Graduate Structures Engineer

This graduate role at Kent County Council offers hands-on experience in inspecting, assessing, and managing highway structures across Kent. Responsibilities include assisting with design approvals, site visits, construction audits, risk assessments, project briefs, and budget reporting. The role supports professional development towards ICE chartership and provides exposure to capital and revenue works projects.

Role Responsibility

Opportunities have arisen for ambitious, enthusiastic, and motivated Graduate Civil Engineers who are looking to develop their technical skills and expertise. You will gain experience with highway structures such as bridges, culverts, retaining walls, vehicle restraint systems and reinforced earthworks and an opportunity to develop your career with a client organisation in the Civil Engineering sector.   

Kent County Council is responsible for a highway network of 8700km, with our highway network being the most valuable asset we own as an authority. The Highway Structures in our care represent a significant proportion of the value of the highway network and as a team we take great pride in managing those assets effectively for both current and future generations.

We are responsible for approximately 1,100 bridges and viaducts, 570 large culverts, 450 other structures (such as retaining walls, underpasses and gantries) and 2 tunnels. We are also responsible for over 250km of safety barriers on the network as a team.   

The Highway Structures Team has a number of sub-teams, and the successful Graduates may be placed in any of these teams. 

The successful applicants will develop the ability to provide technical advice and assist with general project management of schemes, including:  

- Undertake civil/structural engineering roles for the respective Team Leaders, this may include assisting with approving designs for new structures, vehicle restraint systems or geotechnical assets, planning and implementing the inspection and assessment programme for existing assets or delivering our capital and revenue works schemes.  

- Assist with site visits and construction audits to ensure assets are being constructed in accordance with agreed and approved designs. 

- Assist in the preparation of risk assessments and method statements. 

- Assist with budget planning and reporting in areas of responsibility within the team.  

- Assist in the preparation of briefs to consultants and other service providers to deliver projects. 

The Graduate Structures Engineer role is a KSF grade, full time role. The role will be based in Kroner House, Ashford, Kent although staff may work from home when not required in the office or on site. KCC are committed to your ongoing professional development and are able to set up mentoring arrangements for the Institution of Civil Engineers and provide a rounded experience to facilitate this. 

Due to the variety of locations of our structures throughout Kent, you will require a valid UK driving licence to be able to undertake site visits. 

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence – The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.