Trainee Highway Steward in Aylesford

Kent County Council maintains 8,700km (5,400 miles) of highway network and associated assets. Our local highway network is the most valuable asset we own in Kent, with a replacement value of around £24 billion. It plays a vital part in delivering council objectives by enabling safe and reliable journeys around and through the county. In doing so, it supports social wellbeing and economic prosperity. It is also essential for emergency services to execute their work: policing, healthcare, fire, and emergency response provision all require an effective highway network.

As a forward-thinking highway authority, Kent County Council is continuously looking at innovative and better ways of working. Technology is becoming more integral to the way in which we deliver our service. The successful candidate must therefore possess excellent IT skills, demonstrating their proficiency with tablet devices, smartphones and MS Office.

We are looking for enthusiastic and self-motivated individuals to join our Highway teams in East and West Kent as a Highway Steward at a trainee level. As a Trainee Highway Steward, you will play a key role in Kent County Council's management of a safe highway network across Kent.

The trainee positions offer the opportunity to gain industry experience within the highway environment while supporting the wider team. The successful candidates will benefit from internal and external training to gain the necessary qualifications in their development to confidently conduct safety inspections to the highest standard.

Candidates need to be articulate, flexible and have an ability to manage conflicting priorities and situations and resolve problems with positive solutions. IT proficiency is essential as is the ability to effectively communicate with customers, both internal and external, be it in person, on the phone or via written correspondence. If you can prioritise and organise your own workload and be a team player, work to tight deadlines, be methodical in your approach and have excellent customer service skills then this is the post for you.

This is a gateway opportunity best suited to college leavers or graduates looking to embark on a career in the civil engineering industry. The successful post holder will also benefit from the prospect of onward progression into other fields within the sector. Previous Trainees have continued their development within the authority and progressed to roles such as Asset Engineers and Project Managers, having gained the necessary experience within the inspectorate.

This post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service. This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements.

This role is subject to holding a full UK Driving Licence.

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county’s working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.