Building Surveyor

Durham County Council; North East; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the United Kingdom seeks a Building Surveyor to oversee various surveying projects and programmes. The successful candidate will conduct condition surveys and manage refurbishment projects, ensuring compliance with regulations. This career-graded position requires a qualifying level in a relevant subject and provides opportunities for professional development. The role offers a competitive rewards package, including a generous leave entitlement and a contributory pension scheme.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience in building surveying and assessments is crucial.
• Ability to manage construction and refurbishment projects.
• Knowledge of compliance with statutory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Undertake condition surveys and assessments.
• Prepare specifications and cost estimates.
• Manage maintenance and refurbishment projects.
• Ensure compliance with health & safety regulations.
• Provide technical support and advice.

Skills

Condition surveys

Project management

Building regulations compliance

Technical advice

Education

HNC in relevant subject or equivalent

Chartered in relevant discipline

HND in relevant subject or equivalent

Degree in relevant subject or equivalent

Job description

The Construction Consultancy Services (CCS) team provide client-side construction consultancy services across a range of professional disciplines to deliver capital build projects and programmes of all sizes, value and complexity on behalf of Durham County Council.

The team operate a blended approach with internal and external design teams and construction partners selected to suit each project’s needs; with a designated project lead facilitating the process to achieve goals and success criteria in line with the RIBA stages of a project lifecycle.

The overall objective is to support the Council in improving the built environment to benefit the residents of County Durham.

The team has a full and varied portfolio of projects, which includes the construction of a major strategic employment site; construction of major highway junction improvements; a rolling programme of new build and refurbishment projects across the school estate; a continuous programme of capitalised maintenance condition works; public realm improvements; office accommodation fit out; highways infrastructure works; house building/plots; flood defence works and PFI contract management.

Staff are experienced in NEC and JCT contract administration and many are accredited PRINCE2 Practitioners. The team hold a diverse range of professional accreditation and chartership including APM, IHE, CIOB, CIBSE, MIOSH, CIBSE, RICS, CIAT and RIBA.

Professional disciplines and services provided by the team cover:

• Construction Project Management
• Quantity Surveying and Accounts
• Contract Administration
• Construction, Design and Management
• Programme and Project Support
• Architectural Building Design
• Mechanical and Electrical Design
• Building Surveying
• Clerk of Works
• Building Condition Surveys

Due to an expanding capitalised maintenance and repairs programme of work and in addition to an expanding portfolio of building refurbishments and extensions plus condition surveys, the team are looking to recruit a Building Surveyor.

What Is Involved?

You will be responsible for providing high quality and multidisciplinary, cost effective design, project management and associated services to deliver various building surveying projects or programmes of work for the County Council.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake condition surveys, inspections and building assessments
• Prepare specifications, schedules of works and cost estimates
• Manage and oversee maintenance, refurbishment and construction projects
• Ensure compliance with building regulations, health & safety and statutory requirements
• Provide technical advice to internal stakeholders and contractors
• Prepare reports, drawings and contract documentation
• Monitor budgets, quality and contractor performance
• Support asset management and lifecycle planning

This is a career graded role and therefore the duties and responsibilities will differ depending on your qualifications and experience.

You will be expected to travel throughout the County to undertake the role and therefore own transport will be necessary.

We encourage you to contact Philip Etherington, Senior Building Surveyor, via email at [e-mail] to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

What Will I Need?

You will need:-

• Grade 9- Qualified to HNC level (level 4) or equivalent in a relevant subject or Chartered in a relevant discipline with experience in the industry.
• Grade 10– Qualified to HNC (level 4) or equivalent in a relevant subject or Chartered in a relevant discipline with significant professional experience in relevant role.
• Grade 11- Qualified to HND (level 5) or equivalent in a relevant subject or Chartered in a relevant discipline with substantial professional experience in relevant role.
• Grade 12 - Qualified to Degree (level 6) or equivalent in a relevant subject or Chartered in a relevant discipline with expert professional experience in relevant role.

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

If successful, you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service Enhanced Disclosure.

Interviews

Interviews will be held week on Tuesday 10 February 2026.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

Our Offer to You

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/26895/Rewards-and-benefits-if-you-work-for-us.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

How to Apply

Please note, we do not accept CVs. All applications must be submitted online via the Northeast Jobs portal. Use the ‘Person Specification’ section of the form to clearly demonstrate how you meet the essential (and where possible, desirable) criteria. Applications that do not evidence the essential requirements will not be shortlisted. For guidance on completing your application, visit our website https://www.durham.gov.uk/article/2083/How-to-apply-for-a-job-with-us.

If you require assistance when applying for this role, please contact our Recruitment Helpdesk on 03000 26 27 27, or via email [e-mail].

All correspondence relating to your application will be sent from [e-mail]. Kindly check your spam/junk folder regularly to ensure you don’t miss any updates.

Connect with Us

Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dccjobsandcareers/.

Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/durhamcountycounciljobsandcareers.

Visit our website durham.gov.uk/jobsandcareerswithus.

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