Technician, Senior Technician or Highway Inspector

Posting date:	01 April 2026
Salary:	£29,540 to £39,152 per year
Additional salary information:	Local Government Pension
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	07 April 2026
Location:	Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1RQ
Remote working:	Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week
Company:	West Sussex County Council
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	EIE01531_1774972060

Summary

Salary: NJC Grades 7 to 9 £29,540 to £39,152 per annum (G7 £29,540 - £32,061 pa / G8 £32,597 - £35,412 pa / G9 £36,363 - £ 39,152 pa)
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week
Location: Based at County Hall - Chichester with hybrid working available
Interviews: Week commencing 20/04/2026

The Highways Agreement team is currently recruiting for a Highway Inspector to monitor works undertaken through S278 and S38 Highway Agreements. This is a career grade post designed to support your development and progression, and appointment grade will be dependent on level of experience and qualifications. The team manage the delivery of highway agreements for the adoption of new highways and for works within the public highways in West Sussex. The role is responsible for inspecting works undertaken by developers to ensure compliance with approved designs and specifications. Your role will have regular interactions with contractors; developers and the public so excellent customer service and communication skills are essential. You will use your knowledge of highway design and construction to monitor works. Read on to find out more details of what the role entails, and the skills, experience and knowledge required to be effective in the role.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do. Upon joining us you will have access to a range of benefits including the following:

For a full list, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

The Opportunity

In this role, you will work as part of a team to meet agreed outcomes and priorities in the service area. You will need to be organised, plan your workload and prioritise accordingly. You will have good technical knowledge of highway construction and a good eye for detail to produce accurate records to monitor progress of schemes.

Good communication is essential, as is the ability to build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders to achieve mutual outcomes. You will be able to work within recognised procedures and be able to work independently and deal with problems as they arise.

The role will include regular requirements for walking to undertake site inspections. The role requires daily travel around the county so you will need to be able to travel independently, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. A pool vehicle will be available.

About you

This role provides an excellent opportunity for career progression, spanning three grades with increasing responsibilities, as shown below. Key responsibilities of the role include:

Grade 7

• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to allow you to analyse and interpret complex information. This will enable you to present information clearly and produce quality documents with some support.
• Ability to organise and prioritise your work to ensure agreed deadlines are met.
• Great communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, create effective working relationships and provide great customer service.
• Experience of highway construction and working on highways and construction site environment.
• Good IT skills and the ability to accurately record and document inspections. Knowledge of CAD or GIS are desirable too.
• Sound problem solving skills and the ability to adapt to change with a measured approach.
• Good technical knowledge of highways, transport or planning and working within the discipline.

Grade 8

• Developed problem solving skills enabling you to understand and make connections between differing situation and the wider context to decisions.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to allow you to analyse and interpret information. You will then present information in a way that promotes understanding and clarity.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, create effective working relationships and provide excellent customer service.
• Extensive experience of highway construction and working on highways and construction site environment.
• Established IT skills and the ability to accurately record and document inspections. Knowledge of CAD or GIS is required too.
• Advanced technical knowledge of highways, transport or planning to enable you to provide advice and support to colleagues.
• Political Awareness when working with members and Senior Management.

Grade 9

• Highly developed problem-solving skills enabling you to make complex decisions and ensure appropriate business solutions are selected.
• Ability to interpret complex information to create quality documents for a range of audiences to a high standard with minimal guidance.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills to enable you to interact with a wide range of audiences, creating effective working relationships and providing excellent customer service. You will also review process and identify continuous improvements and innovation for your own role as well as the wider team.
• Extensive knowledge of delivering an effective, efficient professional service to a range of customers.
• Advanced experience of highway construction and working on highways and construction site environment.
• Advanced IT skills and the ability to accurately record and document inspections. Good working knowledge of CAD or GIS is essential too.
• Significant experience of working in a highway, transport or planning discipline, enabling you to provide advice and support to colleagues.
• Political Awareness when working with members and Senior Management.

Qualifications

• Degree or HNC in Civil Engineering or equivalent qualification or experience.
• CSCS Card
• NRSWA accreditation
• Full valid UK driving licence.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

About us

Highway Agreements is one of six teams in Highways Planned Delivery, which is part of the Highways, Transport and Planning Directorate. The overall aim of the team is to facilitate the delivery of highway infrastructure to support development and economic growth in West Sussex.

The Highway Agreements Team manage the delivery of S38 Agreements (the adoption of new highways), S278 Highway Agreements (works within the public highway over £30K), and S278 Minor Works Agreements (works within the public highway under £30K) in West Sussex.

Further information

The reference number for this role is EIE01531.

To apply, please follow the links below to complete an application form and upload your CV. In your application, please outline your motivations for applying and explain how you meet the key skills listed in full and the experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to 3 years referencing and a health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.