Principal Advisor - Building Control

After a successful five years of getting landlords to remediate high rise blocks with unsafe cladding, JIT, the national fire safety Joint Inspection Team, is recruiting a Building controller. The contract is for up to 31.3.26, but there are ongoing discussions with Government about extending the JIT team beyond then.

This is a unique opportunity to be at the cutting edge of making buildings safe, and working with key regulators.

The JIT is a multi-disciplinary team comprised of a fire engineer, a building controller, Environmental Health professionals (we use Housing Act 2004 legislation to do HHSRS risk assessments of the fire safety in blocks), intelligence officers, and legal advisors.

Most of the team's work involves site inspections (up to two days), preparation ahead of the inspection, and follow up work, including drafting reports and helping councils to enforce using Housing Act 2004. The team also delivers training courses to local authority staff to help them undertake their own enforcement. The team is based in London, but as a building controller, you will be required to travel across the country to carry out site inspections, and to advise local authorities. There are opportunities for home working. Hotels and travel to site inspections are paid for by the LGA. The JIT team is funded by Central Government, but is independent in all professional judgements - our clients are local authorities.

We need an experienced, qualified building controller, familiar with fire safety problems in high-rise residential blocks. You'll need to lead on construction issues, particularly on wall systems, and be good at working in a team. We travel around England inspecting blocks, so there's a need to stay away from home, although there's usually a few weeks warning of where/ when we're going. It is a great opportunity for an energetic person who wants to help make the country a bit safer.

Click "Apply Now" to submit your CV and supporting statement. Please disregard the word count suggestions for your supporting statement and ensure that it does not exceed 800 words.

We are specifically assessing candidates against the following criteria, please keep these in mind in your application:

• Belongs to a recognized corporate body: RICS / CABE / CIOB
• Experience of working on high rise, complex projects with combustible cladding, and wall systems
• Considerable, in-depth experience of working as a qualified surveyor in an area with significant sized high rise stock.
• Demonstrable experience of working on buildings that are not compliant with Building Act 1984 or the building regs.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work to meet deadlines, and a concern for order and accuracy
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships and partnerships.
• Excellent written skills, with the ability to accurately summarise and convey complex information

Closing Date: 6 April 2025

Interview Date: 24 April 2025, in person at 18 Smith Square

• LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years' service and to 33 days after five years' service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed term and part time contracts).
• Flexible & agile working - office-based staff are required to work in the LGA's London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week.
• Future development - face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals
• The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants.
• Family friendly policies