Shift Engineering Manager

Overview

As Shift Manager on-site in London, you lead the 24/7 engineering team to ensure continuous building operations. You’ll oversee real-time responses, handovers, and urgent maintenance to minimize downtime. Your role supports critical systems, safety, and client satisfaction through proactive leadership and hands-on problem solving. This position offers impact by sustaining high availability in a complex, safety‑critical environment. You’ll work with cross-functional teams to uphold standards and drive operational excellence.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-shift leadership and supervision of shift engineers with prioritization and technical guidance
• Conduct daily shift briefings and debriefs for priorities, safety alerts, and handovers
• Develop high-performing shift teams through coaching and real-time feedback
• Manage attendance, absences, and resource deployment for continuous coverage
• Assess individual skills and identify development needs for shift engineers
• Lead by example with hands-on involvement during critical situations
• Foster team cohesion and consistent standards across shifts
• Maintain operational command and immediate response to building system alerts and failures
• Monitor BMS, fire alarm panels, and critical dashboards during shifts
• Coordinate rapid response to equipment breakdowns and emergencies
• Direct engineers on urgent tasks, balancing operational impact and client requirements
• Make autonomous decisions during out-of-hours with limited oversight
• Execute structured shift handovers and maintain logs
• Update work management systems with shift activities and status changes
• Brief Engineering Manager on significant events and trends
• Coordinate with day teams on follow-up tasks
• Serve as primary escalation point for engineering emergencies
• Mobilize on-call specialists and contractors as needed
• Coordinate with emergency services during critical incidents
• Document incidents thoroughly and capture lessons learned
• Participate in on-call rota as required
• Oversee reactive maintenance with quality control and timely completion
• Verify completed works meet standards and sign off in systems
• Conduct spot-checks on workmanship
• Ensure proper documentation for reactive tasks
• Monitor reactive backlog and reallocate resources as needed
• Coordinate specialist contractor callouts for beyond in-house capability
• Monitor PPM completion and ensure quality
• Perform random quality checks on completed PPMs
• Address PPM overruns via reallocation or escalation
• Update maintenance records before end of shift
• Enforce safe working practices and conduct safety walks
• Lead shift-based safety briefings and maintain safety documentation
• Monitor critical system parameters and identify abnormal conditions
• Direct corrective actions to optimize performance
• Coordinate planned testing with minimal occupant impact
• Maintain cleanliness of plant rooms and equipment compounds
• Record shift equipment inspections and readings
• Deploy shift engineers across multiple tasks to balance workload
• Monitor productivity and address inefficiencies
• Ensure tools, parts, and consumables are available
• Coordinate shift vehicle use and fleet maintenance
• Manage shift break schedules and overtime
• Maintain accurate shift logs, timesheets, and documentation
• Update asset registers with equipment changes
• Archive shift records for audits
• Lead safety and incident reporting
• Maintain shift-accessible technical documentation

Key requirements

• Proven experience leading engineering teams in shift-based, 24/7 environments
• Ability to motivate teams during nights, weekends, and holidays
• Strong situational leadership and autonomous decision-making
• 5+ years in shift operations or supervisory roles in facilities management or industrial settings
• Hands-on technical competence across electrical, mechanical, HVAC, and plumbing systems
• Experience with Building Management Systems (BMS)
• Understanding of life safety, power distribution, and HVAC controls
• Proven track record in managing technical emergencies and rapid responses
• Liaising with emergency services and managing evacuations or lockdowns
• Experience using computerized maintenance management systems (Corrigo, Maximo, or similar)
• Competent with mobile devices for real-time updates
• Strong written communication for logs and reports
• Microsoft Office proficiency for reporting
• Valid IOSH Managing Safely certification
• Knowledge of RAMS and contractor safety supervision
• Full UK driving licence
• Willingness to work rotating shifts and on-call duties
• Desirable qualifications in City & Guilds, NVQ Level 3, HNC or equivalent
• Experience in high-availability environments (data centres, hospitals, manufacturing, airports)
• Familiarity with cooling towers and water treatment systems
• Exposure to service desk operations
• Professional body membership (IWFM, CIBSE, IET)

• Leadership under pressure
• Coaching and mentoring
• Clear communication
• BMS monitoring and control
• Electrical, mechanical, HVAC, and plumbing system knowledge
• Reactive maintenance and troubleshooting

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