Head of Highway and Transportation Swindon Borough Council 12 weeks Rate negotiable Job Purpose As the Head of Highways and Transportation, you will be a key member of the Director of Operations Senior Management Team. You will collaborate with colleagues in the Operations Department and engage with internal and external stakeholders to deliver high-performing services aligned with the Council's vision, priorities, and pledges. You will oversee the strategic and operational management of all Highways and Transportation operations, ensuring the service meets national and local priorities in a customer-focused and efficient manner. As the lead advisor to the Council on Highways and Transportation services, you will cover Highways Asset Management and maintenance, Traffic Management, Transportation, and parking services. Your role includes significantly raising standards across our Highways and Transportation portfolio, contributing to improved outcomes across all aspects of the service. Additionally, you will ensure our services support the Council's emerging new ways of locality working. You will also establish and maintain strong links with Planning Services to ensure that transportation considerations are fully integrated into the planning and development process. This collaboration is crucial for creating sustainable and well-coordinated infrastructure projects that meet the needs of our growing community. On a day-to-day basis, you will be "hands-on", leading a team of professionals responsible for all elements of the Council's Highways and Transportation functions. You are specifically accountable for all service elements. Reporting to the Director of Operations, you will provide clear leadership and support to your teams, fostering a culture of operational excellence. You will focus on innovative ways of working that enhance the service and reputation of the Council, ensuring our residents remain at the heart of everything we do. You will manage an annual budget of approximately £30 million (capital/revenue) and provide leadership and direction to your staff. Your expertise in compliance will be crucial in leading our statutory and regulatory requirements across strategic highways, transportation, maintenance, and planned works, ensuring safe operations. You will share knowledge and best practices, providing data and insights to foster a culture of compliance and adherence to statutory standards. Key Accountabilities � Provide strategic leadership and management for a portfolio of transport services aligned with Council priorities and financial targets. � Develop and implement a coordinated strategic infrastructure delivery strategy, integrating all Council areas into long-term planning. � Lead statutory and regulatory activities to maintain a safe, efficient, and effective transport network, ensuring compliance with policies and legislation. � Ensure the service contributes to Council priorities and pledges, embedding the Council's culture, behaviours, and values. � Provide expert technical advice on highways, transportation, and flood management to planning applications and development proposals. � Simplify complex legislation and provide strategic advice to senior leaders, including Elected Members, the Chief Executive, and the Corporate Leadership Team. � Manage and deliver the Council's statutory compliance across Highways and Transportation services, incorporating performance monitoring and robust action plans. � Take strategic responsibility for large revenue, staff budgets, and capital investment programmes, ensuring efficient service delivery. � Proactively manage service budgets, forecasting expenditure and ensuring affordable plans align with the annual budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan. � Identify and secure external funding sources to deliver key strategic infrastructure projects. � Coordinate and manage external consultants and partners, ensuring effective contribution and understanding of roles and responsibilities. � Engage with key local, regional, and national bodies to support strategic objectives related to place-making. � Lead the development and delivery of activities that contribute to local economic growth through strategic infrastructure projects. � Develop and deliver the highways capital programme and major projects through existing and new contractual arrangements, ensuring oversight and sound financial management. � Foster a culture of operational excellence with a strong customer focus, delivering value for money services. � Lead a risk-based approach to delivering strategic transport and infrastructure projects, maximizing external funding opportunities. � Oversee end-to-end commissioning of highways and transportation work streams, ensuring robust contract management and performance monitoring. � Lead, support, mentor, and coach operational staff, ensuring compliance with performance management systems and HR policies. � Role model the Council's priorities, ways of working, and values, ensuring they are embedded across the service. � Ensure equalities are embedded in all professional and managerial roles, adhering to Council policy. � Operate within the Council's governance, financial, and legal frameworks, providing strategic advice to senior leaders. � Participate in cross-organisational risk management and emergency planning activities. Supplementary Accountabilities � To be the council's lead technical officer on all aspects of Highways and Transportation services. � To embed commercial awareness throughout the Highways and Transportation team to recognise the impacts on its day to day work in unlocking better outcomes for our communities. � Embedding and maintaining rigour of key service performance indicators and service outputs which exceed local targets and contribute to the financial resilience of Swindon Borough Council. � Through your visibility as a leader, provide clear direction and a motivational and inspirational environment for teams and individuals to develop. � Chair project boards and working groups as required associated with the delivery of key projects and strategic transport priorities for Swindon Borough Council and its partners. � To carry out such other duties as may be expected by a senior officer at this level. � To deputise for the Director of Operations and Corporate Director when requested. � As a line manager, to ensure that the organisation's health, safely, equality, diversity and inclusion policies are fully implemented at all times and in all aspects of service delivery and employment. � As a member of the Operational Senior Management team, adopt a collaborative and supportive approach, maintaining up to date professional knowledge and providing advice and assistance to colleagues as required. Knowledge & Experience Candidates must have substantial knowledge and experience in the following areas of business and will be required to provide evidence of this: � Significant senior management competence in managing operational services within Highways and Transportation setting or related field with a proven track record of leadership and strategic planning within a local authority or similar public / private sector environment. � A proven ability of successful change management, implementing and delivering new working policies and practices alongside significant cultural and structural change that deliver improved services for customers in a more efficient way. � Ability to work across organisational and professional boundaries, to contribute to the establishment of the desired organisational culture, to partnerships and to challenge inappropriate behaviour. � Proven experience of successful financial management including budget formulation, including a track record of improving services, managing complex budgets, involving a range of funding streams, and delivering value for money. � A proven track record of establishing