*** Internal Only *** Building Maintenance Principal Surveyor

Cambridge City Council; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 49,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)

Salary banding and pay progression

Flexible working options

Annual leave 25–30 days + holidays

Job summary

Cambridge City Council is seeking an experienced Building Maintenance Principal Surveyor to lead the Building Maintenance Surveying team and deliver high-quality, robust surveying services across housing and corporate properties. The role focuses on technical leadership, complex issue resolution, contractor management, and budget oversight.

You will require a Building Surveying degree (or equivalent) and MRICS/MCIOB membership, with travel around Cambridge as essential.

Qualifications

• Significant professional surveying/building maintenance experience.
• Experience leading and managing professional surveying staff.
• Experience in contract and supplier performance management.
• Experience managing significant maintenance or asset investment budgets.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Building Maintenance Surveying team (≈6 surveyors).
• Provide senior technical expertise on complex or high-risk issues and advise management.
• Manage contractor delivery and performance as Contract Manager for surveying contracts.
• Own service performance and improvement, including managing significant budgets and cross-city collaboration.

Education

Building Surveying degree or equivalent

Tools

MRICS or MCIOB

Job description

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced and confident building maintenance professional to take on the role of Building Maintenance Principal Surveyor within City Services. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for ensuring that our surveying service provides high-quality, consistent and technically robust support across our housing and corporate property portfolio.

The successful candidate will:

• Lead and develop our Building Maintenance Surveying team, managing a team of approximately six professional surveyors working across responsive repairs, Damp, Condensation and Mould (DCM), voids, tenant alterations, structural repairs and planned investment. You will provide clear technical leadership, manage resources and performance, and ensure consistent standards of surveying and decision‑making across the service.
• Provide senior technical expertise and assurance, taking the lead on complex or high‑risk building maintenance issues and advising colleagues and senior managers on appropriate solutions. This will include building defects, structural issues, disrepair cases, damp and mould, repair decisions and other technically complex cases.
• Manage contractor delivery and performance, acting as Contract Manager for surveying‑related contracts and ensuring that services meet the required standards for quality, performance, compliance, customer service and value for money. You will be comfortable challenging performance, managing risks and variations and driving improvement where standards are not being met.
• Take ownership of service performance and improvement, including effective management of significant maintenance budgets, prioritisation of resources and working collaboratively across City Services to ensure residents receive a safe, responsive and effective maintenance service.

About You

We are particularly interested in the experience and judgement you will bring to the role. You will already have significant professional surveying/building maintenance experience and be comfortable taking responsibility for technically complex work, making sound decisions and providing advice to others.

You will have experience of leading and managing professional surveying staff, alongside experience of contract and supplier performance management and managing significant maintenance or asset investment budgets.

You will need a strong understanding of building maintenance, landlord responsibilities and relevant regulatory and health and safety requirements. Just as importantly, we are looking for someone who can lead confidently, influence and challenge constructively, and turn technical knowledge into effective service delivery.

Strong communication skills are essential, as you will work with surveyors, contractors, managers, residents and other services and will sometimes need to explain or defend complex technical decisions.

A degree or equivalent qualification in Building Surveying, Construction Management or a related discipline is required, together with chartered membership of a relevant professional body such as MRICS, MCIOB or equivalent.

Travel around Cambidge is essential.

Why join us?

As well as being part of a supportive team delivering meaningful work that directly impacts our communities, we offer a supportive and rewarding working environment along with a wide range of benefits, including:

• Excellent learning and development opportunities supported via a range of sources and methods and, where applicable, recognised through Digital Badges
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme(LGPS) and Additional Voluntary Contribution (Shared AVC) Scheme
• Agile and Flexible working options
• Generous annual leave starting at 25 days, rising to 30 days after five years’ service, plus 8 days public holidays (pro rata for part time), with the option to purchase additional leave
• Family friendly policies and Flexible Bank Holidays
• Confidential wellbeing support through our Employee Assistance Programme and Your Care wellbeing platform
• Staff reward and recognition framework, including an annual staff awards ceremony
• Professional Membership Fees paid for, dependent on role
• Salary sacrifice schemes including Cycle to Work, Gym Membership and Home & Electronics
• Lifestyle Savings with over 750 discounts from the UK’s leading retailers, restaurants, supermarkets, attractions and more
• Free swimming at CCC swimming pools
• Subsidy for public transport
• Relocation Assistance may be payable in approved cases
• Annually negotiated pay and award progression

Hours: This is a full-time role, for 37 hours per week.

Working Pattern: Monday to Friday

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £48,738- £54,143 per annum (City Pay Band 7), pro rata for part time

Location: This is flexible – working in Cambridge on site or at one of our offices or working from home. You will be able to balance your work location accordingly.

More Information

You can click on the links here to find out more information about Staff Pay and Benefits, Working for the Council, our Values & Behaviours, Equality & Diversity in Recruitment or Our People & Culture Strategy.

Cambridge City Council is an Equal Opportunity employer and embraces diversity, creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

• This is an internal role only***