Trainee Technician - Fire & Flood Restoration

Trainee Technician – Fire & Flood Restoration (265cm) - Bracknell, Devon or Derbyshire - From £34,000 per annum + Overtime + On-Call / Call-Out Payments

Working Pattern: Predominantly Field-Based / On the Road

DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCY, WE ARE ONLY ABLE TO REPRESENT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE EX MILITARY.

Overview

Our client is expanding its technical operation due to increased demand and is looking for highly motivated Trainee Technicians to join its Fire & Flood Restoration teams across three UK locations.

This is a practical, hands-on role helping homeowners and businesses recover following fire and water damage. You'll work directly with customers, often at a particularly difficult point in their lives, providing practical assistance and technical solutions that help properties and belongings return to normal.

Full specialist training is provided, making this an excellent opportunity for candidates from the Armed Forces, engineering, construction, building maintenance, Fire Service or other practical backgrounds who want to develop a new technical career.

This is not a conventional 9-to-5 position. The business provides a 24-hour emergency response service, so flexibility, overtime and participation in an on-call rota are essential parts of the role.

Locations

There are opportunities based from three depots:

• Bracknell, Berkshire – RG12
• Willand / Cullompton, Devon – EX15
• Boundary, Derbyshire – DE11

The role is predominantly spent on the road attending customer locations rather than working from the depot.

The Role

Every incident is different.

You'll begin by meeting customers, understanding what has happened and identifying their immediate needs and concerns. From there, you'll use specialist equipment and techniques to limit damage, begin the restoration process and help the customer move towards getting their home or business back to normal.

You may attend more than one incident during a day and, on occasion, support other depots during periods of increased demand. This can involve working away from your usual area and overnight stays.

You'll operate a fully equipped Quick Response van, giving you the tools and equipment required to respond effectively to urgent fire and flood incidents.

Key Responsibilities

Your work can include:

- Emergency water extraction.

- Decontamination following flooding.

- Detecting trapped moisture within buildings.

- Installing specialist drying equipment.

- Installing and using remote moisture monitoring systems.

- Installing equipment designed to release trapped moisture.

- Monitoring and adjusting drying equipment during follow-up visits.

- Carrying out practical restoration work to help customers return their properties to normal.

- Removing, cataloguing and safely storing customers' belongings.

- Maintaining accurate records for each job.

- Liaising directly with customers and explaining the work being undertaken.

- Supporting colleagues and other depots during periods of unusually high demand.

- Heading up small work teams where required, planning and supervising their activities on site.

Full technical training will be provided.

What We're Looking For

You don't necessarily need previous fire and flood restoration experience. Our client is looking for people with the right practical background, attitude and ability to learn.

You'll need to be:

- Highly responsive and willing to help when customers need support.

- Professional and comfortable dealing with people from all backgrounds.

- Practical, dependable and solutions-focused.

- Committed to completing tasks properly, including associated record keeping.

- A good problem solver with sound decision-making skills.

- Able to take ownership of decisions and think through problems logically.

- Comfortable explaining your reasoning and knowing when an issue needs to be escalated.

- Confident leading small work teams and planning and supervising work on site.

- Willing to work overtime and participate in the emergency on-call rota.

The organisation places particular importance on responsiveness, expertise, professionalism, teamwork and innovation, and candidates should be comfortable working within a business where rapid response to customers is fundamental to the service provided.

Working Hours & On-Call Requirements

Candidates should understand the working pattern before applying.

Fire and flood incidents can occur at any time, so this is not a standard 9-to-5 position.

You must be willing to:

- Work overtime when required.

- Participate in an on-call rota, approximately one week in four – this is a non-negotiable requirement.

- Accommodate early starts where necessary.

- Remain on jobs beyond normal finishing times where required.

- Undertake overnight stays.

- Work away from your normal depot occasionally to support other teams.

- Respond flexibly during severe weather events when the number of customers requiring urgent assistance can increase significantly.

Exceptional weather events can require a company-wide response and periods of extended working lasting several weeks.

Additional hours worked above contracted hours are paid.

Ideal Backgrounds

Our client has successfully recruited people from a wide range of practical industries, including Armed Forces, Building maintenance, Construction, Engineering, Fire & Rescue Service and other practical and technical industries.

Ex-Military Candidates

This could be an excellent opportunity for service leavers and veterans who enjoy practical, hands-on work and are accustomed to operating in environments where responsiveness, teamwork and personal responsibility matter.

Potentially relevant backgrounds include:

- REME

- Royal Engineers

- RAF engineering and technical trades

- Royal Navy engineering branches

- Logistics and equipment support personnel with strong practical experience

- Personnel experienced in supervising small teams

- Other technically or operationally focused Armed Forces roles

The ability to remain calm, assess a situation, solve practical problems and communicate confidently with people experiencing difficult circumstances could transfer particularly well into this position.

Essential Requirements

- Minimum two years' maintenance experience.

- Full UK driving licence.

- UK work authorisation.

- Fluent English.

- Willingness to travel extensively – 100% travel requirement.

- Willingness to participate in the on-call rota and work unusual patterns.

- Ability to undertake overnight stays.

- DBS check – essential.

A clean driving licence is preferred, although candidates with no more than three points may be considered due to the significant amount of driving involved.

GCSEs or equivalent qualifications are preferred.

Salary & Benefits

- Salary from £34,000 per annum.

- Paid hourly.

- Overtime rates for additional hours.

- On-call rota and call-out payments.

- Company pension.

- Profit-share scheme.

- Health & wellbeing programme.

- Health cash plan following successful completion of probation.

- Full specialist training and opportunity to develop new technical skills.

The Opportunity

This is a role where the results of your work are tangible.

You'll be joining a supportive and energetic team while developing specialist technical skills within the fire and flood restoration industry.

The work can be physically and operationally demanding, but it also provides the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to customers dealing with the aftermath of a fire, flood or other serious property incident.

For someone who enjoys variety, practical problem-solving, responsibility and being out in the field rather than behind a desk, it offers a distinctive long-term career opportunity.

How to Apply

If you believe this opportunity could suit you, we'd be pleased to hear from you.

When applying, please indicate your preferred location:

Bracknell | Devon | Derbyshire

To learn more or apply, send your CV to Charles McKinney at Ex-Mil Recruitment Ltd