Highways Superintendent

Closing date: 30 June 2026

Salary: £28,598 - £32,061 per annum

Role summary:

You’ll be playing a key role in ensuring the safety of highway users across Somerset’s highway network. You will do this by identifying and addressing risks, delivering maintenance and improvement works, and overseeing regulatory and permitting responsibilities.

Acting as a local technical expert, you will ensure that the Council fulfils its statutory duties and advise on matters such as highway legislation, traffic management and the condition of the highway. You will ensure that highway maintenance services are delivered effectively, by coordinating local priorities, managing budgets and monitoring the performance of service providers.

You’ll be working closely with parish councils, elected members and emergency services, amongst others, to agree priorities, resolve issues and maintain safe and efficient operation of the network. You will help to ensure that the delivery of planned works meet all design, safety and compliance obligations to a high standard. Through doing this work, you will be contributing to the continuous improvement of the service and the improved safety of our local highway network.

What you’ll do - key responsibilities:

• Ensure that Somerset Council as the Highway Authority carries out its statutory duty and complies with key Government legislation.
• Provide expert technical advice on issues concerning highway legislation, and provide advice for temporary traffic management.
• Deliver service plans to the required standard. Optimise available resources effectively to manage this.
• Manage and control a devolved budget within financial parameters.
• Respond to reports from all stakeholders of alleged dangerous conditions on the highway. Inspect, assess risk and priority, and order repairs when necessary.
• Liaise with the Assistant Highways Service Manager in managing and coordinating emergency highways situations.

What we’re looking for – knowledge, experience & skills:

Essential

• Conversant with key IT software – Microsoft office programs, MS Teams, SharePoint, GIS Mapping, Works ordering applications and other computer-based applications.
• Understanding and experience of budget management.
• Proven technical ability, an ability to analyse local highways situations and to identify priority areas for maintenance and improvement.
• Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016).
• Understanding of current Health and Safety legislation.
• Understanding of the Highways Act 1980.
• A detailed knowledge of highway construction and maintenance techniques.
• An understanding of political, financial, and environmental issues as they affect the service at the local level.
• Relevant experience within a highway’s service environment.
• Experience of highway maintenance.
• Contract administration.
• Ordering of engineering works.
• Dealing with public on various highway matters.
• Educated/qualified to BTEC level in Civil Engineering with relative craft and/or technical experience.
• HNC in relevant technical discipline, beneficial.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.

Additional Information:

• This is a full-time, permanent position working 37 hours per week.
• Mixture of working out on the Highway network and in the office. Must be able to travel countywide, and sometimes further, with a full UK driving licence. A van/vehicle will be provided as part of this role.
• 28 days of annual leave (additional to bank holidays)
• Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact John Nicholson, Assistant Highway Service Manager, via email at john.nicholson@somerset.gov.uk.  

A full job description will be provided to shortlisted candidates or on request via recruitment@somerset.gov.uk, quoting reference 943/AB.