Assistant Drainage Technician

Are you looking for a role where you can help protect local communities and make a real difference to the environment? If you’re someone who cares about protecting people, places and our local environment from flooding and coastal risks, you could be a great fit for our Drainage & Coastal Defence team. We’re looking for someone practical, motivated and ready to learn—someone who wants to play a real part in keeping North East Lincolnshire safe.

As an Assistant Drainage Engineer, you’ll help manage flood risk across North East Lincolnshire, working on everything from surface water and land drainage to groundwater and coastal protection. The team’s mission is simple but vital: to prevent flooding, protect people and property, and support a resilient coastline. In this role, you’ll support the council in fulfilling its responsibilities as a Lead Local Flood Authority, Coastal Protection Authority, and Highway Authority, contributing to both day-to-day drainage activities and major flood risk capital projects.

As an Assistant Drainage Engineer, you will assist with investigating flooding incidents and help prepare statutory Section 19 reports. You will support inspections of drainage systems, gullies and coastal defences, in addition to working with contractors carrying out jetting, CCTV surveys and repair works. As part of your role, you will help design, procure and supervise major flood-risk and coastal defence schemes and liaise with colleagues across the council, plus external partners such as Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards and Anglian Water. You will respond to enquiries from residents, landowners and local businesses and support the team during flooding or pollution incidents, which includes occasional out-of-hours work.

The right candidate will have a basic knowledge of drainage or coastal defences and having knowledge of AutoCAD is an advantage, however it is not essential. You will have experience of working effectively as part of a team and understanding and acting on instructions from senior colleagues. You must have a full driving license. You’ll also need to be flexible to meet the needs of the service—especially when flooding incidents occur. The successful candidate will be working or willing to work towards an ONC in Civil Engineering or associated discipline.

When you join our Drainage & Coastal Defence team, you become part of a supportive, hands-on group dedicated to protecting our communities and coastline. You’ll work alongside experienced colleagues who are passionate about reducing flood risk and keeping North East Lincolnshire safe. As an Assistant Drainage Engineer, you’ll contribute to shared goals—investigating flooding, supporting inspections, assisting with major projects and working closely with partners across the region.

For more information please contact: Andy Smith via Andy.Smith@nelincs.gov.uk

Key Dates:

• Closing date - 29th March
• Interviews - 13th April

We want you to have the best interview experience with us, so will provide candidates selected for interview their questions 24 hours in advance of meeting us. We reserve the right to close our adverts early if we have received a significant volume of suitable applications.

As part of your RewardNEL package, you will have a generous leave entitlement (including bank holidays) and enrolment into a local government pension. You will also have access to our exclusive RewardNEL platform. This includes a variety of salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle2Work, Holiday Extra and Tusker (Car Lease), discounts at local coffee shops and bars, direct access to our in-house wellbeing support, free and discounted local car parking as well as instant access to new savings at major retailers, entertainment and hotels. NELC staff can also benefit from flexible working and excellent training and development opportunities and a fostering friendly scheme.

If you need any help applying for this position, please contact Wendy Trask on 07702 338542 (text or call). Wendy can support with digital access as well as offering advice and guidance about completing the different sections of the application form.

Your earnings go further in North East Lincolnshire, house prices are four times less than in London. Learn more about what our place has to offer at Life in North East Lincolnshire | NELC (nelincs.gov.uk)

We regularly review data to ensure our recruitment processes are fair, transparent and promote equal opportunities for all. We also have an in-house Equalities Champions Group that works to promote and embed inclusivity in the workplace, helping us identify areas where we can take positive action, and make the organisation a safe space for colleagues to feel connected.