Maintenance Lead

About the role

Are you an experienced maintenance professional who thrives on keeping things running smoothly and leading a team to deliver results? Kids Under Cover is looking for a hands-on Maintenance Lead to take ownership of our maintenance operations and help ensure our assets are safe, well-maintained, and fit for purpose.

In this newly created role, you'll lead end-to-end responsive and preventative maintenance across KUC's asset portfolio, from triaging requests and managing contractors through to coordinating emergency works and driving continuous improvement. You'll manage a small team including a Maintenance Administration Temp. and two Maintenance Technicians, and play a key role in lifting the standard of how we work, building stronger contractor relationships, and supporting an exciting transition to a new maintenance management model.

What you'll do:

• Lead and manage a team comprising two Maintenance Technicians, providing day-to-day oversight, workload allocation, and operational support

• Triage, log, and coordinate maintenance requests end-to-end, from initial request through to close-out and quality review

• Review and approve contractor quotes within delegated authority and escalate higher-value works for approval

• Monitor contractor performance against agreed service standards, response times, and quality expectations

• Co-ordinate procurement and tendering for new contractors, maintaining compliance records including insurances and licences

• Coordinate a pipeline of electrical and fire safety compliance checks across the portfolio

• Maintain accurate records and contribute to maintenance reporting, KPI tracking, and budget monitoring

Access a detailed position description at https://www.kuc.org.au/get-involved/work-with-us/

What we're looking for:

• Someone who brings practical maintenance expertise and strong leadership skills, ideally with:

  • Demonstrated experience in a maintenance coordination, facilities management, or property operations role
  • Proven ability to lead and support a small team, managing workloads and priorities effectively
  • Experience managing contractor performance, including conducting reviews and addressing underperformance
  • Strong organisational skills with the ability to juggle multiple work orders and competing demands
  • Experience obtaining, reviewing, and approving quotes with an understanding of budget management
  • High level of attention to detail in record keeping, compliance documentation, and job tracking
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office; experience with Salesforce or similar systems (desirable)
  • Experience with procurement or tendering processes (desirable)
  • Knowledge of electrical and fire safety compliance requirements (desirable)
  • Availability for on-call emergency response as required (rare)
  • Current Australian driver's licence, Working with Children Check and Police Check

Why join us?

Kids Under Cover prevents and ends youth homelessness by providing young people with the space and support they need to thrive. We seek to intervene early to alleviate pressures that lead to homelessness or out-of-home care placements, with a particular focus on enabling equal and equitable housing access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other at-risk young people. Our unique accommodation solutions include:

• Relocatable one and two bedroom studios with a bathroom, built in the backyard of a family or carer's home to provide a safe space for young people aged 12–25 years

• Village 21s, an accommodation model for young people aged 18–21 years with out-of-home care experience, supporting the transition to fully independent living

• A small fleet of mobile pods that can be quickly and easily placed to provide a more rapid housing response

This is an opportunity to build and shape a newly created function at a values-driven organisation doing meaningful work. You'll be part of a passionate, collaborative team and have genuine scope to make the role your own — improving systems, strengthening supplier relationships, and ensuring KUC's properties remain safe homes for the young people who need them most.

Apply now and be part of creating brighter futures for young people at risk of homelessness.

Applications should include a combined resume and cover letter (in one document) detailing why you're the right candidate for the role. For further information, contact Chloe Strachan [email protected] to organise a confidential discussion.

Applications close 5pm Friday 2nd October.