Job Title: Highways Drainage Manager
Department: Local Maintenance Service
Location: Cambridge (Hybrid – 2 days working from home, with occasional site visits across the authority's area)
Contract Duration: 3-month rolling contract with potential for extension
Salary: Competitive, circa £275 per day (umbrella)
Application Deadline: 12th March 2025
Optima Plus Recruitment is delighted to present an exciting opportunity for an accomplished Highways Drainage Manager to join a prominent local authority in Cambridge. This pivotal role will allow you to lead the strategic development and delivery of critical highways drainage programmes, ensuring the efficient management and resolution of drainage issues across the highway network.
As the Highways Drainage Manager, you will oversee a dedicated team of three technical officers and work collaboratively with the wider Local Maintenance Service, the Flooding Team, and other key stakeholders. This is an excellent opportunity to make a significant impact, ensuring the resilience of highways infrastructure and driving continuous improvement across drainage services.
Key Responsibilities
Drainage Programme Leadership
* Lead the development, implementation, and management of proactive and cyclical highways drainage programmes, ensuring the long-term resilience and functionality of the infrastructure.
* Ensure the timely and effective investigation and resolution of drainage issues, prioritising actions based on data and asset management systems.
* Ensure full compliance with relevant legislation, policies, and industry best practices in drainage management.
* Oversee all aspects of the drainage programme, from planning through to execution, ensuring optimal value for the community.
Team Leadership and Performance Management
* Provide inspirational leadership to a team of three technical officers, setting clear performance targets and expectations.
* Drive a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, fostering a collaborative, high-performance environment.
* Mentor and support the professional development of the team, providing opportunities for training and skill enhancement.
* Manage resource allocation effectively, ensuring the team is fully equipped to deliver exceptional results.
Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
* Work in close partnership with the wider Local Maintenance Service to ensure a unified, cohesive approach to drainage management.
* Build and maintain strong working relationships with contractors, utility companies, and other stakeholders, ensuring seamless coordination in managing drainage and flood risk.
* Lead collaborative initiatives to address drainage and flood challenges, ensuring the community benefits from proactive and sustainable solutions.
Customer Service and Communication
* Ensure professional and timely responses to all inquiries from elected members and the public, adhering to agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
* Communicate clearly and effectively, both written and verbally, with a wide range of stakeholders, providing technical expertise and advice on drainage matters.
* Champion the drainage services provided by the team, ensuring all customers and colleagues fully understand processes and services.
Compliance and Risk Management
* Ensure adherence to all relevant highway and safety regulations, incorporating risk management processes into all drainage activities.
* Monitor performance and proactively identify opportunities for continuous improvement within the drainage programme.
* Support the Head of Local Maintenance in developing policies and strategies for effective drainage and highways infrastructure management.
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
* Proven experience in highways drainage management, including both proactive and reactive maintenance.
* Strong leadership and team management skills, with a track record of motivating and guiding teams to high performance.
* Expertise in highways infrastructure, drainage systems, and relevant legislation.
* Excellent project management skills, with the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and deliver timely resolutions to drainage issues.
* Strong stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to collaborate across teams and organisations to achieve common goals.
* Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present technical information clearly to diverse audiences.
* Experience in driving performance improvement through structured processes and continuous development initiatives.
Desirable Criteria
* Professional qualifications in civil engineering, highways maintenance, or a related field.
* Previous experience in a local government or public sector environment.
* Proficiency in asset management systems and data-driven decision-making.
Optima Plus Recruitment is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion and encourages candidates from all backgrounds to apply, including those with disabilities and members of the armed forces community.
If you are a dynamic and experienced Highways Drainage Manager ready to make a lasting impact, we invite you to submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your experience by 12th March 2025