and sustaining a performance management culture, supported by effective and efficient management information systems � Able to deal with ambiguity and the pace of change within local government, confidently making and standing by decisions in challenging situations and persisting with flexibility in the face of setbacks � Track record of developing staff, building effective teams and leading multi-disciplinary professional staff to achieve organisational aims and objectives � Experience to lead and manage high-profile front-line services to our communities � Experience of contract management and major public realm infrastructure scheme delivery � Ability to make site visits throughout the Borough and attend meetings outside the Borough. Qualifications � Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification with considerable relevant senior management experience in an appropriate related Highways and transportation setting. � Membership of, or eligibility for membership of, a relevant professional body such as ICE, CIHT, IHE or equivalent knowledge and practice gained through experience � Management qualification � Evidence of continuing professional development, leadership and personal � Competent working knowledge of Prince 2 Practioner or knowledge of "programme and project management techniques" within a similar digital environment Decision Making � The postholder has delegation of powers as head of Highways and Transportation services to make significant, complex, decisions and must be aware to manage corporate risks. � The postholder must be able to quickly get to the heart of issues and accurately assess and manage risk � The postholder must shows creativity in using intellectual capital and resources to deliver cost effective services � The postholder will be accountable for the successful operational delivery of the services and by extension to cross council transformational priorities. � Through developing and reviewing Highways and Transportation strategies, the postholder must ensure decisions taken are based on clearly defined needs of the council (and our wider community) ensuring both short, mid and long term requirements are planned for. Job Scope Number and types of jobs managed To lead and coordinate service delivery and performance in the following service areas; � Public Transport & Low Carbon Strategy � Traffic Management and Transport Policy � Highway Project Delivery � Highway Technical Design � Operational Highway Team � Transport Development Management � Highway Asset Management � NEC term service contract � Professional Services Contract The total service staffing headcount is c.200 via direct reports. The postholder will also convene cross-service and multi discipline boards to develop policies to support strategic Highways and Transportation services. Typical tasks supervised/allocated to others � To visibly lead the day to day running of the highways and transportation services and associated statutory elements. � Detailed budget monitoring � Implementation of staffing and performance matters including recruitment and retention of staff. Budget Holder: Responsibility: YES – Overall responsibility for the service area budget The postholder will take strategic budget responsibility (circa �1m revenue and staff budgets and circa �30m of capital projects although this may fluctuate annually) ensuring that the council's Highways and Transportation services responsibilities are delivered in a solutions led and statutorily compliant manner. Highway Assets in the region of £1.4b Various operational assets and equipment across all of Highways � Develop and maintain robust service performance measures to ensure effective and efficient frontline services. � Support to the lead members for Environment and Transportation Asset Responsibility: Services are recognised as income generating and have significant targets to support key front-line service spend. Contacts and Relationships The Postholder will work in a collaborative manner with Members, Corporate Boards, other directorates, external and internal stakeholders, community members and other bodies that interact with this role to deliver solutions led positive outcomes. Values and Behaviors We strive to underpin our culture of being “At our Best” through strong management and authentic leadership. This means getting the management basics right. We own and demonstrate accountability, both individually and collectively, and aim to get things right first time. Building on this we also expect everyone at SBC to demonstrate and live our organisational values and behaviours, by displaying: � Accountability at all levels � Customer care and pride in what we do � Continuous learning and evaluation � Valuing one another and the contribution each of us makes The postholder will be required to observe and fulfill the seven principles of public life (also known as the Nolan Principles): � Selflessness - Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. � Integrity - Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships. � Objectivity - Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias. � Accountability - Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this. � Openness - Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing. � Honesty - Holders of public office should be truthful. � Leadership - Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs. Other key requirements of the role The post holder is jointly accountable with the corporate management team and all senior management for the delivery of the outcomes within the Swindon Plan and will personally lead relevant elements of it and champion it overall. Further, the post holder will also empower and enable staff within the service area to lead and partake in cross-council projects to support the delivery of outcomes within the Swindon Plan. The post holder will: � ensure financial probity and competence of financial management across their department and that effective arrangements are in place to meet legislative and statutory requirements in relation to financial management, audit and internal control. � ensure the corporate parenting responsibilities for the council's looked after children and care leavers are fulfilled in accordance with the Children and Social Work Act 2017. � participate in the council's emergency arrangements as an on-call member and will fully participate as required, which may require chairing the formal council meetings. � ensure that all relevant health & safety legislation and the council's health & safety requirements are reasonably complied with. � be required to operate within any relevant delegations as detailed in the council's scheme of delegation of the council's constitution. � be required to work some evenings, weekends and occasional public holidays in order to meet service requirements and to ensure appropriate representation of the council with residents, the Leader and Cabinet and all elected Members and external bodies. � Team player capable of influencing and working within cross-functional teams at all levels � Able to deal with ambiguity and the pace of change within local government, confidently making and standing by decisions in challenging situations and persisting with flexibility in the face of setbacks � Having the confidence to speak out for what is best for Swindon, even when it is not easy to do so. � Ability to make site visits throughout the Borough and attend meetings outside the Borough Politically restricted employees are prohibited from: � standing for office as local councillors, MPs, MEPs, Members of the Welsh Assembly or Members of the Scottish Parliament, � canvassing on behalf of a political party or a person who is, or seeks to be, a candidate, and � speaking to the public at large or publishing any written or artistic work that could give the impression of advocating support for a political party.