Highway Inspector

Schools; Worthing; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

local government pension scheme

27 days + bank holidays 35 days

Flexible working options

Maternity/paternity/adoption leave

Volunteering opportunities

Training and development opportunities

Staff discounts and offers

Employee wellbeing programme

Job summary

West Sussex County Council requires a Highways Inspector to support safe delivery of the highway network. The role involves regular inspections, identifying defects, and coordinating with contractors for safety repairs.

You will assess asset condition, contribute to long-term maintenance planning, and may attend court for third‑party liability matters as required. Travel to various working locations across the Horsham and Crawley areas is part of the role.

Qualifications

• Full current driver’s licence.
• Basic theoretical knowledge of engineering/civil construction.
• Sound IT knowledge.
• Knowledge of the Highways Act and NRSWA, and other safety legislation.
• General technical and customer service experience.
• Proven team-player able to meet objectives within deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Inspect the highway network and assess defects.
• Raise safety repair works with contractors.
• Provide feedback on asset condition for long-term maintenance planning.
• Represent WSCC in third-party liability claims and attend court when required.
• Travel to locations covering Horsham and Crawley areas.
• Walk and cycle inspections as needed.

Skills

Communication

Literacy & numeracy

Problem solving

Calm under pressure

Observation & record keeping

Education

Driver’s licence

Engineering/civil construction knowledge

IT literacy

Knowledge of Highways Act/NRSWA & safety regs

Teamwork & customer service experience

Job description

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) maintains 4,046km of carriageways and 3,950km of footways and cycleways.

Want to ensure the safety of our assets for our residents? Read on below...

About The Job

Salary

£33,673 to £36,581per annum.

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time, 37 hours per week. We are also open to part-time applicants who can partake in a job share opportunity.

Location

Base location will be Clapham Depot, Worthing

Annual leave

27 days + bank holidays = 35 days.

The role will be based out Clapham depot and will require you travel to the working locations covering Horsham and Crawley areas.

As a Highways Inspector, your role will involve supporting the safe delivery of the highway network by conducting regular inspections, repairs, and enforcement of highway legislation.

You will need to demonstrate initiative in carrying out your duties, which will involve activities such as walking and cycling inspections.

Additionally, you will be responsible for assessing highway defects, raising safety repair works with our contractor, providing feedback on asset condition to support long-term maintenance planning, and representing West Sussex County Council in relation to third‑party liability claims, including attendance at court hearings when required.

Key Skills

• Sound communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills
• Sound problem solving skills with the ability to analyse complex issues and make logical and rational decisions based on all information available.
• The ability to stay calm when dealing difficult situations
• Good professional observational skills in order to locate faults in the highway and ability to keep accurate records in order to document findings.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the job description

Qualifications and Experience

• Full current driver’s licence
• Basic theoretical knowledge of engineering/civil construction for planning improvements and repairs to the highway
• Sound and accurate IT knowledge
• Knowledge of the Highways Act and NRSWA, and other relevant pieces of legislation, including health and safety, for enforcement work
• General technical and customer service experience
• Proven successful experience of working as part of a team to effectively meet objectives within agreed/necessary timescales.

Working for us

As well as adding real value to our service users and our communities, as an employer we recognise our employees are central in being able to achieve this. To recognise this we want to help support your development and provide a great place to work ensuring you canfulfil your full potential,have access to a range of benefits including:

• an excellent local government pension scheme

• generous holiday entitlement of 27days (plus opportunity to buy additional leave)

• arange of flexible working options, depending on your job role

• maternity, paternity, dependencyand adoption leave

• volunteering opportunities

• training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring

• a range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform (see our Staff discounts page if you are a business looking to offer a discount)

• health and wellbeing benefits including access to our Employee Assistance Programme,Mental Health First Aiders and Voluntary Health Cash Plans

For a full list this can be found at our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is [%job_number%].

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Hiring Manager Craig Adfield (Senior Highway Inspector) at [e-mail].

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail].

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion, accessibilityand diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applicationsfrom people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.