Building Regulations Principal Designer

Home-based (full or part-time) £65-75K + pension + 25 days holiday + bank holidays

Overview

Our client is an established multidisciplinary consultancy providing expert advice in design, building safety, and regulatory compliance. We are seeking an experienced Building Regulations Principal Designer (BRPD) to join our growing Building Safety team. In this pivotal role, you will act as the Principal Designer under the Building Regulations, leading design compliance across a diverse portfolio of projects. You will guide clients, designers, and contractors through the design phase to achieve safe, compliant, and well-documented building outcomes. This role is mainly home-based with occasional on-site and office meetings.

Purpose

To plan, manage, and monitor the design process to ensure all designs comply with the Building Regulations, the Building Safety Act 2022, and associated statutory duties. You will act as the key point of contact between clients, designers, and regulators, ensuring the Golden Thread of information is established and maintained throughout each project.

Responsibilities

• Principal Designer Duties: Fulfil the statutory duties of the Principal Designer as set out in the Building Regulations (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2023.
• Design Compliance Management: Coordinate and review design information to ensure all elements meet Building Regulations and relevant technical standards.
• Client Advisory: Provide expert consultancy advice to clients on their duty holder responsibilities and support them through the Gateway process.
• Regulatory Liaison: Act as primary contact for Building Control and the Building Safety Regulator, managing formal submissions and approvals.
• Design Risk Management: Identify, document, and communicate design risks and ensure these are mitigated or eliminated during design.
• Competence Verification: Assess the competence of design team members, ensuring appropriate skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours (SKEB) are in place.
• Golden Thread Contribution: Manage, review, and maintain the digital record of safety-critical information throughout the design phase.
• Internal Collaboration: Work closely with our Fire Safety, Structural, and Building Control teams to deliver an integrated compliance service.
• Training & Development: Provide internal training, mentoring, and updates on regulatory changes and compliance best practices.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to the refinement of internal processes, templates, and tools for Principal Designer service delivery.

Qualifications & experience

• Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., RIBA, ICE, CIBSE, CIOB, CABE, IStructE).
• Experience in design management, building control, and compliance.
• Experience fulfilling Principal Designer duties under Building Regulations.
• In-depth understanding of the Building Regulations, Building Safety Act 2022, and associated guidance (including Approved Documents).
• Strong knowledge of design risk management and fire and structural safety principles.
• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary design teams in a consultancy environment.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to provide confident technical advice to clients.
• Competence in digital information management.

This is a full-time permanent role, working 40 hours per week Monday to Friday with the option of working part-time (pro-rata), and is available to start as soon as possible upon appointment. The notice period is 1 week during probation, rising to 1 month thereafter and is paid on a monthly, salaried basis. Salary offered will be dependent on experience. You will be entitled to 28 days holiday plus bank holidays + pension. You will be based at home with occasional travel to site or offices.