INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Section 38/278 Group Engineer
Salary: PO4 £46,142 – £49,282 pa
Hours: 37 hours
Contract: Full Time Permanent
Location: Merrion House, Leeds

As the Section 38/278 Group Engineer you will be joining a busy team liaising with various stakeholders to provide a high quality engineering consultancy service from application stage to the adoption of highways on a variety of developments across the City of Leeds

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Section 38/278 Group Engineer you will be a highly motivated and organised individual managing a team of Senior Engineers, Engineers and Inspectors to deliver a high quality service assessing and progressing S38/278 (Highways Act 1980) applications through to adoption. You will also manage a number of schemes liaising with multiple internal and external stakeholders to ensure cost effective and efficient progression of all schemes within your team. As a Section 38 Group Engineer you will bring to the role:

• Ability to provide leadership, which empowers colleagues and staff to achieve results.
• Ability to manage and monitor performance effectively and set clear objectives for the review of individual and service level performance.
• Ability to manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of programmes and adapting to changing circumstances and priorities.
• Ability to develop and contribute to partnerships involving various stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
• A detailed knowledge of highway engineering.
• An understanding of local government and experience of achieving results in a politically sensitive context.
• A detailed knowledge of highway engineering.

About the role

The role is in the Section 38 Team within the Highways and Transportation service area, and you will be joining a supportive and welcoming team that delivers high quality engineering advice to developers, external agencies and internal teams on highways and adoption related matters.

As our next Section 38 Group Engineer you’ll be working with the team to ensure the delivery of schemes is managed in a cost effective and efficient manner. Providing positive leadership to ensure your team is empowered to deliver a high quality service. You will also lead change programmes, help to improve service quality and support a culture that drives up standards and performance, providing solutions to achieving diversion an inclusion in all aspects of service delivery and community engagement.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Trevor Bowyer, Principal Operations Manager on 0113 3368859 or email trevor.bowyer@leeds.gov.uk

Interview dates to be confirmed.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people. 

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: To manage a small group within a team of professional and technical staff to ensure proposed highway schemes are designed, constructed and implemented in line with statutory obligations, City Council policies, standards and specifications for adoption as publicly maintainable highway.

Principal Accountabilities:

• Manage a small group of staff engaged in assessing and processing S38/S278 (Highways Act 1980) applications through to adoption 
• To motivate, develop and coach staff to achieve Corporate Plan, Service Plan and Divisional Plan objectives
• Promote and deliver positive solutions to achieving diversity and equality in all aspects of service delivery, community engagement areas, focusing on equality of outcome
• To be accountable for the safety of staff, service users and contractors in accordance with Legislation and the Council Health and Safety Policy
• An understanding of employees’ responsibility for health and safety.

Responsibilities for Grade:

•  Promote and deliver positive solutions to achieving diversity and equality in all aspects of delivery, community engagement areas, focusing on equality of outcomes

• Provide a high quality and cost effective engineering consultancy service to support the delivery of highway and other engineering related schemes

• Support and assist in the development of policies which support efficient service delivery, continuous improvement and corporate objective

• Represent the Service, the Department and the Council as a Senior Officer for matters relating to highway design and construction and other related areas of work

• Ensure schemes are delivered in accordance with the statutory requirements of the Construction Design Management Regulations (2015)

• Ensure the work of the team is produced in accordance with legislation and to the appropriate local, national and corporate standards, policies and practices

• Experience of working within the framework of highway legislation and statutory procedures

• Assist in the development of partnership working

• Ensure that the work achieves high standards of urban design and contributes to the sustainability agenda

• Manage external consultants in the checking design and supervision of schemes

• Effectively instigate and ensure effective delivery of Section 38 Agreements including the serving of Advance Payment Code notices under the Highways Act 1980

• Monitor income from S38/S278 contributions and reporting on financial spend profile

• Active involvement in preparing, managing and controlling budgets.

• Facilitate development by working closely with developers as is statutory under requirements of Sections 38 and 278 of the Highways Act 1980

• Provide advice to colleagues in Planning and Transport Development Services to ensure one Council approach to highway adoption

• Ensure schemes’ and bond calculations have been prepared and checked

• Ensure Delegated Decision notices and Completion Certificates are prepared and recommend formal approval

Qualifications:

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities:  Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview or Certificate.

Skills Required

• Ability to provide leadership, which empowers colleagues and staff to achieve results.
• 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 effectively.
• Ability to lead 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.
• Ability to manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of programmes and adapting to changing circumstances and priorities.
• Ability to carry out feasibility/highway design and/or effectively manage highway construction schemes.
• Ability to resolve conflict.
• Ability to put corporate vision and values into practice through agreed policies and strategies.
• Ability to make an effective contribution to internal and external meetings.
• Ability to produce quality reports.
• Ability to develop and contribute to partnerships involving various stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
• Ability to develop productive working relationships that command respect, trust and confidence.

Knowledge Required

• An understanding of and commitment to sustainability in service delivery.
• A working knowledge of CDM Legislation.
• A detailed knowledge of highway engineering.
• An understanding of service delivery issues.
• Knowledge of the public sector and its relationship with the private and third sectors.
• An understanding of public sector areas.
• An understanding of local government and experience of achieving results in a politically sensitive context.

Experience Required

• Two years senior experience of delivering schemes and initiatives in a service or operational area relevant to the area of service delivery in the remit of the post.
• Extensive experience in feasibility / highway engineering.
• Experience of managing services to meet customer needs.
• Experience of working effectively with others to deliver schemes.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

• Commitment to continued professional development.
• Understand and promote policy on equal opportunities and diversity in both service delivery and employment.
• Personal integrity with commitment to fairness, equality and diversity.
• Appreciation of the legal, financial, governance and control frameworks including risk management.

Whilst these competencies may relate to this role more specifically for recruitment and selection purposes, following appointment, all members of staff are expected to demonstrate they meet all of our competencies.

Equality and Diversity

Equality and diversity in the council is about making sure that everyone can fully join in the social, cultural, political and economic life of the city.

The City Council is committed to its value of Treating People Fairly; this includes our staff and the people of Leeds. We will make sure that we do not discriminate against people because of their age, impairment, ethnic origin, nationality, religious belief, social class, gender, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, responsibility for dependants, trade union activity or for any other unfair reason.

Health and Safety

The Council believes that ensuring the safety, health and well-being of employees, contractors, service users (including learners) and all others affected by our activities is essential to accomplishing our ambition and values. As a large employer we are committed to being an exemplar for good practice and committing to the wider health agenda by ensuring that work doesn’t contribute to poor health, using the workplace to improve health and well-being, and supporting our workforce to be “Happy, Healthy and Here”. We expect all employees to contribute to their own individual safety and well-being and to that of others who may be affected by their actions.

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