Highways Development Officer

Local Government Chronicle; Dursley; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and agile working

25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5

LGPS pension

Cycle to Work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Gloucestershire County Council is seeking a Senior Highways Development Management Officer to assess development proposals, provide expert highway and transportation advice, and help shape safe, sustainable communities across the county.

You will work with planning authorities, developers and communities, focusing on active travel, decarbonisation and efficient transport networks. A strong technical background, sound judgement and collaboration skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in highways development management, transport planning, highway engineering or related discipline.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and explain complex technical matters clearly.
• Experience assessing Transport Assessments, Travel Plans, highway layouts and development proposals.

Responsibilities

• Assess residential, commercial and strategic development proposals, providing expert highway advice.
• Shape communities that are safe, connected and sustainable.
• Represent the Highway Authority's position at planning committees.

Skills

Communication skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder influence

Analytical skills

Education

ONC or equivalent qualification in Civil/Highway Eng/Transport Planning

Job description

Highways Development Officer

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Job Title: Highways Development Officer
• Job Location: Shire Hall, Block 5, 5th Floor
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 06/09/2026
• Job Requisition Number: 14632
• This post is not open to job share

About The Team & Role

The Highways Development Management Team at Gloucestershire County Council is a statutory consultee for planning applications across the county. Through our role in the planning process, we help deliver Gloucestershire's ambition for carbon-neutral growth while ensuring the highway network remains safe, sustainable and fit for the future.

We are seeking an experienced, proactive and forward-thinking Senior Highways Development Management Officer to join our team. As a senior member of the service, you will play a key role in assessing residential, commercial and strategic development proposals, providing expert highway and transportation advice, and helping to shape communities that are safe, connected and sustainable.

You will work closely with planning authorities, developers, consultants, elected members and local communities to ensure that new developments:

• Promote and enhance active travel opportunities, including walking, wheeling and cycling.
• Support Gloucestershire's climate change and decarbonisation objectives.
• Deliver safe and efficient transport networks for all users.
• Mitigate development impacts on the highway network.
• Create sustainable, accessible and resilient places that contribute positively to the county.

About You

You will ideally be an experienced highways or transportation professional with a strong technical background and a proven ability to exercise sound professional judgement. You will be comfortable managing complex caseloads, negotiating with developers and consultants, and representing the Highway Authority's position at planning committees.

As a senior officer, you will also provide guidance and support to colleagues, helping to maintain high professional standards across the team and contributing to service improvements.

Ideally you will have experience in highways development management, transport planning, highway engineering or a related discipline in addition to excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders and explain complex technical matters clearly.

Experience of assessing Transport Assessments, Travel Plans, highway layouts and development proposals, strong analytical skills and the ability to interpret technical data and evidence would be beneficial.

A commitment to Gloucestershire County Council's values and behaviours and a passion for delivering positive outcomes for communities would be essential.

You will hold a minimum of an ONC or equivalent qualification in Civil Engineering, Highway Engineering, Transport Planning or a related discipline with suitable compensatory experience.

About Us

For all your hard work, you will receive the following;

• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service
• Plus, an option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro-rata for part-time staff)
• Family friendly employer offering benefits to help support you and your family
• Career development and qualification opportunities
• Supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• Excellent Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
• An in-house Occupational Health service
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) network and the Young Employees Network. Gloucestershire Salary Sacrifice Green Car Scheme (T&C's apply)

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

The council is not currently able to offer sponsorship in this role. Candidates will need to have right to work that enables them to commit to at least 6 months' employment. Right to work is not transferable from a sponsored role held with another employer.

Applications from any Gloucestershire County Council's employees who are currently on the redeployment register or at risk of redundancy will be considered first at shortlisting stage.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire's diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.

Published on 19 Aug 2026