Principal Traffic and Commissioning Engineer

Job Introduction

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.  

The starting salary for this role is £53,713 based on a 36-hour week.

We are excited to be recruiting a Principal traffic and commissioning engineer to join our fantastic team based at Merrow Highway Depot, Merrow Lane, Guildford. This role is hybrid, requiring two days per week at Surrey Highways Merrow Depot, where you will be co‑located with our partners and contractors.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (prorated for part time staff).
• 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

Surrey County Council maintains around 3,000 miles of roads, and with increasing demands and tighter budgets, keeping our network safe, reliable and well‑managed has never been more important.

We’re looking for a talented and experienced Principal traffic and commissioning engineer to lead our busy Stakeholder and Traffic engineering Team, who are responsible for highway traffic related enquiries and member improvement scheme prioritisation across the County.  

In this role, you’ll manage a team of 8 engineers and work closely with elected members with a budget of around £7m per annum.  

If you’re experienced in designing and delivering highway improvement schemes and have an excellent knowledge of the range of relevant principles, practices and procedures relating to traffic engineering and construction, we’d love to hear from you.

  What You’ll Do

• Managing a team of 8 traffic engineers you will be responsible for delivering a programme of highway works including ITS schemes and traffic improvements.
• You will be the lead officer and expert for general traffic / improvement works in the group providing guidance to the less experienced officers in the team and wider teams in Surrey County council.
• There will be significant political engagement and daily contact with MPs, Cabinet members, backbench members and committees. An ability to communicate and put the customer at the heart of everything you do is critical to the team’s success.
• The work involves a mix of office based work and site visits. Knowledge of site safety procedures and temporary traffic management practices is essential.        
• Engagement events and site visits may occasionally be outside of normal working hours at a variety of non-county council venues and you must be capable of representing the County Council at public forums.  
• You will be expected to manage multiple projects at once within the team, ensure customer enquiries are responded to in a timely manner and manage an overall budget of around £7m.

 Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• A qualified engineer (min HNC) or suitable alternative experience in highway traffic engineering.
• A detailed understanding of how a highway authority operates and the schemes it delivers.
• Confidence and experience in managing a diverse group of engineers to ensure the team delivers their workload on time and to budget.

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 4 questions:

1. Please explain how your management experience has prepared you to lead and develop a team delivering a high profile public service.
2. Please describe how your technical knowledge and professional experience equip you to provide authoritative advice and make sound judgements on complex traffic engineering and highway improvement matters.
3. Please describe your experience of working effectively in a politically sensitive environment, dealing with multiple stakeholders and delivering excellent customer service.
4. Please describe how you have managed resources (such as staff, budgets, contractors) to deliver programmes of work, and how you have identified opportunities for service improvement.

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

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. For an informal discussion please contact Helen Currie via email helen.currie@surreycc.gov.uk

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 31st May 2026 with interviews planned to follow.

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.