37.5 hours per week / permanent / working Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

At YMCA DownsLink Group, our mission is to help children and young people have a fair chance to be who they want to be. We do this by providing a safe home, building life skills and self-confidence, and supporting emotional wellbeing and mental health.

Our Values - we do what’s right, we work with heart, and we build real connections - guide and shape how we show up for children and young people we support and for each other.

Are you an experienced maintenance professional looking to step into a senior role? Do you take pride in creating safe, welcoming homes that make a real difference in young people’s lives?

Our Maintenance team works across multiple properties to ensure our residents have safe, good‑quality homes. We work closely with service staff to identify and complete repairs, carry out ad hoc cleaning and decoration, ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, and prepare empty homes for new residents.

We operate across East Sussex, centred around our Foyers in Eastbourne and Hastings, which provide 24‑hour supported housing for young people aged 16–25. We also manage several larger shared houses (typically 4–8 residents) through our Transitional Housing teams, supporting young people on their journey to independence.
In total, the team helps maintain safe homes for approximately 180 residents across the county.

We are recruiting for a Senior Maintenance Worker to supervise a small team of Maintenance Workers across East Sussex. This is a hands-on role, combining practical maintenance tasks with day‑to‑day staff supervision.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervising maintenance staff, offering constructive feedback, coaching, and support
• Providing a comprehensive maintenance, caretaking, and cleaning service to ensure safe, welcoming, psychologically informed accommodation
• Carrying out day‑to‑day maintenance across our sites in East Sussex, and occasionally supporting other housing schemes
• Completing maintenance, cleaning, repair, and redecoration works within agreed timescales, and delegating tasks where appropriate
• Performing or delegating general caretaking and cleaning duties, including cleaning communal areas, litter‑picking, and waste removal

 If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t match every single requirement, we still encourage you to apply. We know that skills and potential come in many forms, and your background may offer valuable transferable strengths.

We’re looking for a someone with a positive, flexible attitude and a genuine desire to contribute to young people’s wellbeing.

Experience and Knowledge

We are searching for someone with:

• Previous supervisory or team‑leading experience, with the ability to organise and direct a small team effectively
• Strong maintenance experience across a range of trade or repair tasks, including delivering high‑quality maintenance and decorating work
• Experience working in supported housing, residential, or community‑based settings
• Commitment to maintaining high standards of safety, quality, and resident wellbeing
• Good understanding of health & safety requirements and compliance processes
• A proactive, organised approach to workload and prioritisation

Qualifications and Training (Desirable)

It would be beneficial, though not essential, if you have:

• City & Guilds or equivalent qualification in one or more maintenance skill areas
• Manual handling training
• Training in handling bodily fluids
• Boundaries training
• First Aid training

If you would like any further information or an informal discussion about this post, please contact Chris.McKeever@ymcadlg.org.Should you require any assistance with our application process, please email us at Recruitment@ymcadlg.org

CLOSING DATE: Sunday 5 April 2026 at midnight. If we find the right candidate sooner than expected, we may close the advert early - so early applications are strongly encouraged. 

TO APPLY: Scroll down the page to the application form. Please download the job profile (below), which includes the full role description and person specification.

Please note that we are unable to offer a work permit or visa sponsorship for this role; applicants must already have the right to live and work in the UK independently.

An inclusive workplace We are committed to policies and practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to supporting our people to make sure our culture is consistent with this commitment. 

Accessibility If you require assistance or have questions regarding the application process, please do contact us.

YMCA DLG requires all staff and volunteers to be committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and to respond proactively to safeguarding concerns. 

Successful applicants will undergo a thorough background screening process, conducted by an accredited third-party provider. This includes an Enhanced DBS check (with Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists) as well as comprehensive reference and activity checks.