Technician Boatbuilder

Technician Boat builder – RNLI

Apply now to join the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) as a Technician Boat builder.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is a charity that provides, on call, a 24‑hour lifeboat search and rescue service and a seasonal lifeguard service. Our lifeboat crews and lifeguards need a dedicated, professional, and talented team behind them.

The All‑Weather Lifeboat Centre is RNLI's in‑house boat building, repair and refit facility located in Poole. We have a full schedule of lifeboat refits and Shannon builds ahead of us and are seeking experienced Boatbuilders to join our teams.

• £16 per hour (annual salary £30,784 – £34,944, dependent on experience and hours worked)
• Performance‑related pay scheme, reviewed annually
• 37‑ or 42‑hour week contract option
• 26 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Time off in lieu available
• Half‑day on Fridays and flexible working opportunities
• Outstanding pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Health and dental cash plan

As a Technician Boat builder you will be responsible for the installation, modification and repair/maintenance of marine structures and equipment for lifeboats in refit or new build. The work involves a variety of boat building disciplines, including epoxy composite repair, vessel strip‑down and assembly, deck fit‑out and assembly of components. Experience in epoxy laminating is beneficial, and a multi‑skilled attitude and approach are desirable.

The All‑Weather Lifeboat Centre offers a clean, organised and safe work environment, with all tools, materials and PPE provided to enable you to undertake this work.

You must be able to work to engineering drawings and standardised work, safely and efficiently. You will be a member of a multi‑disciplined team ensuring that lifeboats are built or refitted on time and within budget, meeting RNLI’s stringent quality standards.

Essentially, you need relevant City and Guilds or NVQ Level 3/BTEC qualifications, a time‑served apprenticeship or equivalent experience.

Previous experience of boat production, marine refits and repairs, laminating and working with epoxy composite materials, is desirable.

Come and join us in the build of this centre of excellence and help save lives at sea!

The RNLI is committed to safeguarding – protecting a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights, enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect. We expect all employees and volunteers to share this commitment and have a zero‑tolerance approach. The suitability of all prospective employees and volunteers will be assessed during the recruitment process in line with this commitment, including relevant criminal record checks dependent on the role.

Our staff and volunteers have been saving lives at sea without prejudice for 200 years. We respect and value diversity of background, skills and perspectives within our teams and consider it essential to help us deliver a world‑class lifesaving service. We are an inclusive organisation and welcome applications from everyone. In addition to having the skills needed for the role, we also look for applicants who share our commitment to living our RNLI values – trustworthy, courageous, selfless, and dependable – and helping us work towards our vision:
To save every one.

Mid‑Senior level

Full‑time

Engineering and Information Technology

Non‑profit Organisations