Cycle Mechanic Colchester

Job Title: Part-Time Essex Pedal Power Cycle Mechanic

Salary: circa £22,776 per annum (£9,110.40 pro rata)

Responsible to: Essex Pedal Power – Project Team Leader

Location: Colchester, Essex

Hours of Work: 15 hrs per week

Contract: Fixed term until December 2025

The Active Wellbeing Society (TAWS) is a community benefit society and cooperative working to develop healthy, happy communities living active and connected lives.

Our vision is for a society where people have the autonomy, capacity, resources and skills to become the architects of their own destiny; where our individual wellbeing is recognised as being bound up in our collective responsibility to and dependency on each other; and where all of us feel empowered as agents of social change to make a difference – whether at an individual level or more widely.

By working collaboratively with communities we aim to bring about sustainable change on an social, environmental and economic level; to do the social knitting required to create stronger and more resilient communities and to support communities to identify, mitigate and remove the barriers that prevent them from living active and connected lives.

Essex Pedal Power is an exciting programme led by Essex County Council and Active Essex to support more people to cycle by removing the barriers to participation. This post will support the delivery of the Local Delivery Pilot, based in Colchester. Essex Pedal Power allows eligible residents, including adults and children, to apply for a new FREE quality bicycle. The inclusive programme aims to make cycling accessible for everyone providing access to employment, training and educational opportunities or key local services. The project in Colchester is part of an Essex wide scheme, also in Tendring and Basildon.

As cycle mechanic you will be responsible for building a range of adult and children’s bikes, carrying out pre-delivery inspections and general maintenance repairs, the servicing of our fleet of adult and children’s bikes and deliver a range of bike repair sessions including Dr Bike and maintenance workshops.

1. Build a range of adult and children’s bikes to cater for the local communities that we serve.
2. Carry out pre-delivery inspections of (a) bikes that we have purchased from our preferred suppliers and (b) bikes being sent out from our workshop for use in the local community.
3. Carry out general repairs and the servicing of our bike fleet using an agreed schedule as approved by the Manager. This will include bike repairs being carried out in our workshop and also at our Bike Hubs in the community.
4. Identify, order and fit a range of bike parts that are needed to ensure the maintenance, or enhancement, of our bike fleet within an agreed budget.
5. To work in an entrepreneurial way with the local community to deliver Cycle Maintenance Workshops and Dr. Bike training sessions.
6. To set-up and maintain an electronic inventory of our bike stock.
7. Maintain an electronic servicing record for our bike fleet
8. To work with the Manager to maintain the brand and integrity of our projects.
9. Any other reasonable tasks as required by the Manager.

Duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the post or the level of responsibility.

All criteria are essential, and your application will be assessed on all points detailed below.

1. Cytech or City and Guild Cycle Mechanic qualified, preferably at level 2, minimum level 1.
2. Passion and an interest in cycling and understanding of the benefits that cycling/physical activity can bring
3. Comprehensive experience of working in a bicycle workshop or experience with bikes/carrying out bicycle builds and pre-delivery inspection of new bicycles is desired
4. Ability to build a range of bikes upon delivery from our preferred supplier(s) to meet the organisation's deadlines and support the bike giveaway roll out.
5. Good partnership and relationship management skills. 
6. Excellent team player with the ability to deliver a first class technical service through high standards and the efficient turnaround of maintenance and repairs work. 
7. Clear knowledge of quality assurance processes. Experience of using quality assurance to assist service delivery. 
8. Excellent problem solving skills. 
9. Good computer skills. Knowledge of Microsoft Office is desirable. 
10. Excellent written, verbal and organisational skills with the ability to priorities workload
11. Knowledge and understanding of the cooperative principles and commitment to ensuring their delivery in the course of undertaking the role. 
12. Experience of working proactively, working on own initiative and as part of a team. 
13. Driving licence preferred as there is a requirement to drive the project van. 
14. Confident to be customer facing to support the needs of the local communities

We offer our team members a comprehensive staff benefits offering to include:

• Annual Leave – 38 days! 25 days AL (increasing to 29 days with service) plus 5 wellbeing days and 8 bank holidays.
• Flexible working, home working and remote working options available
• Nest Pension – 8% employer contribution - 3% employee contribution.
• Heath Cash Plan – giving you discounts on everyday healthcare such as dental, optical, physio, prescriptions & more.
• Employee Assistance Programme (counselling and DRs on call 24hrs a day).
• Fantastic volunteering opportunities within The Active Wellbeing Society every month.

Please send a CV with a cover letter demonstrating how you meet the Part-Time Essex Pedal Power Cycle Mechanic competencies below (please respond to each of the questions below in your cover letter). 

1. Cytech or City and Guild Cycle Mechanic qualified level 1
2. Cytech or City and Guild Cycle Mechanic qualified level 2
3. Confident to be customer facing to support the needs of the local communities
4. Comprehensive experience of working in a bicycle workshop or experience with bikes/carrying out bicycle builds and pre-delivery inspection of new bicycles
5. Excellent team player with the ability to deliver a first class technical service through high standards and the efficient turnaround of maintenance and repairs work.

Closing date: 14/12/2024

Interview date: 20/12/2024

Due to the high number of applications we received for our job vacancies, we may close application windows early, so we would encourage you to submit your application ASAP 

We will provide all applicants with an outcome on your application, usually within one week of the application window closing. 

Successful applicants will be required to be DBS checked before starting. 

Our customers come from all walks of life, and so do we; in recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring. The Active Wellbeing Society is committed to being an equal-opportunity employer. We recruit based on capability, and all applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. At The Active Wellbeing Society, we are searching for people who share the passion for what we do with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences, collectively making a difference. 

 If there is anything we can do to assist you in your application or preparations to be interviewed for one of our job vacancies, please let us know. We can ensure you have a positive and comfortable experience. 

I appreciate your interest in working for The Active Wellbeing Society; we look forward to receiving your application. 

If you have any questions after reading the Job Description or would like to discuss us and the role informally, please contact [email protected], and we will be happy to help.