Senior Building Surveyor

Senior Building Surveyor

Location: Suffolk
Salary: £48,738 – £50,908
Type: Permanent

Senior Building Surveyors don't often get the chance to combine technical responsibility, team leadership and genuine influence over a council's housing service.

This role gives you exactly that.

You'll join a Local Authority in Suffolk in a senior position overseeing a team of Chartered Surveyors and Technical Officers, while taking a lead role across responsive repairs, planned maintenance and major capital programmes.

It's a role for someone who is comfortable operating at a senior technical level but also wants to influence how services are delivered, support colleagues and have a voice with senior management and elected Members.

There's also a genuine focus on professional development, with support available for those looking to progress towards or achieve RICS accreditation, where applicable.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

You'll lead and manage a team of Chartered Surveyors and Technical Officers, overseeing workloads, programming, performance and development.

Alongside the people management, you'll remain involved in the technical and strategic side of the service, including:

Manage and lead a team of Chartered Surveyors and Technical Officers, including work allocation, programming, performance management, and appraisals.
Ensure quality, safety, and compliance standards are consistently met across all work.
Provide cover for the Principal Contracts Manager and represent the council at forums, executive meetings, and meetings with Councillors.
Lead project teams delivering high-value and complex housing projects, coordinating internal teams and external stakeholders.
Work closely with Housing Senior Management, Principal Managers, CMT, and Councillors to ensure a coordinated and effective delivery of services.
Investigate and resolve complex service complaints and major contractor disputes, including those involving legal or adjudication processes.
Formulate and coordinate responsive repairs, planned maintenance, and major capital HRA programmes, managing significant budgets and resources.
Oversee and undertake feasibility studies, cost estimates, drawings (CAD), specifications, and contract documentation.
Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, including CDM Regulations, asbestos removal, and demolition works.
Act as senior lead on significant procurement projects, preparing specifications, overseeing tendering processes, and managing contracts through delivery.
Prepare reports for CMT and Executive, providing clear professional and technical advice to senior leadership.
Coordinate training and provide technical guidance to non-technical staff.
Lead on the development, implementation, and monitoring of major housing policies and strategies, including presenting proposals to the Executive when required.

About You

You'll be an experienced Building Surveyor with a strong background in housing maintenance, capital works and project delivery.

You'll have the technical credibility to provide advice at a senior level, but equally important is your ability to lead people and work effectively with senior stakeholders.

You'll be comfortable managing teams, setting priorities, dealing with performance issues and supporting the development of surveying professionals.

You should also have experience managing significant budgets and complex projects, alongside a strong understanding of statutory requirements and compliance within a housing environment.

The role involves regular interaction with senior management, Councillors, contractors and external stakeholders, so you'll need to be confident communicating complex technical information clearly and professionally.

Experience with CAD and relevant surveying software is also required.

The Essentials

Proven Building Surveying experience
Strong housing maintenance and capital works background
Experience leading and managing technical teams
Performance management and staff development experience
Strong knowledge of statutory and compliance requirements
Experience delivering high-value and complex projects
Budget and resource management experience
Contractor and contract management experience
Experience handling complex complaints and contractor disputes
Strong written, verbal and presentation skills
CAD and relevant technical software experience
Ability to provide clear technical advice to senior management and elected Members

Interested?

If you're an experienced Building Surveyor looking for a genuine step up in responsibility, with the opportunity to lead a team, influence major housing programmes and have a direct impact on residents and communities, I'd be happy to have a confidential conversation.

This could be a strong next step for someone looking to combine technical surveying with senior leadership and strategic responsibility