General Operative
Location: Thanet
Salary: £15.39 Per hour
Contract Type: Permanent, Full-Time Hours
42.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm
About the Role
We are seeking a skilled and dependable General Operative to join our Repairs and Maintenance team following a recent internal promotion. This is a hands-on role requiring a mix of practical ability, customer service, and teamwork. You’ll be responsible for a wide range of tasks that help maintain our properties to a high standard.
Role Responsibilities
- Assisting multi-skilled operatives including roofers, bricklayers, plumbers, and carpenters with day-to-day maintenance and repair works.
- Driving a flatbed vehicle to safely collect, transport, and deliver materials, equipment, and supplies to various sites.
- Supporting colleagues on joint site visits and property inspections to ensure work is completed safely and efficiently.
- Clearing and preparing vacant and occupied properties, including the removal of waste, debris, and unwanted materials.
- Assisting with site set-up, material movement, and general labouring duties as required.
- Maintaining a safe, clean, and organised working environment at all times.
Key Criteria
- Full UK driving licence.
- Previous experience working in a General Operative, Labourer, or Property Maintenance role.
- Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues, customers, and contractors.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- A flexible and proactive approach to work, with a willingness to support a variety of maintenance and property-related tasks.
- Awareness of health and safety requirements within a construction, maintenance, or property environment.
Benefits we can offer you
- Company Sick Pay
- Life Assurance (1x annual salary)
- Company pension scheme with Pensions people
- 5% employee and 3% employer pension contribution with People pension
- Commercial vehicle and fuel card
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity (14 weeks full pay, 12 weeks half pay and 13 weeks statutory pay), paternity (2 weeks full pay) and adoption leave
- Employee Assistance Programme - free confidential support and counselling available
- Mears Rewards offering discounts and cashback at leading retailers including travel, household items and shopping
- Annual Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work!
- Volunteering leave – up to two days per year to support community initiatives
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Share save scheme
- Recognition and long service awards
- Buy up to 5 days holiday each year depending on length of service
- Learning and development opportunities
- Career progression opportunities across Mears Group
- Occupational health support
- Green car scheme with Tusker after successful probation period
- Be part of an inclusive workplace with access to a range of colleague networks and support groups focused on diversity, wellbeing and career development. From Disability, Pride (LGBTQ+) and Ethnic Diversity networks to Women in Leadership, the Women Operative Support Group, Women's Health, Men's Mental Health and Armed Forces communities, these groups provide opportunities for support, connection and professional development across our diverse workforce.
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 over 3 months and have less than 9 points.
Candidates should be aware that all our roles are subject to relevant Background, Identity & Security checks before commencement of employment.
Apply below or to discuss your application further; contact:
Francesca Swan ([email protected])If you need any help with your application process, we are here to support you. We will be accessible every step of the way.
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 are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we 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. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply.
Skills Required
- Full UK driving licence
- Previous experience as a General Operative, Labourer, or in property maintenance
- Good written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Flexible and proactive approach to varied maintenance and property-related tasks
- Awareness of health and safety requirements in construction, maintenance, or property environments
- Entitlement to work in the UK
- Over 21 years old to drive a Mears vehicle
- Held driving licence for more than 3 months and have fewer than 9 points
- Pass relevant background, identity, and security checks
Mears Group Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Mears Group and has not been reviewed or approved by Mears Group.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — 25 days’ holiday with the option to buy additional days, plus paid volunteering time, signal a comparatively generous time-off offering. Flexible working available in many roles further supports practical time-off and balance.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Retail discounts, Cycle to Work, an employee assistance line, volunteering days, and company family events add tangible non-cash value. Access to training and UK‑recognised qualifications reinforces the broader wellbeing and development offering.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — A stated commitment to pay at or above the Real Living Wage and the publication of pay-related reports indicate governance and baseline fairness focus. Independent snapshots also suggest many roles meet living‑wage thresholds.
Mears Group Insights
What We Do
Mears Group is a market-leading housing and care company that provides bespoke services to our clients. We provide and manage 11,000 homes for local and central Government and are also responsible for keeping 750,000 of all social housing in the UK in good repair. Mears has 6,500 employees and a footprint across the country
