Automatic Traffic Counter Network Engineer

We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.  

Do you have a degree in Engineering or relevant qualifications and experience in Engineering?

Do you have an interest in exploiting technology and data to deliver specific statistical needs?

Can you build effective working relationships quickly with a wide variety of stakeholders?

If so, we are looking for an Automatic Traffic Counter Engineer Network Engineer and we’d love to hear from you.

The performance of our roads is a vital part of our communities and economy – nearly 90% of all journey miles in Great Britain are by road. The Department for Transport therefore produces National Statistics on Road Traffic which are a key pillar of the evidence base across the transport sector.

As the Engineer managing our national network of around 300 Automatic Traffic Counters, we will look to you to provide the vital link between DfT’s statisticians using the data from the network to produce official traffic statistics (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/road-traffic-statistics) and the maintenance contractor employed to maintain, develop and enhance capability of the network.

This role will see you use your engineering and technical skills to ensure first rate performance is maintained across the network.

The role provides excellent opportunities to develop project and contract management skills and work closely with other specialists.

DfT’s flourishing community of analysts spans a wide range of government analytical professions, including science and engineering, statistics, data science, economics, transport modelling, social research and operational research. This particular engineering post is within the Transport Statistics community, which delivers high quality statistics that underpin the Department’s evidence-based policy and decision making. DfT has a strong emphasis on developing staff. We have been growing our core engineering community, which can offer professional support in a number of areas, including mentoring and work towards chartership.

Your key responsibilities will include but will not be limited to:

• Ensuring that the ATC network delivers data with the completeness and quality that DfT requires, by working closely with the ATC network maintenance contractors and actively managing them to ensure they deliver an effective service.
• Ensuring that the ATC network remains fit for purpose by maintaining an up to date understanding of the statistical requirements, regularly reviewing operational needs and network performance, and suggesting improvements where appropriate. 
• Working closely with DfT statisticians to maintain high quality data from the network, for example by developing warning systems to minimise data loss, and by providing technical advice on interpreting ATC data.
• Line managing one member of staff supporting the day-to-day management of the network
• Ensuring that the contractors and the ATC network comply with all appropriate health and safety requirements. 
• Developing up-to-date expert knowledge of the equipment used in DfT’s network, as well as potential alternatives and other traffic monitoring technologies, and applying this to the development of improved methods for measuring traffic and assisting in their evaluation through technical trials.

For further information please see the role profile attached.

About you

The role can be tailored to you but would suit a team player with good organisational skills and an interest in exploiting technology and data to deliver specific statistical needs in a highways context.

We’re looking for a professional engineer with excellent technical skills to help the team develop improved ways of counting traffic for the future.

You’ll be confident applying your engineering expertise to set your own direction and influence decisions. You’ll thrive managing a dynamic and challenging workload, welcoming autonomy to your role whilst supporting the wider team in achieving departmental goals and objectives.

Additional Information 

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. DfT workplace attendance expectations were updated in recruitment campaigns on 17 November 2023. Occasional travel to other DfT offices will be required.

The postholder will need to carry out site visits perhaps once a month or more on average, covering the following locations throughout Great Britain: the contractor’s operational centre (currently based in Weston-Super-Mare), operational sites, on-site meetings, equipment suppliers, as well as attending DfT team meetings, mainly in DfT’s London office, also about once a month.

Candidates who do not hold a degree, but with an equivalent combination of relevant qualifications and experience in a relevant engineering environment, are also encouraged to apply. For example, candidates with a HND and substantial relevant experience. Where the experience is highly applicable to the highways and traffic management sector, a shorter length of experience will be considered.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Government Science and Engineering framework:

  Technical oversight and management – Being an intelligent customer

• Government Science and Engineering framework:

  Building and applying knowledge – Quality assurance

Find out more about what it’s like working at the Department for Transport.

Job contact :

• Name : Jeremy Grove
• Email : jeremy.grove@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DftRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk