd-place ranking in the National Centre for Diversity’s 2025 Top 100 Most Inclusive UK Employers.
About The Role
As a Senior Mechanical Engineering Workshop Technician, you will play a key role in supporting the delivery of practical engineering programmes within a busy mechanical engineering workshop. You will be responsible for maintaining a safe, organised and fully operational workshop environment, ensuring that machinery, tools, materials and equipment are prepared and available for teaching and assessment activities.
The successful candidate will have substantial experience working in a mechanical engineering workshop and be confident operating, maintaining and setting up a range of manual and CNC machine tools. They will also lead a team of technicians and work closely with teaching staff to support the delivery of engineering programmes.
Main Responsibilities
- Ensure the mechanical engineering workshop is maintained to a high standard, providing a safe, organised and fully operational learning environment.
- Prepare, set up and maintain workshop equipment, tooling, materials and resources for practical teaching sessions.
- Operate and maintain workshop machinery including:
- Manual centre lathes
- Manual milling machines
- CNC lathes
- CNC milling machines
- Horizontal and vertical bandsaws
- Pillar drills
- Bench grinders
- Belt sanders and polishing equipment
- General hand and power tools
- Manufacture components, fixtures, jigs and teaching aids to support curriculum delivery.
- Support lecturers during practical sessions by preparing demonstrations, setting machines and assisting learners with safe workshop practices.
- Ensure machinery is regularly inspected, maintained and reported for repair where necessary, maintaining accurate maintenance records.
- Manage workshop tooling, measuring equipment and consumables, ensuring adequate stock levels are maintained.
- Source engineering materials, tooling, PPE and consumables from suppliers, obtaining quotations, raising purchase requests and monitoring deliveries to ensure value for money and continuity of workshop operations.
- Advise on the purchase and specification of new workshop machinery, tooling and equipment.
- Manage workshop inventory, including engineering materials such as metals, plastics and consumables.
- Ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation, including COSHH, PUWER, LOLER (where applicable), risk assessments and safe systems of work.
- Assist in the design and delivery of practical learning activities and engineering projects.
- Support students in developing practical engineering skills whilst promoting safe working practices at all times.
- Provide technical advice and guidance to curriculum staff on workshop processes, manufacturing techniques and equipment capabilities.
- Deliver training and demonstrations to staff on the safe operation and effective use of workshop machinery and equipment.
- Support continuous improvement of workshop facilities, equipment and working practices.
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Essential Experience
The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate experience in:
- Working within a mechanical engineering workshop or manufacturing environment.
- Operating and setting manual lathes and milling machines.
- Operating and setting CNC lathes and CNC machining centres.
- Using general fabrication and workshop machinery including bandsaws, drills, grinders and measuring equipment.
- Ordering engineering materials, tooling and consumables from suppliers.
- Managing workshop stock and inventory.
- Reading and interpreting engineering drawings.
- Working to engineering tolerances and quality standards.
- Maintaining workshop machinery and equipment.
- Implementing safe systems of work and ensuring compliance with workshop Health & Safety legislation.
- Supervising or mentoring staff, apprentices or learners within an engineering environment.
Desirable Experience
- Experience supporting engineering education within a college, apprenticeship provider or training environment.
- Knowledge of CAD/CAM software and CNC programming.
- Experience with metrology equipment and quality inspection techniques.
- Relevant engineering qualification (Level 3 or above) in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related discipline.
- Assessor, teaching or training qualifications (or willingness to work towards one).
If you want to find out more about the role please contact Reiss Bennett, Curriculum Manager - Reiss.Bennett@sheffcol.ac.uk
What We Can Offer You
As the successful candidate, you will be offered a salary of between £26,916 - £29,225 per annum based upon a combination of the skills, knowledge and experience that you can bring to the role.
Alongside your salary, your pension is one of the most valuable benefits of joining the College. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), administered locally by SYPA, provides financial security in retirement and support for your loved ones.
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Our Full Benefits Package
- SYPA – with a generous employer contribution
- Annual leave - 30 Days (222 hours) + 8 Bank Holidays (59.2 hours) - this includes a discretionary Christmas closure period
- Health and wellbeing, we offer
- Employee assistance programme through Bupa
- Occupational Health through PAM
- Free eye tests for VDU users
- Free parking is available at the majority of our campuses
- Hybrid and flexible working opportunities
- Continuous professional development opportunities
- A people-focused working culture where you can grow and thrive
Further information can be found on our Benefits and Career Development pages.
Disability Confident
We are a Disability Confident employer and are committed to removing barriers for applicants with a disability during our recruitment process, upon appointment and as an employee. Please review our Recruitment Guidelines for Disabled Candidates which provides further information on reasonable adjustments and how the Disability Confident scheme works in practice. If you require any reasonable adjustments or any support at any point throughout the process, please contact jobs@sheffcol.ac.uk
Armed Forces Covenant
As part of our commitment through the Armed Forces Covenant, we’re pledged to support the Armed Forces Community. Recognising the value Personnel, Veterans and military families contribute to our community and country.
Safeguarding
We are an employer who is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of students. Successful applicants will be required to have an enhanced DBS check and will be subject to safer recruiting procedures. Further details on our safer recruiting procedures, including the employment of ex-offenders can be found here Safeguarding.
Next Steps
To apply: Click apply online and follow the links to complete the online application. For queries regarding the application process, please contact the Recruitment Team at jobs@sheffcol.ac.uk. CVs are currently not accepted.
As a Leader in Diversity employer, we encourage applications from everyone and value diversity in our workforce.
Closing date: 20th July 2026
Please be aware – If we have a high number of applications, we may decide to close the vacancy earlier.
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