Principal Highway Drainage Engineer

Role Details

• Job Title:
  
  Principal Highway Drainage Engineer
• Contract:
  
  Permanent
• Location:
  
  Unit 3, Thorn Business Park, Hereford
• Hours:
  
  37
• Salary band: HC10 £ 46,142 – £50,269 per annum
• Closing date: 24 July 2026

In this role you will be responsible for managing the highway drainage system across Herefordshire.

You will be the person who ensures that issues reported to us are investigated in a timely manner and that they are then 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.

As a Principal Highway Drainage Engineer you will have:

• 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 willing to get involved in developing highway drainage schemes and progressing new projects.

• Salary range of HC10 £ 46,142 – £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.

Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: e

We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.

The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:

• 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.