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Role: Head of Highways
Location: Barnsley, South Yorkshire
Salary: £85,038 - £93,308
Barnsley is a borough that has transformed itself over the past decade and continues to look confidently to the future. Significant investment in regeneration, infrastructure and public realm has reshaped the town centre and strengthened Barnsley’s identity as an ambitious and forward-looking place. The council is widely recognised for delivering change at pace while maintaining strong relationships with its communities and workforce.
Infrastructure sits at the heart of this story. The highways network plays a vital role in supporting economic growth, connecting communities, and ensuring the borough continues to thrive. As a key service within the council, highways underpin regeneration, transport connectivity, climate resilience, and everyday quality of life for residents.
Barnsley is also part of a wider regional growth agenda through its relationship with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, where significant investment is being directed into infrastructure and connectivity across the region.
This is a council that is proud of its progress, ambitious for the future and determined to continue delivering for its residents.
About the Role
Reporting to the Service Director, the Head of Highways is one of the council’s most visible and influential operational leadership roles, responsible for a service that touches almost every aspect of life across the borough. From the condition of the road network to road safety, drainage, lighting, and traffic management, to being a Silver lead as part of the authorities multi agency response partnership. The services play a fundamental role in keeping Barnsley moving, supporting and developing its economy, whilst connecting communities.
This is a broad and complex portfolio, with responsibility for statutory functions spanning the highway authority, highway maintenance, asset management, network management, structures and bridges, street lighting, traffic engineering, flood authority, road safety, car parking and enforcement. The role leads a large and diverse workforce of over 150 staff across multiple specialist disciplines and oversees a significant operational and capital programme focused on maintaining and improving a network of more than 720 miles of roads across the borough.
Unlike many authorities where highways services are outsourced, Barnsley continues to deliver much of its work through its own in-house workforce. This creates a unique opportunity for a leader who thrives in a hands-on operational environment and has direct experience managing in-house operational highways staff, working closely with frontline teams to drive performance, continuous improvement and innovation.
Highways is also one of the most visible services the council delivers. Residents experience it every day, whether commuting, travelling through the borough or simply walking their neighbourhood streets. As a result, the role sits at the centre of political and community interest. The Head of Highways will work closely with the Leader, portfolio holder, elected members, senior leaders, and partners across the region to ensure the service responds effectively to local priorities while maintaining a strong focus on operational excellence.
Beyond day-to-day delivery, the role also sits within a wider programme of infrastructure investment and place transformation. Barnsley continues to pursue ambitious regeneration and connectivity projects while strengthening its partnerships with regional organisations and securing investment that will support future growth. The role requires regional collaboration, working with other local authorities, SYMCA, government bodies, the Environment Agency and utility companies.
About You
This opportunity is well suited to a qualified or extensively experienced highways professional who combines strong technical understanding with a record of directly managing operational highway delivery teams, working with suppliers and subcontractors, and influencing and leading regional partnerships. If you have built your career delivering highways services within a local authority or similar public infrastructure environment, you will understand the complexity of maintaining large networks while balancing political priorities, public expectations, and operational realities.
You may already be leading significant highways operations, or perhaps you are ready for a role where you can take on wider responsibility and influence the direction of a large frontline service. Your experience will likely include leading sizeable teams and working in environments where collaboration, clear communication and practical problem-solving are essential.
You will be financially astute, managing large capital & revenue programmes with a controllable budget of c£30m and the budgetary responsibilities expected from both internal and external stakeholders. If you take pride in developing people, motivating teams, and strengthening capability across a workforce, this is a role where those qualities will have a genuine impact.
You will also recognise the importance of building strong relationships with elected members, partners, and communities. Highways is one of the most publicly visible services the council delivers, and the ability to communicate clearly, manage competing demands and maintain focus on service improvement will be central to your success.
Above all, this role offers the chance to contribute to Barnsley’s continued progress. For a highways leader who brings energy, practical experience, and a commitment to public service, this is an opportunity to shape a service that plays a vital role in the borough’s future.
Closing date: Midnight on Wednesday 8th April 2026.
Click here to find out more about the role and how to apply.
Role: Service Director of Growth, Highways and Infrastructure
Suffolk County Council
Salary: £110,100 - £121,785 per annum
Location: Endeavour House, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX (with regular travel across Suffolk and the wider region)
Contract status: Fixed Term until 31 March 2028 (Secondment applications welcomed)
Working style: Hybrid working, with an expectation of a minimum of three days per week in Suffolk across our offices and sites, as a visible, senior leader.
This is a rare opportunity to join Suffolk County Council as our Service Director of Growth, Highways and Infrastructure; a role that will shape the county’s long-term prosperity, sustainability and connectivity. You’ll play a central part in delivering a strong economy, leading nationally and internationally significant infrastructure programmes that unlock wider benefits so local people and places thrive.
You will join at a crucial point as Suffolk prepares for Local Government Reorganisation and the creation of the Mayoral County Combined Authority, providing a unique chance to influence policy, strategic direction and how services are delivered for our residents.
About the role
You will lead a broad and high-profile portfolio of services including:
- Highways operations and contracts, ensuring a safe, reliable network and high public trust.
- Major infrastructure planning and delivery, including NSIP's (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects).
- Housing, growth and planning, delivering on economic growth, inward investment, spatial frameworks and evidence led place shaping.
- Suffolk Archives including The Hold, our flagship heritage centre, on the waterfront in Ipswich, run in partnership with the University of Suffolk
- Waste disposal, providing services that meet the needs of residents and businesses while minimising the cost and environmental impact
- Environmental strategy, flood and water management and enhancing Suffolk’s natural and historic environment
- Passenger transport services, delivering home to school, local bus and concessionary fare
- Transport Strategy, developing the transport network in Suffolk, and ensuring people have the options to travel safely and sustainably
You’ll work closely with Elected Members, our Joint Chief Executives, districts and boroughs, government departments, businesses, and regional partners; ensuring Suffolk’s voice is heard locally, regionally and nationally and that we deliver on our ambitions for the county.
About you
We are looking for an exceptional leader who brings:
- Significant senior leadership experience in a large, complex and politically sensitive environment.
- Strong operational leadership and the ability to oversee a wide range of services.
- Confidence navigating change and uncertainty, with the emotional intelligence to support teams through transition.
- A proven record of delivering large programmes, transforming services and securing successful outcomes for residents and businesses.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience with major contracts and capital investment.
- Excellent ability to build trusted relationships, influence across systems and bring partners together around shared goals.
- A passion for Suffolk’s people, places and environment and a commitment to our WE ASPIRE values.
Most importantly, you will be a collaborative, empowering leader who inspires high performance and fosters a culture where staff can thrive and deliver successful outcomes for our communities.
If you believe you have the skills, experience, and mindset to succeed in this complex and rewarding role, even if you don’t meet every single criterion, we would be delighted to hear from you.
For more information
To arrange a conversation about the role, please contact Emma Cook by either calling 01473 265083 or emailing [email protected].
Click here to find out more and to apply for this role.
Closing date: 11.30pm, 6 April 2026.
Interview date: Week commencing 20 April.