Vehicle Technician - Charminster, Dorset

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire; England; On-site; GBP 42,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional fire and rescue service is seeking a Vehicle Technician for the Charminster Workshop. This role involves inspecting, testing, and maintaining a variety of fire vehicles, ensuring all work complies with regulatory standards. The successful candidate will receive specialist training and will play a crucial role in community safety. In addition, benefits include generous leave, flexible working hours, and participation in a pension scheme.

Benefits

Local Government Pension Scheme

Generous annual leave

Flexi-time scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in vehicle inspection and repair.
• Ability to maintain compliance with legislative standards.
• Willingness to participate in emergency out-of-hours scheme.

Responsibilities

• Inspect and maintain fire vehicles and associated equipment.
• Ensure all work meets safety and quality standards.
• Provide support during breakdowns and emergencies.

Skills

Vehicle maintenance expertise

Problem-solving

Teamwork

Education

Full current driving licence

Category C licence

Tools

Diagnostic equipment

Various hand tools

Job description

Vehicle Technician - Charminster, Dorset

Job number: DWFRS-CORP00752

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Dorset

Department: Assets

Closing Date: 01-Feb-2026

Grade: E

Pay: Starting salary up to £41,699 (includes average overtime payment of £3,500 per annum)

Basic salary: £34,434 per annum rising to £37,280

Annual out of hours scheme: £3,296.21

Annual leave: 27 days plus 8 bank holidays, rising to 30 after 5 years

Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week Monday to Friday, plus 1 week per 5 week rota on call

Workshop Hours: Monday to Thursday 08:00‑16:00, Friday 08:00‑15:30

Closing and Interview date: Closing 1 February 2026 (midnight). Interviews 11 February 2026 at Charminster Workshop.

About the Role

We are looking for a Vehicle Technician to join our team at the Charminster Workshop in Dorset.

The Charminster Workshop is a small hardworking team that delivers an essential service to the Dorset Fire Stations and West Moors Training Centre.

The Workshop supports Fire Stations with fleet and equipment, with the occasional requirement to provide support in the Wiltshire area.

In the role of Vehicle Technician, you will be responsible for carrying out the inspection, testing, maintenance and repair of a wide range of vehicles and associated operational equipment, such as fire appliances and specialist rescue equipment, ensuring all work is completed to the required standard.

Specialist training will be provided for the successful applicant such as Scania FBT one, two and three, Rosenbauer maintainers course and Godiva pump repair training. Some of these courses are outside the Service area and therefore you may be required to stay overnight.

You will play a significant role in ensuring compliance is maintained in relation to the legislative, regulatory and best practice standard of work that is carried out within the Workshop.

If you have any questions or would like to request a visit to the Workshop, then please contact Lyndon or Paul on the details above.

For full details of the role and requirements please have a look at the Job Description and Person Specification.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits and strive to ensure that staff are valued and rewarded. For example, we offer a flexi‑time scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, a variety of family‑friendly schemes and health & well‑being services.

Other Information:

• You must have a full current driving licence and be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the role. Use of your own vehicle will be required.
• A Service vehicle will be available for daily maintenance duties and out of hours breakdowns. Please note Service vehicles are manual transmission only.
• There is a requirement to have a Category C licence for this role; however if you do not currently hold this type of licence we would still encourage you to apply and we can consider putting the successful applicant through a course.
• You must be willing to participate in the emergency out of hours scheme providing support during the evenings and weekends one week per five week rota for which the appropriate remuneration will be paid.
• You must meet all the essential requirements for the role as listed in the Person Specification.
• A Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on the successful individual prior to offer of employment.
• Any offer of employment will be subject to full pre‑employment checks which include identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical, receipt of satisfactory references, verification of employment history and an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last 3 years.
• Upon appointment you will be required to adhere to the requirements of a Health Surveillance Programme and attend an Occupational health appointment for baseline readings.
• Please click here for information relating to raising tax awareness and pension considerations when applying for a job.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, an organisation that is passionate about changing and saving lives. Our corporate staff are absolutely vital in helping to make our communities safer and healthier. Without them, we couldn’t do it.

To find out more and apply:

Our Candidate Charter outlines the commitments we make to you when applying for a vacancy with us.

Please note we do not accept CV’s in place of application forms.

We welcome the use of AI responsibly and ethically to demonstrate your skills in your application, but please don’t allow it to shadow your own unique voice.

While we appreciate innovative approaches, we also value authenticity. Our assessment considers both the content of the application and how it was created, ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all applicants. At the end of the day – we want YOU to work for us!

You should ensure you include satisfactory evidence in your application to demonstrate all of the areas stated as being measured at the Application Stage on the Person Specification. This will ensure you have the best opportunity of progressing to the next stage of the selection process.

We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.

We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying. Please tell us in confidence if this applies to you, or if there are any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service's recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults, children and young people. All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

If you hold international qualifications, you will be required to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK qualifications. We will accept a Statement of Comparability from a UK organisation called ENIC which can be obtained via their website. Please note that UK ENIC charge for this service, so if you request a Statement of Compatibility you will be required to pay for it as we are unable to reimburse you.

For further guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or have a need to complete your application in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on 01722 691444 within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for.

Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services. When recruiting, we identify the most important behaviours for the role and these are used as part of the short‑listing and selection process.

Please be aware that maintenance to the e‑recruitment platform is conducted on the third Saturday of each month, which may cause a delay in applying on these days for a limited time.