Careers

Life at Universal Wolf

At Universal Wolf, we welcome new members of the pack. We will nurture your talent, reward your dedication and teach you to do exceptional things. As a business, we’re committed to developing our people through our ‘Grow Our Own’ programme.

At Universal Wolf, collaboration is key. We support, encourage and back each other as we work to create the very best experience for our customers. We are always looking for ways to work better and smarter and welcome suggestions from colleagues on how we can make improvements to our business.

Our work is varied – we create many different products and supply a range of sectors, so there’s always something interesting to get stuck into.

Read on to learn about life at Universal Wolf, our company benefits, and to hear from some of our fantastic colleagues.

Looking for an apprenticeship in Metalworking?

Universal Wolf colleagues come from all walks of life. While we have welcomed many experienced Sheet Metal Workers to the pack over the years, we’re also keen to hear from those who are just starting out in their career.

For some, that might look like an apprenticeship.

Ryan Healy joined us as an apprentice having completed his City & Guilds Level Three training in college, and is now a fully qualified Sheet Metal Worker. Ryan has always been intrigued by welding, and by watching something come together from a pile of metal on a pallet, to structures several metres tall and wide.

“I was obsessed with Lego as a child and building things from it. Really, at its base, that’s what metal fabrication is – you have your metalwork pieces, your Standard Operating Procedures, and your technical drawings to show what it will look like once it’s been built. Granted, it’s a bit more complicated than that – but as long as you’ve got the patience to learn how to fabricate properly and how to read technical drawings, there’s no reason at all why you can’t excel at a career in sheet metal working.”

What does a Sheet Metal Worker do at Universal Wolf?

As a Sheet Metal Worker, you’ll be working on a variety of products for many different customers across a range of sectors. Variety is the spice of life, as they say; and we certainly have plenty of that here!

Our colleagues tell us that working on a range of products, is why they love Universal Wolf.

Our Metal workers can be working in the New Product Introduction (NPI) team establishing the best way to take a prototype to serial production, you can be working in the Production team working on a range of products, and you could also be training our Sheet Metal Workers in Training.

Do you want a career change as a Metal Worker?

We are committed to developing our people and we have our very own “Grow our Own” internal development program, which year on year has seen at least 20% of our colleagues develop in some way through the business.

We have seen a number of successful candidates, join our business as a Sheet Metal Worker in Training who have gone on to successfully achieve their Level 2 City & Guilds. Tom Harvey is one of those colleagues who has also gone on to achieve Coded Welder status.

Meet Tom Harvey, Sheet Metal Worker in Training at Universal Wolf

Before I moved up here, I was unemployed due to ill health and I have done several college courses from graphic design to joinery just to fill some time. When I moved up North I applied to college to do my Level 2, and then came across to the Port of Blyth welding training course for 6 weeks. I have loved it ever since.

How was the transition from a training to a working environment?

Being autistic, I found it difficult transitioning from Port of Blyth to Universal Wolf. However, the fact that I was at Port of Blyth from Monday to Friday for 6 weeks helped me get familiar with the routine of coming to work. It was a bit more intense at Universal Wolf because it is all new – new things going on, and it is an actual proper factory compared to a training facility. Everyone at Universal Wolf was friendly and helpful.

How has completing the course made you feel?

I feel proud of going from not working to putting in all the hard work, to actually get a job in something that I have been really interested in. The fact that they are training me up so I can learn even more is great. I have just loved learning to weld and then going on all the different projects. I enjoyed working in the NPI section because there are lots of different elements to the new things that come in. It also allows me to think outside of the box because we need to try find new ways to put things together, or the most efficient way to make it more production friendly.

Read more about how we partner with Port of Blyth and Northumberland Skills on the programme.

Craig McFall, Supervisor

Craig has been with Universal Wolf for more than seven years, joining as a time-served Welder Fabricator. Craig joined our Grow our Own programme, which is designed to provide colleagues with further training in their current role, or the opportunity to learn something different in a new department. He has since been promoted to Team Leader and then Production Supervisor.

“For me, Universal Wolf has allowed me to push myself further and realise my ambitions. We work as a pack and will always back each other to master that new skill, solve that problem or take the next step forward in your career.”

Varied Work for a Company that Cares

We’re proud to have a number of colleagues who have been with the business for a significant amount of time.

Scott Westaway joined Universal Wolf back in 2014 as a Sheet Metal Worker. He is a great example of how our colleagues can develop and progress in their careers. As part of Universal Wolf’s Grow Our Own programme, Scott is now Team Leader in General Fabrication, looking after a team of Sheet Metal Workers.

Scott says:

“I love the variety of work that Universal Wolf offers. Each day is different, and its not always easy – but we’re always up for the challenge!”

Perks and Benefits

As you might expect from a top employer, we have plenty of good stuff to offer, and we’re always working on our Colleague Benefits package:

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays
• Annual leave purchasing scheme
• Long service annual leave recognition
• Your birthday off
• Flexible working including a 4-day week and flexi start & finish
• Matched pension contributions up to 6% and Pension Exchange
• Employee Assistance Programme for colleague wellbeing
• Enhanced maternity, paternity & shared parental leave
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted Gym
• Savings Scheme

We also offer our colleagues:

• The chance to earn £1,000 if they introduce a new colleague to the business
• Internal development opportunities
• Fully supported learning and training

Universal Wolf is a proud supporter of the Armed Forces Covenant

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families, are treated fairly.

The pledge acknowledges that they should be treated with fairness and respect in the communities, economy and society they have served.

Read more about the Armed Forces Covenant.

How to Apply

At Universal Wolf, we bring passionate people together to do incredible things. We are proudly ambitious and unafraid to challenge. We support, encourage and back each other, creating exceptional experiences for our customers.

We work together as a Better, Smarter, Pack.

Think you could be the next member of the wolf pack? Take a look at our open vacancies above.