Operative

Operative

Salary: £37,882 - £44,566 + Benefits

Location: Exeter & Lockerley

About the role

As an Operative, you’ll undertake a wide range of maintenance and emergency response activities across our network. You’ll support the protection and performance of high‑pressure pipelines, assist Technicians and Supervisors, and play a key part in ensuring that operational, safety and environmental standards are met every day. 

You’ll be out in the field line‑walking remote pipeline routes, monitoring third‑party works, supporting inspection programmes, maintaining marker posts and equipment, and ensuring our sites remain safe, compliant and secure. You’ll also be involved in emergency readiness and may participate in duty standby and occasional shift patterns.

This is a practical, safety‑critical role where good judgement, reliability and mechanical understanding are essential.

 
What You’ll Be Doing

• Delivering scheduled maintenance tasks safely and to required technical standards. 
• Supporting Operations Technicians with pressure systems inspection requirements (PSSR).
• Carrying out physical line walking of pipelines (up to 200 km per year), often in rural and remote areas. 
• Monitoring third‑party works, responding to aerial sightings, and protecting pipeline integrity.
• Supporting in‑line inspections and cathodic protection monitoring.
• Ensuring full understanding and adherence to emergency, security, operational and environmental plans.
• Participating in emergency response activities, including standby rota duties.
• Providing accurate records to the Operations Supervisor and closing out work orders correctly.
• Undertaking Safe Control of Operations (SCO) roles relevant to your level of competence (e.g., Competent Person for low‑risk tasks, Working Party Member for more complex ones).
• Proactively supporting the wider operations team to deliver business objectives.

About you

You’re hands‑on, mechanically minded and enjoy practical problem‑solving. You’re reliable, safety‑focused and comfortable working outdoors in varied terrains and weather conditions. You take pride in doing things properly and supporting the team to keep the network safe and operating efficiently.
 
Key Requirements & Experience

• Proven mechanical maintenance and/or operational experience. 
• Experience in maintenance, fault diagnosis and mechanical rectification.
• Understanding of mechanical engineering principles and associated equipment.
• Knowledge of Safe Systems of Work and risk assessment processes.
• Awareness of relevant legislative requirements (PSSR, Health & Safety regulations).
• Relevant training certifications and evidence of competencies.

Essential:

• Good standard of general education (5 GCSEs incl. English, Maths, Science/Technical subjects)
• Valid full driving licence 

Desirable:

• Time‑served apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering
• BTEC National Certificate / City & Guilds / NVQ/SVQ Level 3 in Mechanical Engineering or similar

What we offer

• Annual bonus of up to 6% based on personal and company performance
• 26 days’ holiday plus statutory holidays - option available to buy extra holiday day 
• Generous double-match pension scheme - for every £1 you put in, we'll add £2 (max company contribution 12%)
• An optional flexible benefit scheme, including private healthcare, dental insurance, technology plans, travel insurance 
• Death in service 10x your basic salary 
• Financial protection if you're unable to work due to long term illness or injury 
• Excellent family friendly provisions - maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental leave 
• Professional development and career progression 
• Employee assistance programme offering free confidential professional counselling 24 hours per day
• Financial support to help you cover the cost of professional membership subscriptions, relevant to your role

Inclusive recruitment

At National Gas, we are disability confident and signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant. We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and encourage you to let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may need.

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