Highways Contract & Performance Manager

Job Title: Highways Contract & Performance Manager
Location: Hertford & Stevenage with hybrid working
Salary Range: £50,848 with the opportunity to progress to £56,245 per annum
Hours: 37 per week
Contract: Permanent

Diversity: We are an inclusive employer and value a diverse workforce

About us:

Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) is committed to delivering an effective and efficient highway service making best use of available resources. The service is delivered via a mix of in-house teams and external providers engaged through a contractual process. The service is truly collaborative with individuals from across the various organisations working seamlessly to deliver services with an increasing focus on sustainability.

The Contracts and Performance Team deal with the hard-edged issues of running the service. It ensures that services are delivered within a robust contractual and performance framework which complies with probity requirements, performs well in absolute terms compared with its peers, and meets efficiency targets. It prepares and manages the contracts for the supply of work and services, including interpreting contract conditions and resolving disputes. A major responsibility is the management of the contracts to ensure efficiency programmes are developed and delivered to achieve the targets set down.

Job Purpose:

As Highways Contracts and Performance Manager you will take a key role in helping to develop and manage the suite of highway contracts. In particular managing and maintaining the performance management regime for the Highways Service Term Contract (annual value of approx. £65 million) and Professional Services contract (annual value approx. £15million).

You will be:

• Working collaboratively with colleagues from our private sector partners developing strong working relationships
• Part of a wider team developing a common understanding of highways contract and performance regimes
• Ensuring services are being provided in accordance with the various contract requirements and that teams are working in a collaborative and effective way to maximise the outcomes for the funding available
• Undertaking investigations
• Managing a small team of 5 people
• Managing the Professional Services Contract and ensuring all parties are working effectively together, including making monthly payments and resolving disputes
• Working with our District and Borough council colleagues where they make use of the Highways Service Contracts to deliver their services
• Leading working groups to develop and evolve the performance management of the whole service
• Presenting reports and representing the Highways service at meetings and panels

Challenges & Opportunities:

You will be working collaboratively across the whole highway service, helping to manage and shape the current and future highway service.

Your role includes measuring and monitoring performance across the service, identifying areas of concern and then presenting recommendation to the senior management team where you will be able to input and shape the evolution of the highway service.

This is an especially exciting time as HCC are about to enter a new Professional Services Contract (due to start on 1st October 2024) and we are currently tendering our Highway Term Service with the new contract due to start on 1st October 2025.

About you:

You will be a professional with contract and performance management experience in the construction and/or transport and/or highways sector who can collaborate with stakeholders to champion effective and efficient service delivery that achieves a high level of performance.

Technical skills and qualifications required for the role:

Essential

• A recognised degree-level qualification

• Manager with ability to engage and motivate staff across a range of services at both technical and non-technical level
• Team management and leadership including successfully delegating and managing the work of others
• Experience of managing highway/construction or similar contracts preferably under the New Engineering Contract (NEC) suite of contracts
• Skilled and experienced at managing complex programmes of work with organisational and commercial awareness
• Clear decision making
• Interpersonal skills including active listening, discussion, clear resolution of disagreements, and feedback (giving and receiving)
• Strong financial and report-writing skills
• Key negotiation skills working with a range of senior staff across organisations to deliver contract and service improvements
• Ability to drive best practice to enable effective and efficient implementation of services through others
• Clear, decisive, and persuasive communication skills and the ability to influence the work of others
• Experience of partnership working, ideally with consultants, 3rd parties and senior individuals within a political landscape
• Numeracy and ability to monitor and manage contract payments, annual inflation adjustments and agree annual rate changes for services

Desirable

• Previous experience working with or for a public authority would be advantageous
• Good political skills, including an ability to influence and negotiate with Members and other public representatives

This role presents a real opportunity to make a difference to how our highway services are delivered benefiting residents and visitors who rely on the County’s highway network every day.

Closing Date: Monday 1st April 2024
Interview Date: Week commencing Monday 15th April 2024