General Operative, Maintenance​/Cleaning

Annual salary: up to £31,265.13

General Operative

Location:

Northeast
Salary: £29,426 per annum plus commercial vehicle and fuel card
Contract Type:
Permanent, Full-Time
42.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm

Mears provides temporary accommodation to asylum seekers whilst their claim is being assessed in three regions:
Northeast, Yorkshire and Humber, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. Mears work in partnership with central and local Government, registered providers, tenants, landlords and investors to find solutions to homelessness, provide more social and affordable housing and create specialist housing for people with care needs.

We are looking for a reliable and motivated General Operative to join our team in the North East. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong practical skills and a can‑do attitude to contribute to maintaining and improving housing properties while delivering a high standard of customer service. Working as part of a local team, you will undertake a variety of repair, maintenance and refurbishment tasks across both occupied and void properties.

You will play a key role in ensuring homes are safe, functional and maintained to a high standard, whilst providing a positive experience for customers and stakeholders. As a General Operative, you will be responsible for carrying out a range of general repairs and maintenance activities, ensuring work is completed efficiently, safely and to a high standard.

• Carrying out property inspections
• Completing general maintenance and repairs
• Undertaking basic tasks such as changing light bulbs, fitting blinds, applying silicone and adjusting doors
• Checking smoke alarms during inspections
• Working through set checklists to ensure compliance and quality
• Meeting landlords on site to provide property access
• Supporting works on void properties, including painting and assisting with larger tasks
• Delivering high standards of customer service in occupied properties

• Basic DIY skills including ability to re‑plumb a washing machine, put up blinds, refix door handles and silicon a bath
• Basic painting experience
• Customer service experience
• Excellent communication skills
• IT literate
• Ability to provide own hand tools including spirit level, screwdrivers and hammers
• Full UK driving license
• Reliable
• Excellent time‑keeping
• Can‑do attitude
• Happy to travel across the region

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Annual Mears Fun Day – a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work
• Volunteering leave – paid volunteering in the community to support our social value commitment
• Staff perks with Mears Rewards: discounts up to 10% on weekly groceries, holidays, eye test vouchers, Share‑save scheme and more
• Family‑friendly policies
• Access to EAP counselling sessions
• Over‑the‑hour rota available 1 in 6 weeks, Monday to Monday covering 24 hours a day

All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK;
Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.

To drive a Mears vehicle, you must be aged over 21, have held your licence for over 3 months and have less than 9 points.

At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive. We are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.

We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS). We also hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.

In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.

We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds.