Depot Supervisor - Engineering

Join our Wigan depot as a Depot Supervisor and take the lead in ensuring safe, reliable and efficient delivery of seasonal fleet maintenance requirements.

Managing a team of 6-8 maintenance staff, this role is suited to an experienced maintenance supervisor or maintenance manager from a workshop, depot, fleet, plant, heavy engineering, HGV, utilities, manufacturing, aviation ground support or similar maintenance environment. Previous rail experience is beneficial but not essential, with rail-specific knowledge and requirements developed through training and operational exposure.

The salary on offer for this role is 48-58k depending on experience.

Closing date: 22^nd June – early application is encouraged, we may close this role early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications.

Main Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a depot team of 6–8 maintenance staff, allocating work, monitoring progress, supporting competence development and ensuring safe, efficient completion of planned and reactive maintenance activities.
• Plan and control daily depot workload, balancing safety, resource availability, asset priorities, defect rectification and seasonal readiness requirements.
• Drive a clear maintenance rhythm for the depot, including daily briefings, work allocation, defect review, parts availability checks, job close-out and escalation of blockers.
• Monitor daily site activities, manage job progress and escalate issues to the Maintenance Manager as required.
• Conduct site inductions, toolbox talks, routine safety inspections and local safety briefings.
• Maintain accurate records of labour, materials, parts, plant and equipment usage to support cost control, maintenance planning and customer reporting.
• Maintain accurate records of work carried out, including parts used, defects identified, actions completed and follow-up requirements, in line with company and regulatory documentation standards.
• Work with the Maintenance Manager, FAMS team and wider support functions to ensure maintenance records are accurate, complete and closed in line with company and customer requirements.
• Act as the local depot point of contact for customer and internal operational queries, ensuring issues are communicated clearly, owned appropriately and escalated when required.
• Ensure health and safety procedures are followed and safe working practices are maintained within the depot and any associated on-site working environments.
• Support the delivery and improvement of maintenance plans, standard work instructions, depot processes and reliability actions.
• Work closely with operations, planning, stores, engineering support and senior maintenance management to resolve issues affecting asset availability and depot performance.
• Contribute to continuous improvement activity by identifying recurring defects, reporting reliability trends and suggesting practical maintenance or process improvements.
• Ensure depot activity is carried out in line with company safety, environmental, quality and rail compliance requirements, with support provided for rail-specific standards where required.
• Work effectively with other departments within GBRf to support safe, reliable and efficient delivery of the seasonal maintenance function.

Skills and Experience 

• Experience supervising or managing maintenance activity within a workshop, depot, fleet, plant, manufacturing, utilities, aviation, HGV, heavy engineering or similar maintenance environment.
• Strong practical understanding of planned maintenance, reactive defect management, job prioritisation and safe systems of work.
• Proven ability to lead small to medium-sized maintenance teams, including work allocation, performance management, coaching and day-to-day supervision.
• Good mechanical and/or electrical understanding, with confidence working around complex equipment, machinery, vehicles or specialist plant.
• Demonstrable understanding of maintenance activity in relation to site operations, asset availability, operational targets and customer requirements.
• Strong leadership, organisational and interpersonal skills.
• Strong safety leadership, including briefings, toolbox talks, near-miss reporting, hazard identification and routine workplace inspections.
• Competent in reporting, documentation, job close-out, record keeping and use of digital maintenance or mobile workforce management systems.
• Able to manage competing priorities in a live operational environment while maintaining standards, safety and delivery focus.
• Excellent attention to detail and consistent adherence to procedures.
• Good communication skills, with the ability to work with maintenance staff, operational teams, customers, suppliers and senior managers.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a wider team.
• Flexibility to work shifts, weekends, unsociable hours or on-call arrangements where required, particularly during seasonal delivery periods.
• Previous experience in rail, rolling stock, OTM, seasonal fleet, plant, HGV, agricultural, military, utilities or specialist vehicle maintenance is desirable.
• Knowledge of hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, mechanical or control systems is desirable.
• Familiarity with seasonal asset deployment is desirable.
• Experience with environmental or regulated operations, including spraying, water systems, chemicals, COSHH or similar controls, is desirable.
• Knowledge of rail safety protocols, including RISQS, Sentinel, Railway Group Standards, Network Rail requirements or applicable rail legislation, is desirable. Training and familiarisation will be provided where required.

Personal Profile

• A practical, organised and visible maintenance leader who is comfortable taking ownership of a depot team and driving standards every day.
• Confident in managing small to medium-sized teams of maintenance-based staff.
• Able to create structure in a busy maintenance environment, ensuring work is planned, allocated, followed up and properly recorded.
• Confident dealing with people, performance, safety conversations and operational pressure without losing focus on quality or compliance.
• Comfortable learning rail-specific requirements and applying them consistently once trained.
• Strong attention to detail, with a clear understanding that accurate maintenance records are as important as the physical work completed.
• Able to build effective working relationships with maintainers, managers, operational teams, customers and support functions.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound decisions under pressure.
• Good communication and teamwork abilities.
• Relevant engineering qualification, such as NVQ Level 3 in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, City & Guilds, HNC, HND or equivalent experience, is desirable.
• Experience working from technical drawings, specifications, maintenance instructions or diagnostic information is desirable.
• Suited to someone who takes pride in running a tidy, safe, disciplined and reliable maintenance operation.

GB Railfreight are proud to be one of the UK's fastest-growing rail freight companies, recognised for our reliability, growth, and commitment to delivering high-quality service. For over 20 years, we've been so much more than just trains — we're a dedicated team, committed to working together to deliver reliable, sustainable freight services and build strong partnerships across industries nationwide.

When you join GBRf, you become part of a team that truly values its people, works collaboratively, and takes pride in what we do — keeping goods moving through smarter, greener, and more efficient freight solutions.

We pride ourselves on being genuinely value-driven. Our core values guide everything we do, shaping our culture and actions:

Our Values

• Professionalism – Safety and security are paramount in our business, and we believe this forms the foundation of a high-achieving safety culture.
• Support – We look after our people, and they in turn are encouraged to look after each other.
• Communication – Transparency in our business is valued by both colleagues and customers.
• Trust and Empowerment – We believe openness and honesty create the best relationships, building trust and confidence.
• Enjoyment – Taking pleasure in coming to work at GBRf is actively encouraged, right from the top.

Key Benefits of Working With Us

As well as a competitive salary, annual leave package of 25 days plus bank holidays (or equivalent for Operational staff where bank holidays are worked) and enrolment into our Industry-Wide Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, we offer:

• A generous healthcare package
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - providing confidential support including counselling support, wellbeing resources and access to a 24/7 GP service
• An online benefits portal offering hundreds of discounts at nationwide retailers
• An electric vehicle scheme (available after your first 12 months)
• Regular social events, including days out for you and your family
• Training and development opportunities, including internal courses and external certifications through our industry-renowned development programs. We prioritise your growth in line with our people-centric culture.

Inclusion Without Exclusion

At GB Railfreight, we recognise that a more diverse range of people leads to greater innovation. We recruit and develop people best suited to the role requirements, regardless of background.

Our aim is to create a diverse workforce that reflects wider society. We champion diversity, inclusion, and wellbeing in the workplace, in alignment with our values.

If you're as passionate about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) as we are, we invite new employees to join our People and Culture working group and contribute to the ongoing work in this area.