Technician/Senior Technician/Engineer - Structures/Drainage

West Sussex County Council; Chichester; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority is seeking a dedicated professional to join its Structures and Drainage division within the Highways team in Chichester. This permanent, full-time role involves conducting inspections, managing databases, and ensuring high-quality service delivery. The ideal candidate will possess strong communication and problem-solving skills, alongside a solid technical background in highways or transport. The salary ranges from £29,540 to £39,152 per annum, with opportunities for career advancement.

Benefits

Supportive working environment

Career progression opportunities

Employee benefits package

Qualifications

• Experience in a highways, transport or planning discipline.
• Ability to present information clearly and produce quality documents.
• Strong communication skills to engage with a diverse audience.

Responsibilities

• Conduct structures inspections across the county.
• Manage structures Database system and records.
• Prepare maintenance work packages for identified defects.

Skills

Good literacy and numeracy skills

Great communication and interpersonal skills

Good IT skills

Problem-solving skills

Technical knowledge of highways, transport, or planning

Education

Relevant qualification in highways, transport, or planning

Tools

Knowledge of CAD

Knowledge of GIS

Job description

The Opportunity

Salary: NJC Grades 7 to 9 £29,540 to £39,152 per annum (G7 £29,540 - £32,061 pa / G8 £32,597 - £35,412 pa / G9 £36,363 - £39,152 pa)

Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full time - 37 hours per week,
Location: Based at County Hall - Northleigh, Chichester

Do you have experience in a highways, transport or planning discipline?

Do you have good communication skills to provide excellent customer service?

Are you skilled at problem solving and can you organise workload to meet agreed deadlines?

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our service in the Structures and Drainage division within our Highways team.

In this role you will support the team to ensure that services are delivered to customers in an efficient and effective manner. You will undertake a range of tasks to a high standard and make a positive contribution to the development of sustainable communities in West Sussex.

Some of the tasks that could be part of your day to day role include

• Undertaking structures inspections across the county
• Updating and management of the structures Database system and records
• Preparing maintenance work packages (Work Bank) and instructions, for the rectification of identified defects from the subsequent structure inspections
• Supervising/auditing our contractors carrying out maintenance works
• Dealing with and responding to internal, Customer and Third Party enquiries
• Carry out, coordinate and collate Statutory Undertakers search responses.

About You

This role provides an excellent opportunity for career progression, spanning three grades with increasing responsibilities, as shown below.

Key responsibilities of the role include:

Grade 7

• Good literacy and numeracy skills to allow you to analyse and interpret information. This will enable you to present information clearly and produce quality documents with some support.
• Ability to organise and prioritise your work to ensure agreed deadlines are met.
• Great communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, create effective working relationships and provide great customer service.
• Good IT skills which include knowledge/use of word and data processing as well as reports and presentation software. Knowledge of CAD or GIS are desirable too.
• Sound problem solving skills and the ability to adapt to change with a measured approach.
• Good technical knowledge of highways, transport or planning and working within the discipline.

Grade 8

• Developed problem solving skills enabling you to understand and make connections between differing situation and the wider context to decisions.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to allow you to analyse and interpret information. You will then present information in a way that promotes understanding and clarity.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, create effective working relationships and provide excellent customer service.
• Established IT skills which include knowledge/use of word and data processing as well as reports and presentation software. Knowledge of CAD or GIS is required too.
• Advanced technical knowledge of highways, transport or planning to enable you to provide advice and support to colleagues.

Grade 9

• Highly developed problem‑solving skills enabling you to make complex decisions and ensure appropriate business solutions are selected.
• Ability to interpret complex information to create quality documents for a range of audiences to a high standard with minimal guidance.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, creating effective working relationships and providing excellent customer service. You will also review process and identify continuous improvements and innovation for your own role as well as the wider team.
• Extensive knowledge of delivering an effective, efficient professional service to a range of customers.
• Advanced IT skills which include knowledge/use of word and data processing as well as reports and presentation software. Good working knowledge of CAD or GIS is essential too.
• Significant experience of working in a highway, transport or planning discipline, enabling you to provide advice and support to colleagues.

For more information on the Responsibilities, Key Skills, Qualifications and Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your cover letter as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.

About Us

Here at West Sussex County Council, Highways and Transport delivers safe and effective transport that offers choice, is convenient to use, enhances the environment and enables economic growth.

The service is based on the following principles:

• We will deliver services in line with the West Sussex Plan and our statutory responsibilities.
• Our services support community resilience.
• We will use our resources wisely to ensure value for money.
• We will put the customer at the heart of everything we do.

Benefits

As an employer, we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work‑life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

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

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01487.

To apply, please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter, please outline your motivations for applying and explain the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

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

Equity, inclusion, and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, 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 is a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.

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