Shift Pattern: Monday to Friday
Location: Home Based with UK Travel (50% Site Based / 50% Home Based)
Merlin Entertainments is the UK’s largest theme park operator. OCS works in partnership with Merlin to manage their estate, including hard services, and this role puts you at the heart of that partnership. You’ll look after the engineering assets behind Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, LEGOLAND Windsor, Chessington, Warwick Castle and more. Millions of guests visit these places every year, and the plant you help manage is what keeps them running safely.
No two days look the same. One day you’re on site, surveying equipment behind the scenes at a major attraction. The next you’re building a five-year investment plan, or presenting your recommendations to Merlin’s senior leadership team. You’ll see the results of your work in every park you visit.
The Asset Manager will lead the asset management strategy across the OCS Merlin Entertainments portfolio, ensuring the integrity of asset data, supporting statutory compliance, and driving lifecycle planning for critical engineering assets.
Working across Alton Towers Resort, Thorpe Park Resort, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, Warwick Castle, SEA LIFE Centres, and Cadbury World, you’ll improve asset performance, reliability, compliance and investment planning. You’ll also support Merlin’s journey towards ISO 55001 Asset Management Accreditation, embedding sound processes, risk assessments and long-term maintenance strategies across the estate.
Key Responsibilities
Asset Management & CAFM Governance
· Act as the subject matter expert for asset management across the Merlin portfolio.
· Keep asset data in the Evolution CAFM System accurate and complete, including asset hierarchies, criticality assessments and maintenance records.
· Develop and implement asset management standards, processes and governance controls, and drive continuous improvement.
· Carry out regular asset verification and condition surveys across all sites.
Compliance Support
· Support the Compliance Team in maintaining an accurate and effective Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme.
· Check that statutory and regulatory maintenance activities are correctly linked to assets, and provide technical asset data for compliance audits.
Asset Risk Management
· Develop, maintain and regularly review the Merlin Asset Risk Register.
· Assess asset criticality and business impact, identify high-risk assets and recommend mitigation strategies.
· Support business continuity planning through effective asset risk management.
Lifecycle & Forward Maintenance Planning
· Produce and maintain rolling 5-Year Forward Maintenance Plans across all Merlin sites.
· Develop lifecycle replacement strategies based on condition, performance, risk and manufacturers’ recommendations, using maintenance trends and asset performance data.
· Produce annual lifecycle investment plans and support budget forecasting.
Capital Projects & Asset Investment
· Support site engineering and operational teams with CAPEX business cases.
· Identify lifecycle replacement opportunities and develop technical specifications and scopes of work.
· Hand approved projects to the Projects Team for pricing, mobilisation and delivery, then monitor outcomes and make sure completed works are reflected in the asset management systems.
ISO 55001 Asset Management Programme
· Support OCS and Merlin in achieving and maintaining ISO 55001 accreditation, including frameworks, policies, strategies and procedures.
· Take part in internal and external audits and promote best practice across the contract.
Stakeholder Management & Reporting
· Build strong relationships with Merlin stakeholders, site engineering, operational management, Compliance Teams and project delivery teams.
· Act as the primary point of contact for asset management matters across the contract.
· Deliver quarterly asset condition and lifecycle reports to the Merlin Senior Leadership Team (SLT), present recommendations on investment, replacement and risk, and support annual budget planning and strategic reviews.
Career Opportunities & Benefits
You’ll work directly with Merlin’s senior leaders and play a lead part in their route to ISO 55001, a strong credential to build. As the contract grows, there are good opportunities to move into wider technical and asset leadership roles within OCS.
· Home-based working, with a balance of site visits and home days.
· Support to develop your career, including professional qualifications and memberships such as IAM, ISO 55001 and NEBOSH.
· OCS benefits package including attraction perks.
Person Specification
Essential Qualifications & Experience
· Degree, HNC/HND or equivalent in Engineering, Building Services, Asset Management, Facilities Management or a related discipline.
· Minimum 5 years’ experience in asset management, engineering management, facilities management or technical services.
· Demonstrable experience of CAFM systems, ideally Evolution CAFM.
· Strong understanding of mechanical and electrical building services systems.
· Experience developing lifecycle replacement strategies and capital investment plans, and preparing business cases to support CAPEX decisions.
· Knowledge of statutory compliance within commercial, leisure or critical environments, and a full UK Driving Licence.
Desirable Qualifications
· Institute of Asset Management (IAM) Certificate or Diploma, or ISO 55001 qualification or experience.
· NEBOSH General Certificate, and a project management qualification such as PRINCE2 or APM.
· Membership of IAM, IHEEM, CIBSE, IET or IWFM.
Skills & Competencies
· Strong technical and engineering knowledge, with advanced data analysis and reporting skills.
· Excellent stakeholder management and communication, including presenting technical information to senior leadership teams.
· Strategic planning and budgeting capability, with strong attention to detail and excellent organisational and project management skills.
· Problem-solving and risk management expertise, and the ability to work independently across a geographically dispersed portfolio.
Travel Requirements
Home-based, with around half your time on Merlin sites (50% site based, 50% home based). Regular travel to the sites listed above is required, with occasional overnight stays.
Success Measures
· Improved asset data quality and CAFM system accuracy.
· Reduced asset-related operational risk and improved compliance performance across engineering assets.
· Strong 5-year lifecycle plans, more accurate CAPEX planning and successful support of ISO 55001 accreditation.
· Better asset reliability, less reactive maintenance spend and positive feedback from Merlin stakeholders and senior leadership teams.