Highways Asset Manager

Overview

We’re looking for an experienced, confident and forward‑thinking Highways Asset Manager to lead the effective management of Buckinghamshire Council’s highway infrastructure across a wide range of asset groups.

This is a senior role with strategic and operational responsibility for ensuring our highway assets are safe, resilient, well‑managed and sustainably maintained. You will play a pivotal part in shaping long‑term asset management strategies, managing substantial capital and revenue budgets, and ensuring the network continues to support communities, businesses and road users across the county.

You’ll lead a dedicated professional team, influence investment decisions, and work at the heart of a public‑sector environment where technical credibility, strategic thinking and strong leadership are essential.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is one of the largest local authorities in the country, responsible for a diverse highway network serving urban, rural and strategic transport needs. Our ambition is to provide a safe, reliable and sustainable transport network that supports economic growth, environmental responsibility and thriving communities.

The Highways Asset Management Team, within the Infrastructure and Capital Schemes function, is responsible for the stewardship of the council’s highway assets. The team develops long‑term asset management strategies, maintains asset data and condition information, prioritises investment, and ensures that maintenance and improvement programmes deliver best value and comply with statutory and national requirements.

We work closely with other departments, service providers, elected members, government bodies and local communities to ensure our highways assets are managed transparently, efficiently and for the long term.

About the role

As Highways Asset Manager, you will provide strategic leadership and professional direction for the council’s highways asset management function.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading and developing a multi‑disciplinary professional team, setting clear direction, managing performance and supporting continuous development.
• Developing, maintaining and delivering comprehensive highways asset management plans, including lifecycle planning, inventory and condition data, and short‑ and medium‑term programmes.
• Shaping long‑term strategies, policies and procedures that align with council objectives and national best practice.
• Managing and influencing significant capital and revenue budgets (up to £75m), ensuring value for money and robust financial planning.
• Developing capital maintenance programmes and supporting Medium Term Financial Plan bids, including scenario testing and whole‑life cost modelling.
• Overseeing devolution arrangements, income generation activities (including highway advertisements), and performance monitoring.
• Ensuring full compliance with legislation, standards and health & safety requirements
• Acting as a senior technical representative for the council, engaging with members, senior officers, government departments (including DfT), partners and the public.
• Driving innovation, continuous improvement and the adoption of best practice in asset management.

This role reports to the Head of Infrastructure and Capital Schemes and manages a team of professionals, with wider influence across commissioned service providers.

About you

You will be a highly experienced highways asset management professional with strong leadership credentials and the confidence to operate at senior level within a political and public‑facing environment.

We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Significant experience leading a professional or technical service in a large organisation, ideally within local government or a similar public‑sector environment.
• Extensive knowledge of highways asset management, including legislation, policy, asset data, lifecycle planning and investment prioritisation.
• A proven track record of managing substantial budgets, delivering value for money and influencing investment decisions.
• Strong strategic planning and service delivery experience, including policy development and long‑term programme planning.
• Experience of leading and motivating multi‑disciplinary teams, building capability, and fostering a collaborative culture.
• Credibility and confidence to work effectively in a political environment, engaging with elected members, senior stakeholders and partners.
• Excellent communication, presentation and influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex technical issues clearly.
• An innovative, solutions‑focused mindset, with the resilience and drive to lead change and continuous improvement.

You will be educated to degree level (or equivalent experience), ideally hold a relevant professional qualification, and be a member of a recognised professional institution (e.g. IHE, CIHT, ICE), with Incorporated or Chartered Engineer status.

If you are an accomplished highways asset management leader looking to make a real difference at scale, this is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a major highway network and lead a service of strategic importance.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

We offer hybrid working arrangements

Annual salary: Up to £82,251

Closing date: 11 May 2026

Interview date: Week commencing 18 May 2026

Interview-type / process: Either MS Team and/or In Person, to be confirmed.  

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the recruiting manager, please contact: Syed Shah 07977 611481

This post is politically restricted under the terms of the Local Government Act 1989.

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 understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

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, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• 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/