Works Compliance Officer

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council are recruiting for a new and exciting Works Compliance Officer in the Highways and Technical Services team.  This is an important role in the delivery of the current highway service for Buckinghamshire Council operating under the banner of Buckinghamshire Highways who deliver approx. £50M worth of works a year.

The post holders will be integral in the delivery of contract management activities and associated contracts and frameworks, ensuring the Council receives maximises service outcomes in relation to value of money, quality of service to customer and performance to ensure the efficient and effective service delivery to the people and community of Buckinghamshire.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council brings together the best of the previous five councils to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.  

About the role

The post holder will play a lead role in the management of any required contracts and providing relevant information concerning delivery, performance, finance and value for money ensuring delivery of the work by the service in terms of either revenue or capital activities. This role will particularly concentrate on the quality delivery of our extensive capital programme of works.

You will be a key player in a team of approximately 10 staff, plus circa 200 indirectly managed external contract staff, working closely with the Commissioning and Contract manager, Head of Highways and other managers within the service area.

You will also work with Local Members, parish and town councils and support our local Community Boards as appropriate.

Key Accountabilities

• To be proactive in managing and ensuring the successful delivery of commissioned third party work in the specialist field of highways maintenance projects.
• Produce quality reports to record any findings, establish trends and manage these.
• To undertake Walk, Talk Builds as necessary and check that work is constructed and paid for in accordance with BC requirements and the contract quality and scope requirements
• Lead on Vehicle Restraint Systems, developing a strategy and programmes of forthcoming work   
• To undertake joint measurement of any projects, approving and validating applications for payment received from our alliance partners.
• To project manage small schemes as and when required
• To assist on the procurement of future works required for delivery by Buckinghamshire Highways and its continuing development.
• Help in proactively developing professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to ensure teams can meet all operational and regulatory requirements to deliver the service
• Effectively commission and performance manage contractual and professional services in support of the above as appropriate, working closely with other teams of the Highways and Technical Services directorate ensuring the use of appropriate assessment, monitoring and evaluation procedures. Will need to assess complex sensitive situations, issues, both on an individual and service basis.
• Manage key contractual relationships with all delivery partners to ensure services are delivered to the agreed standard.
• Develop effective partnership working with users and user representatives of the highways network. Communicate and consult with all stakeholders and influence decisions that will impact on highway service activity.
• Lead complex contractual / framework agreement negotiations and support their implementation to achieve desired negotiation outcomes. Maintain/strengthen relationships and achieve value for money.

For full details please see the attached job summary.

About you

To be a successful candidate, you will ideally have considerable experience in highways maintenance delivery, contract management, finance and performance management and critically, understand value for money particularly acting in the role of a client.

A wide knowledge of construction works, the supervision of these, approval of payments, the ability to determine works that should proceed and the ability to act as a project manager is required.

You should have experience of commissioning technical work as an informed client, with budget and performance management experience, with an ability to quickly analyse issues and identify and implement solutions, taking account of conflicting demands will also be advantageous.

You will need to be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills and have the proven ability to work with sensitive and contentious issues. You will also have the ability to build relationships and successfully work in team environments.

You must be able to show a clear understanding of when and what operational decisions can be undertaken with delegated authority and which require senior management and political awareness and it will be an advantage to have previous experience of working in a political environment.

For full details please see the attached job summary.

Other information

Number of positions available: 1

Closing date: 6th April 2025

Interview date: TBC

Interview-type / process: In person

Who to contact for additional information: [email protected]  

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Paul Turney on 01296 382531. 

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day. 

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• licensing, cemeteries and crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment. 

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/