Drainage Engineer – AR

Carrington Blake Recruitment; Wokingham; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Wokingham Borough Council is seeking an experienced Drainage Engineer to join the LLFA and support the Highways Drainage Team over the winter period. The role leads the reactive drainage workload, investigating flooding and drainage issues across the borough and coordinating repairs and maintenance works.

You will work with drainage officers, contractors and council colleagues to assess problems, recommend engineering solutions and oversee works through to completion, with hybrid/home working

Qualifications

• Significant professional experience in drainage engineering.
• Experience with highways drainage and/or land drainage.
• Experience overseeing or supervising civil engineering/drainage works.
• Ability to prepare work orders and/or technical specifications.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Access to a vehicle for work-related site visits is preferable.

Responsibilities

• Lead the reactive drainage workload and support two experienced drainage officers.
• Investigate enquiries from residents, council colleagues and other stakeholders relating to highway drainage and land drainage issues.
• Undertake on-site assessments of drainage and flooding problems and determine the appropriate response.
• Investigate issues with framework contractors and other external contractors.
• Recommend appropriate repairs, replacements and enhancement works to the team manager.
• Prepare work orders, specifications and instructions for agreed civil engineering works.
• Oversee drainage surveys and civil engineering works to ensure contractors meet specifications and contractual requirements.
• Respond to reactive flooding issues and drainage emergencies across the borough.
• Work closely with the LLFA Manager, Graduate Engineer and other drainage engineering colleagues.
• Support effective communication with residents, contractors, colleagues and councillors.

Skills

Drainage engineering

Site assessment

Stakeholder management

Contractor coordination

Education

HNC/ONC or equivalent Level 5 qualification in Civil Engineering

Job description

Drainage Engineer

Location: Wokingham Borough Council
Contract: Temporary, initially October 2026 to end of March 2027
Working Pattern: Hybrid/home working available, with regular site visits
Team: Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) / Highways Drainage Team

About the Role

Wokingham Borough Council is looking for an experienced Drainage Engineer to join the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and support the Highways Drainage Team over the winter period.

The role will lead the council’s reactive drainage workload, investigating flooding and drainage issues across the borough and coordinating appropriate repair and maintenance works.

You will work closely with experienced drainage officers, contractors and other council colleagues to investigate problems, recommend solutions and oversee works through to completion.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the reactive drainage workload and support two experienced drainage officers.
• Investigate enquiries from residents, council colleagues and other stakeholders relating to highway drainage and land drainage issues.
• Undertake on-site assessments of drainage and flooding problems and determine the appropriate response.
• Investigate issues with framework contractors and other external contractors.
• Recommend appropriate repairs, replacements and enhancement works to the team manager.
• Prepare work orders, specifications and instructions for agreed civil engineering works.
• Oversee drainage surveys and civil engineering works to ensure contractors meet specifications and contractual requirements.
• Respond to reactive flooding issues and drainage emergencies across the borough.
• Work closely with the LLFA Manager, Graduate Engineer and other drainage engineering colleagues.
• Support effective communication with residents, contractors, colleagues and councillors.

About You

You will have a proven track record in complex drainage investigation and resolution, with strong practical knowledge of highway drainage and flooding issues.

You should be confident attending sites, assessing problems, recommending appropriate engineering solutions and managing contractors delivering remedial works.

You will also need excellent interpersonal skills and be comfortable working with members of the public, councillors, contractors and council colleagues.

Essential Requirements

• Significant professional experience in drainage engineering.
• Proven experience investigating and resolving complex drainage and flooding issues.
• Experience with highways drainage and/or land drainage.
• Experience overseeing or supervising civil engineering/drainage works.
• Experience working with external contractors and reviewing completed works.
• Ability to prepare work orders and/or technical specifications.
• HNC/ONC or equivalent Level 5 qualification or above in Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to attend sites at short notice when required.
• Access to a vehicle for work-related site visits is preferable.
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside normal hours in response to emergencies.

Working Arrangements

The role is predominantly focused on reactive drainage issues, so the successful candidate should ideally be located close enough to Wokingham Borough to attend sites at short notice.

A proportion of home working can be accommodated within the requirements of the role.

Occasional out-of-hours work may be required when responding to flooding or other drainage emergencies.