Building Management System (BMS) Maintenance Engineer

Job Title:                               Building Management System (BMS) Maintenance Engineer

Department                           Estates and Facilities Directorate

                                               Estates Operations

Grade:                                   Grade 7

Salary range:                        £37,099 to £44,263

Working arrangements:      Permanent

                                               Full time (35 hours) Monday to Friday

                                               Participate in an out-of-hours management on-call rota

Closing date:                        4th February 2024

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here .

The Role and Department

As Building Management System (BMS) Maintenance Engineer, you will be responsible for providing a highly effective, efficient and customer-focused service across the University Estate, developing, implementing and managing the Building Management Systems across the University.

You will be part of the Estates Operations, Engineering Maintenance Team, and will report to the Senior BMS Engineer.  You will be responsible for optimising the energy performance of Mechanical and Electrical building services assets across the University’s estate and will operate in close collaboration with the Energy Management team to identify, implement and monitor energy saving initiatives and to support the University’s Net Zero/decarbonisation objectives. 

Both office and site based, you will improve the performance and ensure the building services systems are operated as efficiently as possible.  You will be responsible for the maintenance and day-to-day running of the Building Management System and associated controls and will be required to diagnose faults, and carry out repairs and maintenance of field equipment, as required.  You will work closely with other specialist contractors to improve and maintain the BMS systems within all buildings.

You will be responsible for implementing works identified and funded within the various maintenance programmes and operating a system for dealing with day-to day requirements, including the participation in an out-of-hours emergency service.

The Estates and Facilities Directorate provides a range of essential services to Durham University and is responsible for managing, maintaining and developing the infrastructure and building fabric of the various campuses.

Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

·         30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.

·         We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).

·         No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.

·         There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.

·         Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.

·         On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.

·         Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).

·         The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.

·         Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.

·         A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.

·         If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1.    City & Guilds Qualified Level 3 or equivalent in an Electrical Building Services Engineering discipline or equivalent experience

2.    BCIA Technical Certificate or equivalent experience

3.    Previous experience of working with BMS systems such as Schneider Sigma/ StruxureWare and or Siemens Desigo CC 

4.    Previous experience of working within the building services industry

5.    Experience in planning and prioritising workload in order to meet set priorities and deadlines 

6.    Experience of understanding, following, and applying Health & Safety legislation and procedures. 

7.    Experience of communicating effectively with people at all levels within an organisation to explain technical and complex information.

8.  Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

9.  Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

10.  Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including Microsoft 365 applications.

11.  Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.

12.  Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions. 

13.  Technical knowledge of building services and HVAC systems (heating, ventilation and air conditioning).

14.  A good knowledge and understanding of Building Management Systems (BMS) and controls operation, maintenance, and improvement. 

15.  Ability to fault find and rectify electrical and mechanical problems.

16.  Ability to interpret and analyse data to support decision making.

17.  Can work as part of a team and independently.

Desirable Criteria

1.      BCIA Advanced Technical Certificate

2.      IET BS7671 Amendment 2 18th Edition

How to Apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above.  It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application

We prefer to receive applications online.  We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system.  Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

What you need to submit

·           A CV

·           A supporting statement or covering letter which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.

Contact details 

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Paul Hammond, Head of Engineering Maintenance, [email protected] .

Typical Role Requirements

Service Delivery/Development

·         Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

·         Recognised professional practitioner and service specialist in relation to the BMS and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) control techniques and strategies specifically Schneider Sigma / Struxureware and / or Siemens Desigo CC platforms. 

·         Undertake the operation and maintenance of the Building Management Systems across the University estate, including responding to alarms, fault finding and services scheduling to ensure the optimum performance of plant.  

·         Manage the delivery and maintenance of the Building Management System (BMS) across the University to a high standard.

·         Support on the management, maintenance, and development of the University BMS systems, including the provision of expert knowledge in relation to new build and refurbishment projects; Develop, modify, and optimise BMS protocols and methodologies.

·         Act as a point of contact for service colleagues and stakeholders to interpret and resolve complex infrastructure, architecture and technical problems.

·         Contract management of BMS service contracts.

·         Delivery of high-quality estates and infrastructure support services across the University.

·         Manage the university’s BMS contractors to ensure the BMS is fully operational, including reviewing planned maintenance and reactive repairs, and undertaking minor repairs and replacement of equipment.

·         Ensuring the BMS asset schedules are up-to-date, maintenance plans are in place and records retained to inform future planning and budgeting.

·         Responsible for managing small budgets for consumables and some capital items, keeping records and processing invoices.  

·         Maintain an awareness of current policy for university business goals such as widening participation and access, and provision of advice using specialist knowledge. 

·         Contribute to development of operational service activities to ensure excellence in the stakeholder experience.

·         Undertake the role of an Authorised Person Electrical Low Voltage (APLV) and effectively manage the continuous development, improvement and implementation of the University’s Electrical Safety Rules and Procedures (appropriate training to be provided, where necessary).

·         Review and look for ways to improve systems and procedures that are relevant to your area of work in line with the University’s frameworks and regulations.

·         Provide specialist advice and guidance relating to your professional area of expertise, in line with the University’s policies, regulations and values.

·         Provide the best possible service by continually reviewing what is required within your area of expertise and contribute to ideas and service improvements.

·         Provide specialist knowledge and support when interpreting and analysing complex data and information sources.

·         Look for ways to improve processes, techniques, and outputs/results across all areas of your work.

·         Identify any learning needs that should be met by the BMS team.

Planning and Organisation

·         Take responsibility for monitoring and updating risk assessments and safety procedures, providing guidance to others where necessary.

·         Provide regular status reports and identify risk management and contingency planning to other service staff, specialists, users and managers.

·         Schedule and monitor BMS-related maintenance and installation works, projects and work streams across the University. 

·         Contribute to operational leadership teams to influence the type and level of services that are provided by the BMS team. 

·         Contribute to progressing the strategic and operational priorities of the BMS team.

·         Analyse data on the level of service being provided to recommend areas for future improvement.

·         Meet the development needs of your stakeholders, providing training when required.

Communication/Liaison

·         Liaise with internal and external agencies, local authorities, industries, and visitors where appropriate. 

·         Collaborate with other specialists across the University, regarding the use of modelling and analytical tools, methods and standards to deliver integrity and consistency with service delivery. 

·         Promote and foster positive and highly collaborative approaches to problem solving and project implementation, helping to motivate, mentor and coach project team members. 

·         Advise on HVAC control strategies, including consultation into designed schemes, investigation of control issues affecting operation and performance, and producing and/or updating the HVAC and BMS controls section in the building design guide.

·         Contribute to and lead business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at departmental and operational service levels.

·         Internal and external relationship development and partnership working, networking and participation to engage and influence future services and the University reputation.

·         Provide advice and share guidance with your stakeholders to ensure that the University’s policies, procedures and regulations are complied with.

·         Use your operational expertise to lead and participate in business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.

·         Coordinate and organise committees and other business meetings and deal with any related complaints.

·         Update policies and procedures in response to any internal or external changes.

·         Use your expertise to provide training or guidance to other stakeholders.

·         Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers.

·         Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.