Description Your new role National Highways have an excellent opportunity for a Principal Engineer to join our team within North West Operations. The Principal Engineer will provide deep specialism and technical expertise to Engineers involved in the identification and evaluation of asset specific needs and early solutions primarily for boundary fencing and road signs assets, while assuring adherence to defined asset policies and standards and to act as the technical authority for the specific asset class(es) in scope. You will be required to drive as part of your role and you will need to have a full driving license with no more than 3 points to be considered for this position and during employment Please note that this is a hybrid position and can be based from any of our offices within the North West to include Warrington, Manchester, Penrith or Preston. What you’ll be leading on Ensure the health and safety needs and wellbeing of customers and employees are fully considered and accounted for throughout the planning and delivery of each service activity. Develop asset specific management plans and ensure asset management decisions adhere to defined policies and standards, provide value for money, and maximise contribution to the delivery of business objectives. Identify, prioritise and manage asset need in accordance with required governance and to achieve business objectives Provide specialist technical expertise and assurance in the development of early solutions for renewals and improvement schemes, in line with agreed methodologies and prioritisation criteria, and considering new techniques, materials, buildability, and costs. Identify and commission survey works to support the improvement and/or renewal of assets; to check and approve technical briefs, reports, specifications, drawings and supporting information. Continuously monitor and analyse asset data, to champion asset data quality, integrity and adherence to data standards and guidelines, and provide coaching and guidance to regional colleagues involved in data entry and maintenance. Oversee and advise on the development of technical briefs provided to the design and construction contractor for improvement and renewals work. To be successful Degree in relevant discipline, Higher National Diploma, or Higher National Certificate with relevant experience, or equivalent experience. Expert knowledge of asset condition assessment and degradation modelling. Expert knowledge of asset specific Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) standards and their application on the highways network. Understanding of the Value Management process and/or cost benefit analysis of schemes is desirable. Experience in highways infrastructure design, AutoCAD is desirable. Experience in highway construction and delivery methods. Knowledge of boundary fencing / road sign assets is desirable A bit about us Operations is at the heart of keeping the strategic road network moving and ensuring our customers get the best possible experience when using our roads. We address over 39,000 customer enquiries every month, plan and deliver all maintenance activities on the network, drive efficiencies and improvements across our systems and roads, and respond to incidents across 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads that we manage. All to make sure National Highways customers have safer, smoother, and more reliable journeys. External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy. We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.