Highway Design Manager

About the Role: The Highway Design Manager will lead design teams within Professional Services, ensuring the delivery of safe, efficient, and effective highway engineering services. This role is crucial in maintaining high-quality technical support across the Highways Service and the wider Place department, ensuring robust checking of statutory and other submissions from third parties.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead multi-disciplinary design teams in areas such as highways, pavements, drainage, street lighting, traffic signals, traffic management, highway structures, geotechnical, countryside assets, remediation, and land management.
• Promote a reputation of excellence within the service, ensuring a right first-time ethos.
• Establish and monitor the performance of design teams, ensuring the availability of qualified resources for all projects.
• Develop and manage systems for consistent design processes and outputs, including quality systems and audits.
• Ensure timely and robust assessment of Section 278/38 submissions and discharge obligations of the Overseeing Organisation.
• Manage financial performance of the design team against project and task budgets, utilizing risk management frameworks.
• Provide leadership on the discharge of Designer duties under the Construction Design and Management Regulations (2015).
• Embed value management and carbon management processes in design activities.
• Promote technical development of staff and manage performance improvement plans.
• Lead the adoption of new technology to support design activities and prepare business cases for investment in the design service.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, including Assistant Directors, Director of Highways, Place leadership teams, Development Control, Professional Services Partnering Manager, and external service providers.

Essential Qualifications and Experience:

• Managerial experience in a related field at a senior level.
• Experience managing large, multi-disciplinary design teams in a project environment.
• Expertise in the operation of the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works.
• Significant design experience in at least one relevant area and wide knowledge of highway design.
• Proven ability to manage design budgets and schedules, and to lead teams effectively.
• Strong understanding of the NEC suite of contracts and the Section 278/38 process.
• Wide-ranging understanding of construction, operation, and maintenance processes.
• Ability to inspire and lead teams, manage strategic decisions, and handle complex financial analysis.
• Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and persuasion skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing technological and legislative environments.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Degree in a relevant discipline.
• Membership of an appropriate professional institution (e.g., ICE or CIHT) and holding either IEng or CEng registration with the Engineering Council.
• Experience with carbon calculations in the design process and familiarity with the NRSWA process.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a dedicated team committed to delivering high-quality infrastructure projects.
• Opportunity to work on diverse and impactful projects that enhance the community.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Supportive and collaborative work environment.

How to Apply: If you are ready to take on this exciting challenge and make a significant impact, we would really like to hear from you. Please submit your application outlining your suitability for the role or contact us at [email protected] for more details.

Interview Date: January 2025

Apply now and take the first step towards a fulfilling career with us! By joining Derbyshire County Council you will have access to a range of amazing rewards and employee benefits, including our generous annual leave scheme, excellent local government pension and fantastic employee discounts. To discover more detail about the rewards and benefits available to you, click here

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This role currently offers hybrid working options which will be to subject service needs, there'll be an opportunity to discuss working arrangements for this position at interview.