Senior Engineer (Highways & Transport Planning) - AR
Posted 2 days 3 hours ago by Carrington Blake Recruitment
Job Title
Senior Highways Development Control Officer (or equivalent)
Service Area
Highways & Transportation / Planning Services
Location
Colindale Offices
Work Arrangement
Hybrid working
Working within the Development Control Team, the postholder will support the Highways Development Control Manager in the delivery of all highways development control and management activities. The role acts as a statutory consultee on planning applications with transport and highway impacts and is responsible for overseeing the full lifecycle of highways-related development matters, from pre application advice through to construction, legal agreements, and highway adoption. The role also plays a key part in supporting the growth and financial sustainability of the service, including the identification and securing of third party income through an integrated "One Stop Shop" approach to highways development services. The postholder will deputise for the Highways Development Control Manager as required and contribute to stakeholder relationship management across Planning and related services.
Key ResponsibilitiesHighways Development Control & Planning
- Act as statutory consultee on planning applications with highway and transport implications, providing timely, robust, and defensible advice.
- Assess development proposals in relation to highway safety, capacity, access, parking, and sustainable transport policies.
- Recommend appropriate planning conditions, obligations, and mitigation measures.
- Support close working with Planning Services to ensure consistent and coordinated decision making.
End to End Development Management
- Provide highways pre application advice to developers and their consultants.
- Review and approve Construction Management Plans, Travel Plans, and other supporting documentation.
- Authorise and monitor developer led highway works within the public highway.
- Oversee highways legal agreements (e.g. Section 278, Section 38) from negotiation through delivery.
- Monitor compliance during construction and support the process through to highway adoption.
Leadership, Deputising & Service Delivery
- Support the Highways Development Control Manager in the operational management of the service.
- Deputise for the Manager as required, including decision making and representation at meetings.
- Provide guidance and support to officers within the Development Control Team, particularly on complex or sensitive cases.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of highways development control policies, procedures, and best practice.
Income Generation & Service Growth
- Support the identification and securing of sustainable third party income streams.
- Promote and contribute to an integrated "One Stop Shop" highways development service model.
- Assist in meeting service growth and income targets through effective charging, cost recovery, and service promotion.
- Engage with developers and stakeholders to clearly articulate the value of highways advice and services.
Stakeholder & Customer Engagement
- Build and maintain effective working relationships with internal teams, developers, consultants, and other external stakeholders.
- Represent the highways authority at meetings, negotiations, and discussions relating to development proposals.
- Manage customer expectations professionally while ensuring compliance with statutory and policy requirements.
- Deliver customer service excellence and promote awareness of highways development control processes.
- Significant experience in highways development control or highways development management within a local authority or similar environment.
- Strong understanding of the planning process and the role of the highways authority as a statutory consultee.
- Experience of managing highways legal agreements and highway adoption processes.
- Ability to interpret and apply highways, transport and planning policy.
- Experience of stakeholder engagement, negotiation and conflict resolution.
- Awareness of income generation, charging and cost recovery within public sector services.
- Ability to lead, influence and deputise effectively when required.
- Confident decision maker with sound professional judgment.
- Strong communicator with the ability to explain technical matters clearly.
- Organised and resilient, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Customer focused while maintaining regulatory integrity.
- Collaborative and proactive in supporting service improvement and growth.
The postholder will be expected to work flexibly in line with the Council's hybrid working arrangements and attend the Colindale Offices as required for operational and stakeholder needs.