Principle Engineer Highways Contracts

This is a senior role which offers a diverse and challenging workload. You will manage a group of professional and technical staff to ensure that the design, delivery, review, and management of all aspects of the highways works and the engagement and supervision of internal and external suppliers, is undertaken in line with statutory obligations, council policies, standards, and specifications. In addition, you will support, advise and assess the work of others both within the council and external parties, including consultants and contractors to ensure we deliver the best possible Highways Asset Management service. With a multitude of schemes currently underway to help support the city's ambition to be 'The Best', this is an excellent opportunity to join a forward-looking workforce. To achieve this, you will:

• Work closely with other experienced professionals within Highways and Transportation and other key partners.
• Lead, support and advice colleagues within the team
• Help to shape the team and provide a modern outlook to Highways Contracts Team.
The post is hybrid working with a base at Merrion House in Leeds City Centre with most staff currently working from home. It is full time (37 hours a week) with flexible working hours., Job Purpose To manage a group of professional and technical staff to ensure that the design, delivery, review, and management of all aspects of the highways works and the engagement and supervision of internal and external suppliers is undertaken in line with statutory obligations, council policies, standards and specifications. Responsibilities for Grade
• Manage a group of City Council staff together with the management, coordination and procurement of contractors and consultants engaged in the management and maintenance of highways infrastructure.
• Provide a high-quality highways partnership service to deliver cost effective and risk managed maintenance of highways infrastructure and highway related projects.
• Manage and control high value budgets and take responsibility for assigned budgets and agreeing Contractual payments.
• Ensure policies and standards relating to maintenance of highways infrastructure are relevant and current.
• Develop and manage cost effective solutions for the management and maintenance of highways assets along with the cost-effective performance of internal and external suppliers.
• Develop and submit business cases for maintenance funding for highways infrastructure to internal and external bodies.
• Provide expert guidance to other sections on highway maintenance techniques particularly in relation to sustainable maintenance of major projects.
• Manage a defined activity or a small range of the Department's activities to ensure the delivery of best value services to customers, to meet the objectives of the Council's Corporate Plan and comply with Government Standards.
• Motivate, develop and coach staff within your area of the directorate to achieve Corporate Plan, Service Plan and Divisional Plan objectives.
• Undertake and manage the delivery of specified elements of the Divisional Plan, Service Plan and Corporate Plan in relation to a defined activity or small range of activities, in order to meet targets and achieve improvements.
• Promote and deliver positive solutions to achieving diversity and equality in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement areas, focusing on equality of outcome.
• Actively support continuous improvement initiatives through contributing to cross Council schemes and supporting the Service Management Team.
• Within a small service area or number of areas, to take responsibility for maintaining effective communications with staff, service users, councillors, trade unions, partners and other stakeholders in accordance with Council good practice and with regard to implementing e-government objectives.
• Work with elected members, service users and community representatives in ways which support open, inclusive, responsive and accountable government.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with internal and external customers and other stakeholders to achieve corporate objectives and to maintain a position of service provider of first choice.
• Be accountable for the safety of staff, service users and contractors in accordance with Legislation and the Council Health and Safety Policy.
• Provide appropriate advice relating to the work of the Directorate to Members and council officers so as to manage risk and support them in their respective roles.
• Represent the Service, the Department and the Council as a Senior Officer for matters relating to maintenance of highways infrastructure and other related areas of work.
• Ensure projects are delivered in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Construction Design Management Regulations.
• Ensure the work of the team is produced in accordance with legislation and to the appropriate local, national and corporate standards, policies and practices.
• Assist in the development of partnership working.
• Support the development of staff within the team following the current staff development and appraisal procedures.
Qualifications Chartered Civil Engineer or Incorporated Engineer, or extensive equivalent appropriate experience.,
• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee's responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.
  
  Travel throughout the district is an essential part of this job and you must either hold a current drivers licence or be able to travel around Leeds effectively., Ability to interpret corporate vision and values and put into practice through agreed policies and strategies.
• Ability to manage and monitor performance effectively and set clear objectives for the review of individual and service level performance.
• Ability to coach and mentor staff and other managers effectively to develop a culture of high performance.
• Ability to manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of schemes and adapting to changing circumstances and priorities.
• Ability to provide leadership, which empowers colleagues and staff to achieve results.
• Ability to make an effective contribution to internal and external meetings.
• Ability to develop productive working relationships that command respect, trust and confidence.
• Ability to resolve conflict.
• Ability to develop and contribute to partnerships involving various stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
• Ability of working credibly and collaboratively across services and with partners to deliver excellent services and outcomes.
• Ability to produce comprehensive high quality reports, assist in developing business cases and to deliver presentations to a diverse audience.
• Computer skills, including familiarity with standard office software applications.
• Understand and promote policy on equal opportunities and diversity in both service delivery and employment.
• Detailed knowledge of asset management, highway engineering and maintenance practises.
• Knowledge of CDM Legislation.
• Knowledge of legislation, regulations, policies, inspections and performance information applicable to the service area in particular the Highways Act.
• Knowledge of procurement procedures and management of contractual relationships.
• Extensive equivalent appropriate experience in a senior role of a service or operational area relevant to the service area.
• Experience in the use of digital information systems for the management of physical assets.
• Experience of managing services to meet customer needs.
• Understand and ensure compliance with the legal, financial, governance and control frameworks including risk management., Desirable requirements It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.
• Ability to contribute to change programmes, improve service quality and support a culture that drives up standards and performance.
• Ability to take forward initiatives and policies from development to implementation.
• An understanding of and commitment to sustainability in service delivery.
• An understanding of service delivery issues.
• Experience of the public sector and its relationship with the private and third sectors.
  
  Leeds City Council is the second largest metropolitan local authority in the UK, in terms of both population and geographical area, serving a population of over 800,000. We are values-led with a clear ambition to be the best city council in the UK.
Leeds is a city with high levels of economic and housing growth and we have an important role to play in supporting the growth of the city and protecting the people, properties and infrastructure. There is strong and clear political leadership in Leeds City Council that is fully focused on realising the further potential for the city to grow in an inclusive way, meeting the challenges of the climate change emergency and leading wider partnership work across the Leeds City Region and Northern Powerhouse. In recent years we have successfully delivered, alongside both internal and external partners, an annual highways maintenance programme of c. £28M. We have a proven track record in highway inspections and successfully defending claims.