Southampton City Council
Principal Specialist - Fire & Building Safety
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Grade G12 | Southampton City Council | Housing Directorate
Shape the future of housing safety in Southampton
Southampton is a city of opportunity, and we're investing in safer, healthier and more sustainable homes for our residents. As part of our transformation of Housing services, we are seeking an exceptional Principal Specialist - Fire & Building Safety to provide strategic leadership, professional assurance and expert judgement across one of the most critical areas of our housing service.
This is a rare opportunity to influence the future direction of fire and building safety across a large and diverse housing portfolio, ensuring that residents remain safe and that the Council continues to meet its statutory, regulatory and professional obligations.
About The Role
Working within the Homes Authority, you will be Southampton City Council's senior professional lead for fire and building safety. You will provide authoritative expertise, shape professional standards and assurance frameworks, and ensure the Council has a clear, evidence-based understanding of fire and building safety risks across its housing stock.
Rather than managing day-to-day operational delivery, you will influence decisions through your professional credibility, strategic insight and expert judgement. You will help senior leaders understand risk, set priorities, inform investment decisions and respond proactively to an evolving regulatory landscape.
This role sits at the heart of our ambition to build a single, trusted picture of housing safety, compliance and risk, bringing together data, inspections, assurance activity and resident insight to support informed decision-making and continuous improvement.
You Will
What you'll be doing
- Lead the development and continuous improvement of fire and building safety standards, guidance and assurance frameworks.
- Act as the Council's recognised authority on fire and building safety matters within Housing.
- Provide professional assurance on compliance, risk and regulatory obligations.
- Interpret and apply legislation including the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, Fire Safety Act and Building Safety Act.
- Analyse complex evidence, data and inspection findings to identify emerging risks and priorities.
- Influence housing strategy, asset investment decisions and commissioning activity.
- Work with regulators, professional bodies, consultants, partners and suppliers to drive compliance and best practice.
- Support the development of a strong safety culture across Housing through leadership, learning and professional challenge.
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About You
We're looking for a highly credible and influential professional with significant experience in fire safety, building safety, compliance or risk management within housing, residential property or a comparable built-environment setting.
You Will Bring
- A recognised fire safety qualification, such as NEBOSH Fire Safety, IFE Level 3, or equivalent.
- Membership of, or eligibility for membership of, a relevant professional body.
- Strong knowledge of fire and building safety legislation, regulation and industry standards.
- Experience assuring compliance, reviewing technical evidence and challenging outcomes where required.
- The ability to interpret complex information and communicate it clearly to senior leaders, partners, residents and regulators.
- A strategic mindset with the confidence to influence decisions, priorities and investment.
- A commitment to delivering safer homes and better outcomes for residents.
Experience of high-rise residential buildings, building safety cases and working with regulators or fire and rescue services would be advantageous.
Why join Southampton City Council?
This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role at a time of significant change and investment. You'll join a forward-thinking Housing Directorate committed to high standards, evidence-led decision making and putting residents' safety first.
In Return, We Offer
- The opportunity to shape a critical service and make a lasting impact on residents' lives.
- A collaborative and ambitious working environment.
- Professional development and career progression opportunities.
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If you're an experienced fire and building safety professional looking for a strategic leadership role with genuine influence and impact, we'd love to hear from you.
Help us create safer homes, stronger communities and a better future for Southampton's residents.
What We Can Offer You
- Salary: The salary band for this role is £59,661 - £67,375 per annum. The starting salary is £59,661 with annual progression through the salary bands.
- Benefits:
- Excellent Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
Contact Details For Informal Discussion
For further information on our benefits package please visit:
For an informal chat about the roles, please contact Mark Mullen, Head of Quality Homes via email to arrange a Teams call,
Recruitment contact details:
Tel: 023 8083 4033
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