Vacancy NameCaretaker Vacancy NoVN1091 Job TypePermanent LocationHatfield Job Details
Caretaker
Contract type: Permanent
Location: Sunderland City Centre, SR1 3AD - easily commutable via car, metro, train, and bus
Working hours per week: 40
Why not look at our to see and hear more about life at the Customer Hub!
About us
Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value.
We’re Ocado Retail, a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket,. Not only is Ocado.com the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind, our same-day grocery delivery service.
About the team and the role
This is a pivotal, hands-on role at our Sunderland office, where you will be responsible for ensuring the site is safe, functional, and a brilliant place for everyone to work.
We need a proactive, experienced person to take full ownership of daily facilities operations, from fixing a leaky tap to managing our key external contractors. If you enjoy keeping things running smoothly and appreciate a practical, varied workload, this is the role for you!
What you’ll do
We're looking for someone with a true caretaker mindset; you won’t just be coordinating, you'll be rolling up your sleeves to get things done. You will be the first point of contact and the person who ensures our site is safe, functional, and fit for purpose every day.
Hands-On Maintenance & Site Upkeep
1. Handling or coordinating minor repairs and general upkeep across the site. Think basic plumbing or putting up shelves.
2. Log, track, and manage all site faults from start to finish. You’ll be responsible for keeping the right people updated and ensuring timely fixes.
Working with Our Internal Teams & External Contractors
3. Proactively manage and oversee all our third-party service providers and external contractors, ensuring maintenance schedules are on track and completed on time.
4. Serve as the main point of contact for the site's landlord Facilities team to resolve shared building issues and coordinate services.
5. Work with vending machine suppliers and the internal admin team to ensure continuous stock and smooth operation.
6. Work closely with the internal IT team to support and coordinate office seat moves and related changes.
7. Provide essential hands-on support for various internal and external events held throughout the year.
Safety, Compliance, & Admin
8. Actively support the site's overall Health & Safety framework, including DSE audits and ensuring all requiredrisk assessmentsare completed by internal teams or third-party contractors.
9. Efficiently manage all facilities inventory, including the accurate receiving and distribution of site deliveries.
10. Manage the site’s access control system and the issuing of car parking permits.
Who you are
11. Experience in a similar facilities support role where you regularly acted as the site caretaker, including hands-on maintenance and minor repairs (e.g., basic fixes, general upkeep).
12. Experienced in coordinating, managing, and overseeing the work of external specialist contractors.
13. Strong, clear written and verbal communication skills, focused on delivering genuinely high-quality service to our internal teams.
14. Ability to manage your time and juggle competing priorities.
15. Comfortable with learning and using new business systems (e.g., access control ‘Verkada’) and competent with general office IT tools.
Desirable
16. A solid understanding of how major building systems (like HVAC and lighting) operate, allowing you to effectively brief and manage specialist contractors.
17. Relevant Health & Safety certification (e.g., IOSH, manual handling, ladder trained).
18. Full clean driving license.
19. Previous experience working successfully in a fast-moving environment.
What’s in it for you
By joining Ocado Retail you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail.
If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:
Health & Wellbeing: Healthcare Cash Plan with the option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.
Spend & Save: Recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount
Never miss the moments that matter: 33 days holiday including bank holidays & options to buy extra holiday.
Our Hiring Process
Lucky for us, we get loads of great applications and we really appreciate that so many people put the time and effort in to apply. To recognise that, we treat all applications respectfully and fairly. So, if yours stands out, you’ll follow our standard hiring process - one of our Talent Partners will talk you through this in an initial call.
Everyone’s welcome
We’re an equal opportunities employer. That means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.