Senior Caretaker - Enhance Academy Trust

About the role

Every one of our academies needs someone who can keep the building open, safe and working. This new Trust-wide role is for the person who steps in wherever that is hardest. You will move around our academies in Wakefield, Kirklees and Barnsley, covering caretaking absence, picking up repairs and small works, and helping our site teams stay on top of the daily checks that keep a school running. One week you may be opening and locking up a primary in Wakefield, the next decorating a classroom in Barnsley or clearing a backlog of jobs at a site that is in need.

Responsibilities

• Cover caretaking absences across Trust academies in Wakefield, Kirklees and Barnsley
• Carry out repairs and small works (joinery, minor plumbing, decorating, fixings, locks, drainage, grounds work)
• Support site teams with daily checks that keep schools running
• Open and lock up buildings, manage alarm codes and out-of-hours access
• Travel between multiple sites, often more than once per day
• Maintain job records, timesheets and compliance checks via phone or tablet
• Work flexible hours including early starts, late finishes and occasional split shifts to ensure sites open and close on time

Requirements

• Practical caretaking, site or building maintenance experience with hands-on skills across multiple trades
• Basic joinery, minor plumbing, decorating, fixings, locks, drainage and grounds work
• Full UK driving licence and daily use of own vehicle for travel between academies
• Sound health and safety awareness: risk assessment, COSHH, working at height, manual handling, lone working
• Judgement to know when a job requires a specialist contractor
• Ability to assess an unfamiliar site and work independently without a long handover
• Reliability and discretion (holder of keys, alarm codes, out-of-hours access)
• Confidence using phone or tablet for job records, timesheets and compliance checks
• Flexibility over working hours including early starts, late finishes and split shifts
• Desirable: experience in a school or similar setting, trade qualification, current asbestos awareness, legionella awareness or IOSH certification (training provided for the right candidate)

Pay

Grade NJC SCP 7 to 11, salary £26,403 to £28,142 per annum.

Schedule

37 hours per week, Monday to Friday, all year round. Flexibility required for early starts, late finishes and occasional split shifts.

Benefits

• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Access to physical and mental health support including nurses, counsellors, therapists, physiotherapists and NHS GPs
• 24-hour GP consultations for employees and their household, 365 days a year
• Free annual flu vaccination
• Trained mental health first aiders in all settings
• Paid annual wellbeing day
• Tools, personal protective equipment and training provided
• Mileage paid at the Trust's approved rate for all travel between academies

Additional information

Temporary fixed-term contract ending 31 August 2027. Work location across Kirklees, Wakefield, Barnsley and surrounding areas. Start date as soon as possible. Enhanced DBS check including children's barred list required. Must be eligible to work in the UK; visa sponsorship not available. Visits and informal conversations welcome — contact James Walshaw on 01924 971721. Applications welcome from all backgrounds; reasonable adjustments available at any stage. CVs not accepted. Closing date: 8 September 2026, 23:55.