Surrey County Council
Routine Maintenance and Street Lighting Manager
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The starting salary for this position is £63,823 per annum based on 36 hours per week.
We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Highway Maintenance & Street Lighting Manager to lead the delivery of key highway maintenance services across Surrey. This is a critical operational leadership role, responsible for managing teams, contractors, and major service contracts—including serving as the Council’s senior manager for the long-term PFI street lighting contract (approx. £20m per annum).
Our Offer to You
- 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
- Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
- A generous local government salary related pension
- Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
- Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
- An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
- Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
- Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
- A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents
About Us
The Place Directorate plays a central role in shaping Surrey’s future—facilitating safe and reliable journeys, delivering sustainable infrastructure, and ensuring the County’s 7.5 billion-pound highway network is maintained effectively. Highways, Transport & Network Management is the most publicly visible service we deliver, and this role sits at the heart of its success.
Why Join Us?
- Influence one of the most high profile services Surrey County Council delivers.
- Lead major service contracts and work closely with local Members and community partners.
- Play a key role in delivering safe, sustainable, and reliable infrastructure for residents.
- Be part of a supportive, highly skilled, and forward-thinking Highways service.
About The Role
As Routine Maintenance & Street Lighting Manager, you will lead the delivery of highway maintenance services across Surrey’s network, providing operational leadership for drainage, road markings, traffic signs, street furniture, street lighting and illuminated assets. You will oversee maintenance contracts, including acting as the senior manager for Surrey’s long-term Street Lighting PFI, ensuring services are safe, efficient and aligned with Council priorities.
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The role blends strategic planning, contract management, budget oversight, stakeholder engagement and team leadership. You will analyse performance, manage risks, develop maintenance programmes and drive service improvements, while leading a team of around 10 staff. Key priorities include improving asset management, strengthening contractor performance, ensuring value for money and maintaining high standards of resident safety and customer satisfaction.
A major focus will be supporting Surrey’s preparations for Local Government Reorganisation and the transition to new unitary authorities in 2027. You will help review services, contracts, assets and governance arrangements to ensure continuity and successful implementation of highway maintenance and street lighting functions. This is a visible leadership role with significant influence over the condition, safety and resilience of Surrey’s most valuable asset—the highway network.
Shortlisting Criteria
In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:
- Degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience) with substantial senior experience in highway maintenance, infrastructure or asset management.
- Proven leadership of teams and large-scale contracts, with a strong track record of driving contractor performance and value for money.
- Strong operational understanding of highway maintenance, with the ability to analyse data, manage risks and deliver service improvements.
- Experienced in managing significant budgets and presenting technical information clearly to varied audiences.
- Excellent stakeholder and communication skills, plus a full UK driving licence and ability to travel across Surrey for site visits.
The role holder will need to have the willingness and ability to travel around the county to meet the demands of the role.
To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following questions:
- Please describe how your qualifications, professional knowledge and experience meet the requirements of this role, particularly in relation to highway maintenance, asset management and service delivery.
- Please provide details of your experience managing contracts, contractors or complex operational services, including how you have driven performance, managed risks and delivered value for money.
- This role involves leading teams and working with a wide range of stakeholders, including Councillors, contractors, partner organisations and residents. Please explain how your experience has prepared you for this responsibility.
- Please provide examples of how you have used performance data, technical expertise and strategic thinking to improve services, manage resources effectively and deliver organisational objectives.
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Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 11/10/2026 with interviews planned to follow.
We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.
Contact Us
Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. Please contact Christopher Higgs via email at Christopher.Higgs@surreycc.gov.uk.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)
Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.
Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council
Our Commitment
We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.
Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.
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