Senior Drainage Advisor - SES
| Company: | National Highways |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Hours: | Full-time |
| Location: | Birmingham, B4 6GA |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Posting date: | 2 Oct 2026 |
| Closing date: | 16 Oct 2026 |
Summary
National Highways have an excellent opportunity for a Senior Drainage Engineer to join our Engineering Division within the Safety, Engineering and Standards (SES) Directorate. As a Senior Drainage Engineer in SES, you will have a great opportunity to the work in our team of drainage and water specialists, providing technical direction and assurance for all highways drainage infrastructure on the Strategic Road Network. You will be responsible for maintaining and developing drainage policy, standards and best practice, as well as providing technical advice to those parts of the organisation responsible for delivery.
The Senior Drainage Engineer will also develop collaborative relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders and although you will not have any direct reports, there will be an opportunity to mentor colleagues and manage supplier resources and contracts, including tasks on our Innovation Programme.
Please note this is an up to 14 month Fixed Term position to cover for maternity leave, occasional travel on a national basis will be required. The role follows the hybrid working policy.
- Maintain and update the relevant drainage sections of the Design Manual for Roads & Bridges (DMRB) and the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW). Review of departure applications so we can ensure innovative, non-compliant, drainage solutions are appropriately assessed.
- Act as a source of specialist expertise in drainage and water management; providing advice and guidance to National Highways delivery colleagues and suppliers. Actively engage with these stakeholders to understand their business needs and identify key areas for improvement and share best practice.
- Fully engage in value engineering across the entire network. This involves working in partnership with regional Drainage Liaison Engineers and Engineering Team Managers to review and advise on aspects of new and replacement highway drainage solutions.
- Represent National Highways on external technical committees, steering groups and at seminars and workshops, to contribute to the development of external standards, ensuring that National Highways views are appropriately represented.
- Develop business cases, project plans and supporting project documentation, inclusive of effective risk and issue management.
Commission and manage consultancy support as appropriate, to ensure delivery of project objectives to time and cost.
About you.
- Specialist drainage and water engineering expertise with a relevant engineering or environmental qualification (e.g. BEng, BSc, BA, HND/HNC Foundation Degree) and membership of a relevant professional institute (eg IHE, CIWEM, ICE or CIHT) at either chartered or near chartered status (with clear plan in place to gain accreditation). Experience of also using your specialist knowledge to develop information and provide guidance.
- Experience of resolving complex technical problems, analysing information to develop appropriate solutions to manage risks and issues.
- Evidence of managing internal and external stakeholder relationships to achieve desired outcomes, taking the lead when needed to achieve consensus when views / perspectives may differ.
- The ability to communicate effectively and present results, including excellent written skills with the ability to translate complex technical subject matter into clear and understandable formats.
- Experience of working in a programme and project environment to develop projects and manage their delivery to time, cost and quality requirements.
About us
Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.
Safety, Engineering and Standards (SES) focuses on supporting outstanding operational delivery and providing expert technical advice for our road network. We also deliver essential services that lead, enable, and drive innovation in the development of the Strategic Road Network, while offering expert guidance on health and safety matters.
We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
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