Careers

Purpose of Role:

The purpose of the Deputy Head of Building Control role is to support the Head of Building Control with the leadership and management of a building control team of qualified and unqualified surveyors.  In the absence of the Head of Building Control, the Deputy will take full responsibility for the team and the balance of activities will shift from delivery to team management and developing the sales pipeline. It is expected that the Deputy Head will have specific responsibility for elements of the technical development of new starters and inexperienced surveyors, working closely with them to ensure that they develop as their potential suggests it should.

The post holder will also be expected to work on creating strong and enduring relationships with customers, placing them at the heart of everything we do, to develop our sales pipeline.

The post holder will be expected to champion our values and work collaboratively across the organisation to ensure that performance targets are achieved and the mission is delivered towards the onward fulfilment of the vision.

Key responsibilities:

• Support the Head of Building Control to create a cohesive and effective unit that meets the team and individual performance targets and works collaboratively with other parts of the business.
• Actively engage with customers quickly and effectively by delivering accurate and consistent advice to them in a consultative way.
• Understand the main drivers of the P&L and implement plans to maximize revenue and reduce wastage.
• Support sales and marketing activity within the area of operation to increase revenue and gain market share.
• Work with the Head of Building Control to establish a quality assurance system to ensure that the team delivers services that are of a consistently high standard compliant with relevant legislation including but not limited to both Building Regulations and the Building Act.
• Manage your own personal development and support that of others too ensure that the Company remains at the forefront of developments within the industry.
• With direction from the Head of Building Control take responsibility for the development of team members ensuring that they are given opportunities and are set targets that widen their knowledge and experience to achieve their potential.
• Manage a personal caseload of Building Regulations applications, including inspections and enforcement as required.
• Take responsibility for technical and statutory matters ensuring that the appropriate advice is given /direction taken to ensure that the issues can be dealt with swiftly and safely.
• Support the Head of Building Control in meeting the expectations of the Managing Director, Staff and Customers.
• Advise administrative, technical and professional staff engaged in the processing of Building Regulation applications.
• Ensure that company H&S policies and procedures are being adhered to and that when near misses occur they are thoroughly investigated and mitigating strategies put in place to reduce the potential for a more serious incident.
• Champion the Company values and ensure that they are upheld in all decision making and activity that the Company undertakes.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement to ensure that the Company becomes the foremost building control company in the Country.
• Deputise for the Head of Building Control.
• Any other activity that the Company requires.

Key Accountabilities:

• To the Head of Building Control for achieving the personal targets that have been set and supporting them to improve the effectiveness and profitability of the Building Control team
• To other staff members being an example for them in upholding the Company values and delivering on targets
• To our customers for ensuring that the work carried out on their property is compliant with legislation and meets an acceptable standard
• To the remainder of the organisation for working with them to build a strong and sustainable company

PERSON SPECIFICATION

This section presents the knowledge, skills, experience, personal qualities, and qualifications that are considered essential for a person being deployed to this role.

Knowledge/skills/qualifications: 

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Chartered membership of either RICS or CABE
• In-depth knowledge of the Building Regulations and the Building Act and their application within both the Local Government and Private sectors
• Well developed people management skills and the ability to apply them in accordance with our values
• Understanding of working in a matrix model organisation
• Experience of working at managerial/supervisory level
• Outstanding customer service skills
• Detailed knowledge of site health and safety and PPE and usage and ensuring that safe practices are implemented;

Experience

• Experience in working with a wide range of organisations and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors.
• Understanding of managing the customer experience and developing processes to enhance the experience of customers
• Understanding of P&L and cashflow and how this impacts our commercial viability
• Experience of writing reports and preparing management information
• Delivering complex and varied projects
• Implementation and use of IT operating systems and the development of those systems to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of practitioners

ICT/ technological aptitude

• Experience in working with a range of IT products (e.g. MS Office applications, Intermediate/ advanced Outlook, Spreadsheets, database, etc) but particularly Tascomi (or has the aptitude to quickly master this system)

Personal qualities

• Excellent people and relationship skills
• A confident self-effacing operator who works on behalf of the whole team
• Holds people and self-accountable for the delivery of performance targets
• An able and comfortable decision maker
• Good communication and negotiation skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Creative and innovative thinker.
• Calm and effective under pressure
• Ability to manage a range of competing activities effectively and deliver to tight timescales

Specific Job Requirements

• The likely job split is 65% delivery, 20% business development, and 15% team management.
• The job involves ongoing physical effort.  The role is split between office work and site visits.  The post holder must be sufficiently fit to traverse building sites, climb ladders etc.
• The post holder will be required to work in cramped conditions when undertaking site visits and may encounter unpleasant conditions arising from drains, fumes, smells, smoke, noise, dust, dirt, mud, and vibrations.
• The job involves contact with a wide range of people who through their circumstances or behaviour will regularly place emotional demands on the job holder.  Occasionally these demands will be significant.

To express your interest please email your CV to recruitment@hertfordshirebc.co.uk and
for an informal chat please contact Simon Heywood at simon.heywood@hertfordshirebc.co.uk

Equal Opportunities:

Broste Rivers LA7 Ltd fully supports the terms of The Equality Act 2010.  We are an equal opportunities employer and do not discriminate on any grounds.   We want a diverse workforce that reflects our community and welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, sex, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy, and maternity, and marital or civil partnership status.

If you have a disability and demonstrate that you fulfil the essential person specification criteria for the role on your application form, you will be invited for an interview.  If you feel that you could carry out this post with some adjustments, please let us know.  If you require particular arrangements made for interview etc (e.g. signing, access), please indicate this on your application form.

Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd is a private company wholly owned by eight Local Authorities (LA) within Hertfordshire. We have combined the skills and talents from these Authority’s Building Control Teams. The result is a dynamic, forward-thinking organisation that whilst still retaining the LA ethos of public service and transparent values, can act in a customer focused way to deliver first-class services in a fast, flexible and professional manner servicing our many commercial and private clients.

We are always interested in hearing from qualified surveyors looking to join our busy teams.

Our building control surveyors carry out the full range of building control duties, whilst having a clearly developed career pathway with transparent routes to progress within the company.

We pride ourselves on our comprehensive training regime and in-house CPD programme and are leading the way in training up the next generation of surveyors. You will be assisting in this programme by being involved in the mentoring and supervising of our trainees.

The Role

You will be able to work flexibly and unsupervised and maintain a good work-life balance. We have a high standard of values that are clear and we are looking for people who believe in and share those values.

This is a great opportunity to make your mark in a vibrant, progressive, and financially stable organisation that offers the opportunity to develop as far as your ambition and talent allow.

In return, you can expect the following:

A highly competitive starting salary
Performance bonus
Professional fees paid
Flexible working arrangements
Minimum of 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Additional long service leave
Class leading CPD and continuous training opportunities
Pension scheme with an employer contribution of 6% of salary
Private healthcare
Member of the Mindful Employer initiative

To express your interest please email your CV to recruitment@hertfordshirebc.co.uk and
for an informal chat please contact Simon Heywood at simon.heywood@hertfordshirebc.co.uk