The road to manager – Matthew Wylie shares his Council journey

Far from the “Road to Nowhere”, the Council’s Matthew Wylie has gone from being a summer student within the roads department to a team manager – and he would encourage others to consider a career in the service. 

He said: “At present there are three members of staff that I am aware of in the Roads Service that were previously summer students. That’s testament to the success of the role and the knowledge and experience you will gain. I owe my career to the opportunities I got when I was younger, so I am delighted that I am able to offer the student position within my team this summer.”   

Matthew had completed a Civil Engineering HND in Edinburgh in 2010 at 20 years old, when he spotted the summer student job in the Council’s roads department. Although a short-term post, he felt it was the ideal opportunity to gain some valuable experience, and potentially be a stepping stone to full-time work at OIC. 

He thoroughly enjoyed the variety of work and the outdoor elements. 

“In 2012 a position of Roads Support Technician became available in the same office, and I jumped at the chance! With the knowledge and experience I gained previously in the summer position, I felt the role was perfect for me, and thankfully, so did the recruiting managers!” 

Matthew was responsible for designing and supervising all roads capital projects such as resurfacing and streetlight improvements. 

“For example, one of the jobs I worked on was the new footway in Toab. I had to gather the site information, such as location of existing pipework, culverts, public utilities, and establish any additional information that I didn’t have. Such as carrying out dye tests of drainage systems to confirm where they all connected to and do a full level survey of the verge and adjacent road to ensure there were going to be no drainage concerns. I then supervised the construction phase of the project and ensured it all got built to plan.” 

Following a retirement, Matthew then moved into the Roads Design Officer position. 

“This role offered more responsibility, and I loved the challenges each new day brought. I was now responsible for writing all the major road’s policies determining how the road network was maintained- from how frequent safety inspections are undertaken to which roads got gritted in the winter. I supervised the design team and was responsible for assessing the condition of the whole road network and prioritising a programme of works with a set budget.” 

He’s now Team Manager Roads Support, responsible for 12 members of staff in the same team he joined as a student. 

“I have an annual roads budget of £4.2million and ensure all members of the team are working together, and in accordance with agreed Council policy. 

“I’m not going to pretend that it’s not challenging at times, but you will find it very rewarding. It offers you a chance to work outdoors on some of the most high-profile assets the Council maintains, such as the Barriers, and encounter archaeology as you resurface the Brodgar Road. 

“You’ll work with an amazing team who are always there to offer guidance and assistance and with the public on a daily basis to understand any concerns they have and work together to find solutions.” 

Matthew has found the Council very supportive when it comes to additional training and qualifications, enabling him to gain Incorporated Engineer status and carry out a graduate apprenticeship at Strathclyde University. 

It’s the overall variety that keeps Matthew interested. 

“We are very fortunate to have such a wide remit of assets to maintain. Speaking to other local authorities they all have dedicated lighting teams, bridge teams etc, but we look after everything, from roads and car parks to seawalls and skip permits. A different thing lands in your tray every day. I have always enjoyed the closure you get from receiving a problem, investigating the issue on-site and implementing solutions. And most of all I enjoy being able to help people with any concerns or queries they may have.  

“I’m a very outdoorsy person so love that so much of the role is out and about. This work has taken me to islands I’d never been to before and see parts of Orkney I never knew existed. There have been so many times I’ve had to walk along shorelines to investigate drainage outfalls or seawalls and thought how lucky I was to get paid to go a walk along the beach!” 

At present there are two roles available. Summer Student (Roads and Grounds) which closes on 26 May 2024 and Roads Services Technician which closes on 2 June. There will soon be a Roads Inspector position available as well – more on that at a later date. 

The student role is temporary for a few months this summer initially. It’s been designed to fit in with university/college timetables and the Council will be very flexible to suit particular timescales. The successful candidate will be helping out the Roads design team in pulling together all sorts of small works instructions - this could be replacing a collapsed pipe in Birsay, or refreshing a junction marking in Sanday. 

There’s also a Roads Services Technician full-time post available. They are responsible for designing and instructing much of the roads projects you see when you are sitting at traffic lights. They are also responsible for updating the National Street Gazetteer which is the official record of all adopted roads in Scotland. 

To find out more and apply head to:  

https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/orkney-islands-council/jobs/summer-student-roads-and-grounds-379228 and https://myjobscotland.gov.uk/councils/orkney-islands-council/jobs/roads-services-technician-378230 

For an informal discussion please contact Matthew Wylie, Team Manager Roads Support tel: 01856 873535ext 2318.