Principal Highway Drainage Engineer in Abbey Dore

This is an exciting time to join the Highways and Public Realm team at Herefordshire Council. We are transforming how highways and public realm services are delivered across Herefordshire, bringing them back under direct Council control for the first time in years. From June this year (2026), we will be working in a new way that gives us greater flexibility, more local accountability, and a sharper focus on quality and value for money. By joining us now, you will be part of a team shaping the future of essential services that residents rely on every day from maintaining roads and green spaces to keeping our streets clean and safe. We can offer the chance to make a real difference in your community, work with a dedicated team, and help deliver improvements that matter. If you are looking for a role where you can take pride in what you do and be part of positive change, we would love to hear from you.

What will you be doing? In this role you will be responsible for managing the highway drainage system across Herefordshire. You will be the person who ensures that issues that are reported to us are investigated in a timely manner and that they then get fixed by raising jobs through to our partner contractors or through liaison with water companies through our annual programmes. You will also be responsible for developing and ensuring delivery of a county wide gully and drainage asset cleansing programme. You will work closely with our Flood Risk Management team to mitigate the likelihood and impact of flooding from the highway network on property and with our Road Safety and Traffic Management team to develop plans to keep the network moving in times of extreme weather.

Key Responsibilities

• Knowledge / experience of investigating and resolving highway drainage system problems.
• Experience of highway drainage design and designing and implementing SuDS.
• Comprehensive knowledge of key highway legislation including the Highways Act 1980 and flood risk management legislation including the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, Flood Risk Regulations 2009, Land Drainage Act 1991, etc.
• Experience of working positively with key stakeholders and communities.
• Experience in reviewing highway drainage plans as part of the development management process, and willingness to get involved in developing highway drainage schemes and progressing new projects.

Herefordshire is big hearted, welcoming and friendly. We have strong and independent communities and idyllic countryside, situated in the South West Midlands and bordering Wales. The county sits between Worcestershire and the Malvern Hills to the east, and Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) in Wales to the west. Historically Herefordshire has been the gateway to the Marches. We embrace partnership working. We are a member of the Marches Forward Partnership, which is a cross border collaboration between Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Powys and Shropshire who are collectively working to secure funding to invest in the region.

The council priorities over the next four years are set out in the Council Plan, with four main areas:

• People: We will enable residents to realise their potential, to be healthy and to be part of great communities who support each other. We want all children to have the best start in life.
• Place: We will protect and enhance our environment and ensure that Herefordshire is a great place to live. We will support the right housing in the right place, we will support access to green spaces and we will do everything we can to recover the health of our rivers.
• Growth: We will create the conditions to deliver sustainable growth across the county; attracting inward investment, building business confidence, creating jobs, enabling housing development along with providing the right infrastructure.
• Transformation: We will be an efficient council that embraces best practice, delivers innovation through technology and demonstrates value for money.

Equality and Diversity

Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the "Disability Confident" scheme. Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant. Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.

We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.

Salary, Benefits and Working Arrangements

A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:

• Salary range of HC10 - £46,142 to £50,269 per annum
• Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Career progression: clear pathways to progress
• Annual Leave: 31 days' annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
• Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
• Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
• Pick your perks - our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.