Job Description
Job Title: Mechanical Maintenance Technician
Location: Port of Leith
Compensation: Anticipated earnings £40,000+
Overtime rate: 2x rate on weekends (10pm Friday to 6am Monday) | 1.5x rate midweek
Hours: Monday-Friday 0700-1500 (we are keen to consider alternative working patterns)
In addition, you will be on-call 1 week in 5, with additional payment per call-out.
About The Role
Forth Ports is one of the UK's largest and most dynamic port operator groups, playing a key role in connecting the UK with Europe and beyond. As a multimodal ports owner and operator, we are at the forefront of delivering innovative port-related services. With our recent pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2032 and Net Zero status by 2042, we are committed to sustainability and driving the expansion of the UK's renewable energy sector, particularly offshore wind. Now is an exciting time to join our team as we embark on this transformative journey towards a greener future.
We are seeking a time-served Mechanical Maintenance Fitter to join our engineering team at the Port of Leith, maintaining and repairing large-scale operational plant in a fast-moving environment. This is an opportunity to work on some of the largest and most interesting mechanical plant in Scotland within a stable employer supporting critical UK infrastructure.
This is a varied, hands-on heavy maintenance role suited to engineers who enjoy fault-finding, breakdown response, and working on a variety of plant and industrial equipment.
You will be part of an engineering team who support day-to-day port operations, planned & reactive maintenance and projects. The role requires practical problem solving, safety awareness and the ability to work independently to keep plant and infrastructure running.
Typical duties include:
* Diagnosing and repairing mechanical and hydraulic faults on large mobile and fixed plant
* Carrying out planned maintenance, inspections and breakdown response
* Working safely within live operational areas
* Carrying out repairs & maintenance on equipment such as cranes, mechanical loading shovels, forklift trucks, terminal tractors, dock gates, hydraulic systems and other associated machinery
* Working at height, outdoors, and occasionally within confined spaces
* Supporting major engineering projects, shutdown activities at our lock entrance and equipment installations
* Using Ultimo CMMS to record work carried out, identify recurring faults and support reliability improvements
* Working closely with electricians and operations teams to coordinate maintenance activities
* Contributing to continuous improvement to enhance performance and reduce downtime
What We’re Looking For:
* Time-served mechanical apprenticeship
* Heavy industrial maintenance experience preferred
* Strong hydraulic and mechanical fault-finding ability
* Comfortable working occasional shifts and overtime
* Reliable, safety-focused and able to work under pressure
* Experience working via a CMMS/tablet system would be advantageous
* Full right to work in the UK
* Full driving licence, valid in the UK
Experience in ports, rail freight, quarries, heavy manufacturing, steelworks, power generation, bulk handling facilities or mobile plant maintenance environments would be advantageous.
Candidates with transferable experience from other heavy industrial or mechanical maintenance backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
What Forth Ports can offer you:
At Forth Ports, our people are our priority, and we are committed to creating a flexible, open, and supportive working culture. As part of our team, you will enjoy:
* A competitive salary
* Fair and rewarding call-out structure
* Paid overtime (1.5x midweek and 2x weekend)
* Discretionary group bonus
* Generous annual leave entitlement
* Defined contribution pension scheme with up to 16.5% joint contribution plus life assurance at 4x salary
* Health promotion events and employee wellbeing initiatives to support your physical and mental wellbeing
* Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providing free, confidential 24/7 telephone support for you and your family
* On-site Occupational Health Team with access to professional support and referrals to services such as counselling, physiotherapy and free flu jabs
* An annual Christmas thank you gift of a complimentary turkey or meat-free alternative for all employees
* GymFlex health club memberships offering discounted access to gyms including Nuffield Health, PureGym, Anytime Fitness, The Gym Group, and selected local gyms
* Cycle to Work scheme to support affordable, sustainable commuting
* On-site free parking available for all employees
* Attractive family-friendly policies, including enhanced maternity cover
* Employee discount platform providing savings on UK-wide restaurants, retail, car rentals, days out, and holidays
We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all individuals, regardless of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability status. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we will be happy to provide support
How to Apply:
If you have are a Mechanical Maintenance Technician and are looking to continue your career in varied role with career security, we would love to hear from you. Please submit your CV and a cover letter when submitting your application via the ‘Apply Now’ link.
Skills Needed
About The Company
Over our 50 years of experience we have witnessed our ports grow to become important assets to support and deliver growth both for the UK and local economies. The growth impact has been achieved due to the continued investments in our infrastructure, making sure that our ports are able to continually develop their services and support the growth of many industries. Our people have played a significant role. They have delivered the highest quality of service through their expertise, loyalty and flexibility and, without them, we could not have built the strong reputation and the long term agreements with many customers that we have today.
Company Culture
Welcome to Forth Ports Careers. As a leading port operator, we employ over 1,100 people across our ports in Scotland and the Port of Tilbury in London. A career in a port business is very rewarding. There is real variety within each role and significant opportunities for promotion and career development. Don’t just take our word for it; view the “Some of our People” section and the video below to gain insight into the kinds of jobs our employees do, how they’ve grown with us, and what motivates them each day. The port business can be seen as a barometer for the economy and this drives us to be adaptable and fast paced as we identify new business opportunities.
Desired Criteria
* Heavy industrial maintenance experience preferred
Required Criteria
* Time-served mechanical apprenticeship
* Strong hydraulic and mechanical fault-finding ability
* Full right to work in the UK
* Full driving licence, valid in the UK
Closing DateMonday 20th April, 2026