Civil Engineer: Building Diagnostics & Maintenance

Naba Infrastructure Consultants; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

Naba Infrastructure Consultants in Cape Town seeks a Building Diagnostics & Maintenance Engineer to assess existing buildings, identify true causes of defects, and translate findings into practical, costed repair and long-term maintenance plans.

The role involves inspecting buildings, calculating costs, and preparing client-friendly reports, with an emphasis on clear communication to owners, trustees, and managing agents.

Qualifications

• 7 years' experience in building defects, condition assessments, remedial work or building maintenance.
• Sound knowledge of typical building defects and their causes across civil disciplines.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Strong Excel skills for measuring, costing and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Inspect residential and commercial buildings and assess the condition of each building element.
• Diagnose defects across structure, waterproofing, drainage, the building envelope and finishes.
• Recommend practical, cost-effective remedial solutions.
• Do light remedial design work (about 5% of the role).
• Measure buildings and prepare accurate cost estimates for repair and maintenance budgets.
• Compile 10-year maintenance and capital replacement forecasts.
• Write clear defect, condition and maintenance reports for non-technical readers.
• Present findings to owners, trustees, body corporates and managing agents in plain language.
• Work with contractors and the project team through tender and repair.

Skills

Civil engineering knowledge

Excel

English communication

Building defects knowledge

Cost estimation

Education

BSc/BEng or BTech in Civil Engineering

Job description

Naba Infrastructure Consultants helps property owners look after their buildings. We are looking for a Building Diagnostics & Maintenance Engineer to join our growing team. This role assesses existing buildings, finds the real cause of defects, and turns the findings into practical, costed repair and long-term maintenance plans that clients can understand and act on.

Main Outcomes:

• Accurate, root-cause diagnosis of building defects, not just the visible symptoms.
• Practical, cost-effective remedial solutions that clients can budget for and implement.
• Reliable 10-year maintenance and capital replacement forecasts.
• Clear, client-ready reports, and clients who understand what is wrong and what to do next.

Key Responsibilities:

• Inspect residential and commercial buildings and assess the condition of each building element.
• Diagnose defects across structure, waterproofing, drainage, the building envelope and finishes.
• Recommend practical, cost-effective remedial solutions.
• Do light remedial design work (about 5% of the role).
• Measure buildings and prepare accurate cost estimates for repair and maintenance budgets.
• Compile 10-year maintenance and capital replacement forecasts.
• Write clear defect, condition and maintenance reports for non-technical readers.
• Present findings to owners, trustees, body corporates and managing agents in plain language.
• Work with contractors and the project team through tender and repair.
• BSc/BEng or BTech in Civil Engineering.
• ECSA registration as Pr Eng or Pr Tech Eng. Candidates close to registration will be considered, provided they register within 12 months of appointment.
• About 7 years' experience in building defects, condition assessments, remedial work or building maintenance.
• Sound knowledge of typical building defects and their causes across civil disciplines.
• Strong Excel skills for measuring, costing and forecasting.
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the patience to explain technical issues to laypeople.

Advantageous:

• Condition assessment experience on public-sector portfolios (GIAMA/U-AMP).
• Experience in a remedial, forensic or waterproofing consultancy, or as a property-fund technical manager.
• Exposure to sectional title schemes and managing agents