General Operative

Balfour Beatty plc; Spalding; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working (up to 40% remote where/

25 days annual leave

Pension & share incentive

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc is recruiting a Highways Operative for our UKCS Living Places team based in Lincolnshire. You will undertake varied highway maintenance, drainage, footway and asphalt works, while prioritising safety and quality.

You’ll join a dedicated team delivering essential services, with opportunities for overtime and out-of-hours work as needed. The role emphasises hands-on activity, collaboration with colleagues and stakeholders, and acting as a professional ambassador for the company.

Qualifications

• Full UK driving license is essential.
• Strong commitment to health and safety is required.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Honest, reliable and able to act with integrity.
• Flexible approach to working hours, including overtime and shift work when required.
• Desirable qualifications and training listed above would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Carry out a broad range of highway maintenance activities safely and to a high standard.
• Undertake drainage works, kerb laying, footway improvements and asphalt repairs.
• Complete excavation and trenching works with appropriate equipment.
• Maintain safety culture and report safety observations.
• Operate and maintain plant, tools and equipment safely.
• Support winter maintenance and emergency response activities.

Skills

Full UK driving licence

Health and safety

Teamwork

Honesty and integrity

Flexible working hours

Education

Highway maintenance, groundworks qualifications (Desirable)

NRSWA accreditation

CSCS Highway Maintenance card

Confined Space training

EUSR Excavation qualifications

Class 1 or Class 2 LGV licence

Driver CPC qualification

Winter service experience or NVQ

Telehandler training

Vacuum excavation experience

Job description

About the role

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Highways Operative to join our UKCS Living Places team based in Lincolnshire.

As a Highways Operative, you will play a vital role in maintaining and improving the local highway network, helping to keep communities connected and safe. Working as part of a dedicated operational team, you will undertake a wide range of highway maintenance activities, contributing to the delivery of essential infrastructure services across the region.

This is a hands-on role offering a varied workload, where no two days are the same. You will work on projects ranging from drainage and footway improvements to asphalt works, vegetation clearance and excavation activities, all while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality and customer service.

What you’ll be doing

As a Highways Operative, your responsibilities will include:

• Carrying out a broad range of highway maintenance activities safely, efficiently and to a high standard.
• Undertaking drainage works, kerb laying, footway improvements, vegetation clearance and asphalt repairs.
• Completing excavation and trenching works, including the use of specialist equipment where required.
• Working within Balfour Beatty's Zero Harm culture and ensuring health and safety remains the top priority at all times.
• Reporting close calls, good practices and safety observations.
• Ensuring compliance with statutory requirements, company procedures and quality standards.
• Operating and maintaining plant, tools and equipment safely and effectively.
• Monitoring and organising materials and resources to support project delivery.
• Following work programmes and completing tasks right first time.
• Supporting winter maintenance and emergency response activities, including out-of-hours work when required.
• Building positive working relationships with colleagues, customers and stakeholders.
• Acting as a professional ambassador for Balfour Beatty at all times.

Who we're looking for

We are looking for motivated individuals who take pride in their work, put safety first and are committed to delivering high-quality results.

Essential Requirements

• Full UK driving licence.
• Strong commitment to health and safety.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.
• Honest, reliable and able to act with integrity.
• Flexible approach to working hours, including overtime and shift work when required.

Desirable Requirements

While not essential, the following qualifications and experience would be advantageous:

• Highway maintenance, construction or groundworks experience.
• NRSWA accreditation.
• CSCS Highway Maintenance card.
• Confined Space training.
• EUSR Excavation qualifications.
• Class 1 or Class 2 LGV licence.
• Driver CPC qualification.
• Winter service experience or NVQ.
• Telehandler training.
• Vacuum excavation experience.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You’ll have the freedom to shape the package that’s right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

- Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
- 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
- Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
- Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

About us

Balfour Beatty Living Places works in long-term partnerships with local authorities to create great places to live, work and play. We actively engage with local people to understand the needs of the communities we work in and shape the places where local economies can thrive and grow. As a leader in sustainable working, diversity, and social value, we use our expertise to bring real, positive change for our customers.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We’re making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we’ve got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier-free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We’re looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via [e-mail]