Senior/Associate Building Surveyor

Associate Director - Building Consultancy

Job Summary

The Associate Director (Building Surveying) plays an operational and strategic role, assisting the Director (Building Surveying) in managing the Building Surveying team. The role supports the Director in securing new business commissions and maintaining a high level of service to our clients. This role plays a vital role in achieving agreed business targets, while generating new business opportunities and repeat commissions.

Entry Requirements

Experience:

It is essential that anyone entering this role has experience working as a senior building surveyor in the construction industry on projects from feasibility through to completion. Typically, we look for someone with 8-10 years of relevant experience who has previously managed/led a team of surveyors. They should have knowledge of the following Services:

• Contract Administration / Project Management
• Project Monitoring
• Pre-Acquisition / Due-Diligence Building Surveys
• Dilapidations (Landlord) - preparing interim or lease-end schedules for service on a tenant and negotiating to settlement
• Dilapidations (Tenant) - defending/negotiating claims served by a landlord
• Dilapidations assessments advice in regard to lease-end liability and defense/mitigation strategies
• License to alter services for landlord or tenant
• Schedules of condition
• Party Wall services
• Reinstatement Cost Assessments for insurance purposes
• Defect analysis / targeted surveys
• Planned maintenance schedules
• Measured surveys

Knowledge of the following Regulations and Standards applicable to the Construction and Property Industry, with the ability to identify, assess and mitigate risks within complex situations:

• Building Regulations
• Building Safety Act (plus amendments)
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• JCT Joint Contracts Tribunal Forms of Contract
• NEC - New Engineering Contract Administration

Desirable Experience, Knowledge & Qualifications

• MCIOB, MCABE
• MRICS Assessor Status
• Qualification in fire safety standards and fire risk assessments
• Qualification in fire door / fire compartmentation inspections
• RICS External Wall Systems qualification
• Institute of Party Wall Surveyors and / or Faculty of Party Wall Surveyors membership
• Familiarity with public policy, funding mechanisms

Role Requirements

• Support the Director (Building Surveying) in developing and implementing the functions short and long-term strategies, ensuring alignment with the company's business objectives.
• Oversee the commercial management of multiple projects, instructions, and accounts, ensuring they are adequately and appropriately resourced, delivered on time, within scope, and to budget. This includes overseeing every stage of a project lifecycle from inception to the end of defects.
• Feed into the allocated fee tracker monthly, ensuring all instructions have a fee agreement in place, all fees are correctly programmed and tracked accurately in line with the finance/invoicing process. The AD should ensure the allocated fee tracker is kept up to date in readiness for the Operations Team report, and to manage any actions, including chasing aged debt.
• Review all submissions within relevant instructions, projects, and accounts before they are sent to the client. Ensure all relevant commercial submissions are complete the day before the client submission (factoring in peer-review time).
• Review and oversee fee proposals for instructions when required.
• Oversee and provide advisory service to clients on a range of building and property issues, including technical, financial, legal, environmental, regulatory, and restoration matters.
• Oversee and provide clients with timely advice in relation to legal, statutory, and planning issues, including managing the planning and building regulations application process. Liaising with local planning bodies to ensure that projects meet safety, sustainability, and preservation standards. Fulfilling the role of Contract Administrator and/or Employers Agent when required.
• Carry out pre-acquisition / technical due-diligence building and targeted building defect surveys to a consistently high standard across multiple instructions at any one time.
• Oversee all technical reports/information in relation to commissions.
• Deliver and lead on PPMs (Planned Preventive Maintenance) examples - Fire Door / Compartmentation, Schedule of Condition, Dilapidations, RCA, and Party Wall services to clients.
• Provide clients advice on property alterations, improvements, extensions, and rectification of defects of properties.
• Provide clients advice and support (and monitoring) with unexpected damage (fire, flood) on property, including assessing the condition and any defects in the building. And when required (although rare), assisting with insurance claims or financial settlements.
• Assist and oversee the design of any small-scale building works when architects are not required.
• Work closely with other service divisions such as Cost Management, Project Management, and Safety, Health, and Environment to ensure that collaborative client projects are delivered on time, within scope, and to budget.
• Attend conferences and networking events to support business growth, identifying and managing new business opportunities, and promoting the business through networking and strategic partnerships.
• Ensure that documentation and files for all instructions are kept up to date by the team and organized and in line with ISO standards.
• Lead, manage, motivate, and guide a Building Surveying team following internal protocol, including carrying out people practices such as inductions, appraisals, and one2ones.
• Promote and comply with internal procedures, including promoting company values and standards, and ensuring that the work environment reflects wider company strategy and initiatives.
• Monitor internal resourcing and workload within the team, and ensuring that any gaps are notified to a Director. Support recruitment when required.
• Attend regular meetings and wider management meetings to ensure that the operational and strategic objectives are delivered and met.
• Maintain and establish knowledge on industry trends, regulations, and best practices. Ensure that you and team members attend CPD and training sessions.