Team Leader/Subject Matter Expert - Beach Management in Southampton

We have an exciting new opportunity to join a busy multi-disciplinary coastal and flood engineering team, managing flood and erosion risk on the south coast. Coastal Partners provides a Coastal Risk Management Service to Havant Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, Gosport Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council and Chichester District Council improving community resilience, and enhancing the natural environment in response to the risks from flooding and coastal erosion. This area includes three major harbours of significant environmental importance and over 246km of coastline.

We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Team Leader/Subject Matter Expert (TL/SME) to join our Client and Engineering Service, to lead on the delivery of our beach management plans, with experience, or interest in the following role:

To manage flood and erosion risk to our communities, we undertake annual beach management works that maintain healthy beach levels along our coastline. Drawing all our beach management works together under a single Beach Management Programme will drive consistency and efficiency across our Partner Authorities. This role seeks to establish a motivated specialist to lead the programme and to inspire and motivate others for all our Beach Management Activities coordinating them across our capital projects portfolio.

The main responsibilities involve coordination and oversight of each of our Beach Management Activities with our delivery partners, overseeing delivery programmes, preparing and submitting funding applications and complying with environmental constraints. The outcome of these are successful annual and bi-annual works across our Coastal Authority Partners. To be successful you will champion the need for, and outcomes of, effective Beach Management. Success will also depend on motivating and developing team members, devising and executing clear comms and engagement plans, procurement strategies, good contract management, and application of consistent project management processes.

Experience in applying for grant funding and managing budgets over multiple years is advantageous to deliver projects on budget. The role has responsibility for reporting progress at project and programme levels to a wide audience of interested stakeholders. You will also have a strong appreciation of our coastal monitoring surveys and coastal processes research, to help adapt the effectiveness of the beach management activities across the Partnership.

The role also holds accountability as Project Manager for capital and revenue projects, delivering through our Framework contractors and consultants. All our contracts are managed using NEC4, and experience of managing NEC Contracts is desirable.

You will have experience of leading and developing small teams, and supervising team members to ensure successful delivery of capital and revenue projects. This role also supports our Client and Engineering Service and may involve supervision of more junior team members, promotion of the service, and supporting our asset management annual work.

You will need a degree in Civil Engineering, Water and Coastal Management or related discipline and applications are welcome from experienced candidates, with relevant training provided to support your role. The initial salary is dependent on experience and qualifications.

What we can offer you:

• A competitive salary
• Support for your continuous professional development
• Generous Leave Allowance
• Free Parking
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible/Hybrid working to support your work-life balance
• Family Friendly Packages
• A comprehensive benefits package, find out more on our website

We are a dynamic service with a fresh and optimistic approach to meeting challenges and opportunities and are committed to developing our people through training and support to offer a varied experience. This role requires frequent outdoor work, site work and attendance at our offices, blended with home working. You will need to be able to drive.

To Apply:

Please click apply and complete the short application process (3-4 minutes). Please ensure you attach your CV and a supporting statement, when completing your application on our recruitment platform Hireful. We will not be able to progress your application further unless you provide a supporting statement detailing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria in the role profile.

The closing date for receipt of applications is midnight on 15 July 2026 and interviews will be held week commencing 3 August 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. We would encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

Due to the current employment climate, we are receiving a high number of applicants for each post and as such may not be able to acknowledge receipt of your application. You will however be notified as to whether you made the shortlist soon after the closing date.

We want our workforce to reflect our diverse local communities, therefore, we encourage and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. The council is an inclusive employer and appoints on merit. We are a Disability Confident Employer and have a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for Veterans.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff members to share this commitment. Havant Borough Council is a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. All employees of the Authority will be expected to support any necessary actions required during an emergency response.