Job description
​Field Engineer - Agricultural Machinery Tester (NSTS Examiner)

To maintain the high standard of service given to our customers, all SCS field engineers receive intensive training before they go out into the field, followed by continuous back up from our team at head office and 24/7 support from other engineers when in the field.

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Key requirements of the role:

• Able to commit to testing January - end of April each year - the bulk of testing is carried out Feb & March

• Mechanical experience

• An understanding of agriculture

• Use of a suitable vehicle (4x4 preferred)- not provided by SCS

• Mobile phone and internet access

• Good organisation skills - can manage own diary and thinks logically

• Supports the SCS brand ethos and values to deliver a high quality service and outcomes for all our customers in a friendly and supportive manner

• Tray testing involves a lot of bending and lifting so good mobility is also essential

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Our current field engineers are self-employed and get paid a percentage of the invoice value for work carried out. SCS covers all invoicing and money chasing. We guarantee that our field engineers are paid for the work they have completed at the end of the following month, even if the customer has not yet settled their invoice.

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Field engineers can secure average earnings of circa £4,000 a month during the season, with our most experienced and established field engineers able to earn even more.

 

The testing work is seasonal and weather dependent which means we need to carry out as many tests as possible in a very short window of time.

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From January to the end of April (depending on the season), if it's not windy or raining, and farmers are ready, then field engineer’s trays should be out. Testing does not fit into a 9-5 Monday - Friday schedule; SCS testers must be flexible and work with the weather & customers to ensure we get round everybody quickly and efficiently. As the testing is weather dependent and the testing window is so condensed, we often have to travel to different areas to avoid the rain/ wind. Most of our team cover areas that may include travelling a couple of hours to the jobs; this is then balanced by the jobs that are on their doorstep.

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Annual Training

Once qualified and part of the team, you will be expected to attend a 1-2 day refresher training session at Rookery Farm, Staffordshire annually; this is usually held in the first week of December. HQ is always open to anyone who wants more in depth training, the kettle is always on and an engineer/ member of the office team is always available to help. We pride ourselves on offering the highest level of support possible.

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Typical day for an SCS Field Engineer

In most cases a typical day for a field engineer would involve:

• Checking the weather… No use turning up to a job if it is windy or raining as we can’t test.

• Refresh your iPad to retrieve booking info.

• Check the weather again (!)

• Contact the customers to confirm booking details and the time of arrival using the SCS app to schedule in your jobs.

• Load truck/ van with kit (most field engineers have trucks as four wheel drive is sometimes required on site and there is a fair amount of kit to carry. Some of our team have vans, and some have small trailers).
  Please note- a vehicle is NOT supplied by SCS, this is your responsibility. 

• Travel to the job/s.

• Carry out the test: MOT check on machine using SCS app checklist & guidance, analyse fertiliser (using crush strength tester, grader box and measuring equipment), in a field- set trays out to desired width, operator drives through spreading, collect fert from trays & visually assess in tubes. If required- make alterations to machine set-up/ settings (using advice from our app or other field engineers). Repeat drive over trays & fert collection until material is spreading evenly across whole width.

• Where the initial spread pattern is not acceptable/ could be improved, you will have access to our extensive database of spreader settings, where you can find all the settings our team have previously had success with, so you can quickly refine and improve the spread pattern.

• You will be paired up with a senior field engineer who will be able to support and guide you while you learn on the job. We also have an active WhatsApp group to ask for advice giving you  the whole SCS team at the end of the phone

• Fill in details on iPad: all parts of the test are recorded on our app. This is used to generate the report for the customer, and calculate your pay at the end of the month, so attention to detail is crucial. You will receive training on our app, it’s user friendly and we have 24/7 support for when you’re using it.

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We pride ourselves in providing all of our team with the most up-to-date spread settings and tools to access help quickly. This sets us apart from competitors and ensures our field engineers can work efficiently and quickly - paramount when we have so many machines to test in a short window!

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It costs SCS over £5000 to train a new field engineer by putting them through the necessary qualifications and providing them with the full NSTS approved kit. There are no start-up costs or any hidden fees to joining SCS, just your time and commitment to learning the role and our reporting system.

If you would like an informal chat over the phone or to come and speak to us in person and meet any of our existing field engineers, we are happy to arrange a suitable date and time.

Our field engineer roles are a fantastic opportunity for the right people to become part of our friendly and rewarding team.

 

If you are interested, please forward your CV and any other useful details (work experience/qualifications) to Charlotte.Foxall@spreadcheck.com