Operations Manager – Highways Local Authority
Summary: The Operations Manager for Highways Local Authority in West Yorkshire is responsible for leading and managing frontline highway services across a major district. This role involves overseeing a diverse team, managing complex operational budgets, and ensuring compliance with health and safety regulations. The position requires significant experience in highways and civil engineering, with a focus on service improvement and stakeholder engagement. The role offers autonomy and influence in shaping operational strategy within a public sector context.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and manage diverse multi-skilled frontline teams delivering district-wide highway, drainage, and winter maintenance operations.
- Oversee planned, reactive, and emergency works, ensuring safe and efficient operations.
- Manage fleet compliance and high-risk operational environments.
- Manage capital and revenue delivery through internal teams and contractors.
- Ensure full compliance with CDM, Health & Safety legislation and safe systems of work.
- Maintain high-profile public-facing services, respond to weather events and highway emergencies.
- Develop and manage multi-million-pound operational budgets, assets, and equipment.
- Build strong working relationships with stakeholders, elected members, trade unions, and contractors.
- Drive service improvement.
Key Skills:
- Significant senior operational management experience in highways, civil engineering, environmental services, construction, utilities, or large-scale public realm operations.
- Strong leadership of large, dispersed frontline teams and unionised workforces.
- In-depth understanding of H&S, CDM, risk, compliance, and management of high-risk operational sites.
- Proven experience managing complex operational budgets, plant, vehicles, and assets.
- Experience coordinating contractors and delivering large capital/revenue programmes.
- Strong stakeholder engagement and the ability to lead in a politically aware environment.
- Degree in Civil Engineering (or extensive equivalent experience).
- Experience in Highways and Civil Engineering / Highways Contractors encouraged.
Salary (Rate): £55,000.00/year
City: West Yorkshire
Country: United Kingdom
Working Arrangements: undetermined
IR35 Status: undetermined
Seniority Level: undetermined
Industry: Other
Operations Manager – Highways Local Authority
Location: West Yorkshire (District-Based, Multi-Site Yorkshire)
Salary: £55k
Target Contract: 3 -6 month ongoing contract, possible permanent | Full-Time
Sector: Highways, Roads, Local Authority, Environmental Services, Public Realm, Civil Engineering, and Infrastructure Operations
A leading UK public-sector organisation is seeking an experienced Highways Operations Manager to lead large, high-profile frontline highway services across a major district. This is an operational leadership role with visibility at corporate, community and political levels—ideal for a proven leader in highways, civils, construction operations, environmental services, or large-scale public realm delivery. The role oversees a complex portfolio including: Highway maintenance, Public Rights of Way, Land drainage, Gully maintenance, Winter services, weather response, Operational depots, Fleet & plant with Multi-million-pound assets and budgets
You’ll lead c60+ skilled and semi-skilled frontline staff, manage a multi-functional operational depot, and take responsibility for statutory services that keep the district’s network safe, open, and resilient.
Key Responsibilities – Operations Manager, Highways – Local Authority
- Lead and manage diverse multi-skilled frontline teams delivering district-wide highway, drainage, and winter maintenance operations.
- Oversee planned, reactive, and emergency works, ensuring safe and efficient operations
- Manage fleet compliance and high-risk operational environments
- Manage capital and revenue delivery through internal teams and contractors
- Ensure full compliance with CDM, Health & Safety legislation and safe systems of work
- Maintain high-profile public-facing services, respond to weather events and highway emergencies
- Develop and manage multi-million-pound operational budgets, assets, and equipment
- Build strong working relationships with stakeholders, elected members, trade unions, and contractors
- Drive service improvement
Key Requirements–Operations Manager, Highways
- Significant senior operational management experience in highways, civil engineering, environmental services, construction, utilities, or large-scale public realm operations
- Strong leadership of large, dispersed frontline teams and unionised workforces
- In-depth understanding of H&S, CDM, risk, compliance, and management of high-risk operational sites
- Proven experience managing complex operational budgets, plant, vehicles, and assets
- Experience coordinating contractors and delivering large capital/revenue programmes
- Strong stakeholder engagement and the ability to lead in a politically aware environment
- Degree in Civil Engineering (or extensive equivalent experience)
- Experience in Highways and Civil Engineering / Highways Contractors encouraged
Why This Role?
- Operations Manager, Highways
- Lead one of the region’s most high-profile, essential, and visible public services.
- Autonomy to shape service direction, improvement, and operational strategy
- Significant influence across regeneration, infrastructure, and environmental projects
- Manage a major operational team with meaningful community impact
- Senior leadership presence with political, community and multi-agency visibility
All enquiries and applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. Contact mike.butler@omegaresource.co.uk or 0113 2123519
Public Sector / Local Authorities Highway Operations, Road Maintenance, Winter Services, PROW, Fleet Management, Environmental Services, Highway Inspector, Highway Asset Management
Industry: Government Administration, Civil Engineering, Construction, Infrastructure, Transport, Roads, Highway Operations, Environmental Services, Public Works
Job Functions: Highways Operations / Maintenance Engineering / Technical Services Fleet / Transport Management Civil / Highway Engineering
You are likely to be a Highway Operations Manager, Senior Highway Engineer, Winter Services Manager, Highways Asset Manager, Senior Civil Engineer – Roads. Principal Consultant – Highways, Construction Manager – Highway Schemes
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