Highways Inspector

Old Moat; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Essential Car Allowance

Job summary

Manchester City Council is recruiting for a Permit Officer within the Network Management team. The role involves carrying out full visual inspections on live roadworks, planning routes to maximise inspections, and supporting Permit Officers and management with day-to-day queries.

You will engage with contractors, ensure traffic management compliance, and maintain liaison with stakeholders including local authorities and emergency services.

Qualifications

• Experience in highway projects, permits or traffic management is desirable.
• Ability to coordinate with multiple stakeholders and contractors.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical point of contact for Permit Officers, colleagues and contractors.
• Lead negotiations with supply chain and contractors to deliver works.
• Perform full visual inspections on live roadworks in line with GMRAPS scheme inspections.
• Plan routes and schedules to maximise daily inspections and provide day-to-day support.
• Coordinate traffic management and liaise with statutory undertakers and Traffic and Events officers.
• Ensure compliance with Highways systems and processes and undertake related inspections.
• Maintain communication with businesses, neighbouring authorities, Manchester Airport and emergency services.
• Assist in obtaining permits and orders and minimise impact on road users.

Skills

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Inspection

Scheduling

Microsoft Office

Driving licence

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

About The Role

Working Hours: 35 Hours Per Week

Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Additional Payments: Essential Car Allowance

Closing Date: 18 September 2026

Closing time: 11.59pm

Interview Method: Face to Face

Legal Right to Work: In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action

This role is subject to -

2 References - where possible we require 3 years' history.

Essential Car Documentation- This post is a designated Essential Car User. Therefore, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work. You will receive the Essential Car User Allowance.

To ensure necessary process and permits are in place to enable planned and reactive works to take place in line with legislation and health and safety requirements. The post holder will need to have a keen eye for detail and effective stakeholder management skills in order to manage and influence internal stakeholders and contractors via the supply chain.

The responsibilities include:

• Acting as a technical point of contact for Permit Officers, colleagues and contractors
• Lead negotiations with supply chain and contractors to deliver works
• Complex problem solving and resolution of escalated issues
• Ensuring compliance and consistency across GMRAPS permits & development works
• Liaising with permit applicants to support applications;
• Managing both planned events and unplanned incidents that could affect the efficiency or safety of the highway network.
• Liaising with businesses, neighbouring local authorities, Manchester Airport and the emergency services in support of issues that arise from such events or incidents.
• Ensuring that businesses, neighbouring local authorities, the emergency services are kept fully informed of any issues and upcoming works on the network
• Supporting the Event & Network Coordination Specialist in resolving issues that affect the safe and efficient operation of the network.
• Ensuring that correct legal permits and orders are obtained, and traffic management is in place to minimise impact and protect road users, whilst allowing activity to continue

About the Candidate

We would love to hear from you if you have experience of:

We have an exciting opportunity to become part of the Network Management team within the Highways team.

You will be carrying out full visual inspections on live roadworks in line with the GMRAPS scheme inspections.

You will be required to plan your routes and schedules in order to maximise your daily inspections and provide day to day support and query resolution to the Permit Officers, Co-ordinator and Management.

Manage day to day coordination tasks- i.e. Early entry, traffic management with the statutory undertakers- Liaising with the Traffic and Events officer where required and ensure compliance with all necessary Highways systems and processes and to undertake any other inspections as required such as Section74, 3rd Party, FPNs and Permit conditions.

You will also be required to undertake such additional duties as are reasonably commensurate with the level of the post.

You should be computer literate with some experience in Microsoft Office software as well as possessing a full Driving licence and use of your own car for business purposes

If you have the required skills and/or background to successfully undertake this role we look forward to hearing from you.

About Us

We're the local council for one of the UK's most vibrant and diverse cities.

Working for Manchester isn't just a job – it's an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it's strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you'll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We 'own it' and we're not afraid to try new things
• We're proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

• Generous holiday allowance- Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks during our annual leave purchase period.
• A buzzing pension- You’ll be enrolled in the UK's largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
• Enhanced parental and carers leave- Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
• Brilliant perks- Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
• Learn and grow- We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.
• A Good Employment Charter member- We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave- Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council

At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the Accessibility tools button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panels minimum shortlisting requirement for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term condition
• Have you completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme or any MCC positive action programmes?

When You Join Us

We're a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [e-mail].

What we will need from you if you're successful

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for, see the top of the advert for details.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve.

Other relevant information

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application. However, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

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