Principal Engineer - Highways Area Team

Cheshire West and Chester; Pennsylvania; On-site; USD 87,000 - 114,000; Full time

Job summary

Cheshire West and Chester Council is seeking an experienced Principal Engineer in the Area Highways Team to lead delivery of TROs, traffic management and highway improvements across the borough. You will manage a team, engage stakeholders and ensure service standards.

You will work with Members, Parish Councils and the public, attending site meetings and representing the service on behalf of the Council. A driving licence is essential.

Qualifications

• Significant relevant highway experience and knowledge of TROs and highway safety.
• Ability to lead a multi-disciplinary team and manage workload.
• Commitment to delivering a customer-focused service with strong analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) including parking and speed restrictions.
• Manage complex customer enquiries, complaints and MP/Member enquiries.
• Provide technical leadership on highway maintenance, traffic management and road safety.
• Collaborate with residents, Parish Councils and stakeholders to develop solutions.
• Oversee highway improvement schemes and traffic management proposals.
• Manage consultations, petitions and requests for new highway measures.
• Support licensing, permits and activities affecting the public highway.
• Lead and mentor engineering staff within the Area Team.
• Ensure compliance with Highways Act 1980, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, and related regs.
• Support the Council’s commitment to safe, sustainable and customer-focused highway services.

Skills

Technical leadership

Project management

Customer service

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Job description

As a Principal Engineer within the Area Highways Team, you will play a leading role in managing and improving the local highway network across Cheshire West and Chester. You will be responsible for overseeing a wide range of highway matters including Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), customer enquiries, highway safety concerns, local traffic management issues, highway licences and stakeholder engagement.

Working closely with elected Members, Parish Councils, residents, developers, utility companies and other partners, you will lead the investigation, development and implementation of highway and traffic management solutions that meet local needs and support the safe and efficient operation of the highway network.

The role combines technical leadership, project management, customer service, stakeholder engagement and team development, ensuring that highway matters are managed effectively, efficiently and in accordance with relevant legislation, policies and procedures.

Principal Engineer - Highways Area Team

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Principal Engineer to join our Area Team where you will be reporting to our Area Highways Team Leader and you will support, advise and guide a team who are responsible for a geographic area of the Council’s highways network.

You and your team will be the first point of contact for our Highway service, you’ll have the exciting opportunity to be responsible for dealing with all Traffic and Highways Maintenance enquiries from the public, statutory bodies, Parish Council's, Ward Members and the local MP's, as well as working within a close team of other Principal Engineers helping each other to innovate and develop this critical function of the Council.

This role has an important interface with the public, and we would welcome applicants who are committed to providing a consistent and excellent standard of service by putting our customers at the centre of everything we do.

What you'll be doing

• Leading the delivery of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), including parking restrictions, waiting restrictions, speed limits and other traffic management measures.
• Managing complex customer enquiries, complaints and Member/MP enquiries relating to highway and transportation matters.
• Providing technical leadership and professional advice on highway maintenance, traffic management and road safety issues.
• Working closely with residents, Parish Councils, Ward Members and other stakeholders to develop practical and proportionate solutions to local highway concerns.
• Overseeing the assessment and implementation of highway improvement schemes and traffic management proposals.
• Managing responses to consultations, petitions and requests for new highway measures.
• Supporting the management of highway licences, permits and other activities affecting the public highway.
• Leading and mentoring engineering staff within the Area Team.
• Ensuring compliance with relevant legislation including the Highways Act 1980, Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and associated regulations.
• Supporting the Council's commitment to delivering safe, sustainable and customer-focused highway services.

We are seeking an enthusiastic person with excellent technical and communication skills together with a strong understanding of Traffic Regulation Orders that understands the need for technical rigour and attention to detail. We would expect you to have significant relevant Highway experience as well as be confident in managing a team and their workload. You will be part of a high performing and ambitious team, supported and encouraged to achieve your goals and deliver your best.

A driving licence is essential for this role as you will be required to attend site meetings throughout the Borough, sometimes over challenging, sensitive issues. You will be asked to attend meetings out of hours either virtually or in person for example to represent the Highways Service at Parish Council meetings and to present all Highway matters on behalf of the Service. Therefore, you will need to possess excellent communication skills and be approachable as we are a strong customer focused service.

This is necessary to provide cover for the team during office hours and at times answer emergency calls throughout the day from our Contact Centre.

If you would like any further information on this vacancy, please contact Karl Farrow Area Engineer on 07766526147 or email [e-mail]