Engineer (NRASWA Inspector)

As a Highway Authority, Kirklees Council has responsibility for co‑ordinating all works on the highway to ensure that the Council’s obligations under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, Highways Act 1980, Traffic Management Act 2004 & the Kirklees Permit Scheme minimise the impact of road works on highway users, and to ensure that sites are safe whilst underway and that reinstatements are completed to an acceptable standard.

Kirklees Council’s Streetworks Team manages approximately 16,000 works permits per year on 1,900 km of road network through towns such as Huddersfield, Dewsbury and Holmfirth, and across the rural countryside and moorland. The Streetworks Team also undertakes the coordination of activities for major investment projects such as the council‑led town centre regeneration schemes, the Transpennine Route Upgrade (rail), various statutory undertakers (utilities), council highway maintenance investment programmes, and public events.

The Streetworks Team is extremely busy and is looking to recruit additional Inspectors. Reporting to the Principal Engineer and working as part of a friendly team of co‑ordinators, inspectors, and technical officers, your duties will include:

• Inspecting Streetworks activities for compliance with regulations
• Reporting on works in progress, works that have overrun, defective apparatus and reinstatements
• Monitoring of sites throughout the guarantee period
• Inspecting Highways Act licence applications (for skips, scaffolds etc) and monitoring them whilst in progress
• Responding to reports and incidents on the highway and taking immediate action when significant highway dangers are identified

This may require changing planned activities, or staying on site until the highway has been made safe. The role is primarily working independently, visiting numerous sites per day. The successful candidate will be organised and self‑motivated, present a calm and approachable manner, and demonstrate a willingness to learn.

A working knowledge of Streetworks systems would be an advantage and experience of working in a Streetworks role is preferred but is not essential, as on‑the‑job training will be provided. The applicant should ideally hold the NRSWA accreditation at Supervisor level. Consideration will be given to applicants that hold the Operative level accreditation, so long as they commit to achieving the Supervisor standard within 6 months of starting the role.

You should be a competent IT user, with good working knowledge of a range of software packages including Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel and you will need to be able to use handheld inspection devices. You will be customer focused and possess excellent communication skills as the position is a public‑facing role dealing with council officers, works promoters, and members of the public.

The Streetworks Team offers a great career opportunity with the Engineer position being the entry level with progression in time when opportunity arise to Senior, Principal and Group Engineer positions. The role offers flexible working arrangements within the core working hours of the Streetworks Team; the position requires adaptability to respond to unplanned or urgent situations at short notice and until the situation is resolved or the highway made safe.

The Team currently operates a hybrid working model which involves a combination of mobile working from a council provided van and office‑based working. The office, at Civic Centre 1, High Street, Huddersfield, HD1 2NF is a modern and central location within the town centre.