Building Safety Act Principal Designer in Manchester

Our client is a Health and Safety Consultancy and has been working in the Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental industry for over 18 years covering many different sectors. They have a diverse range of clients and pride themselves on providing a first-class service. They look after organisations and businesses of any shape and size, offering practical and innovative solutions to keep them safe, compliant, and profitable.

They are looking for an experienced Building Safety Act Principal Designer to take a leading role in ensuring building safety and regulatory compliance across diverse construction projects, including Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs). In this role, you will be responsible for coordinating design compliance, leading Gateway submissions, and acting as the key liaison between clients, designers, contractors, and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR). This is a pivotal, high impact role created by the implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022, ideal for a technically strong professional with deep knowledge of Building Regulations and safety governance.

What Our Client Can Offer You

• Permanent
• Full-time
• Hybrid or remote working options where applicable
• Exposure to nationally significant, safety critical projects
• Professional development opportunities including paid qualifications
• Opportunity to shape and lead a growing function within the business
• Location – Manchester and North West
• Pay – £55,000 to £70,000 per year and package
• Schedule: Monday to Friday with occasional night and evening works

Benefits:

• Car Allowance
• On-site parking
• Company events
• Company pension
• Private medical insurance
• Staff Wellbeing Day each year
• An additional day leave for your birthday
• Sick Pay (after qualifying period)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Principal Designer duties under the Building Safety Act and Building Regulations.
• Experience in delivering this role at all risk levels; however, experience of undertaking this role on high-risk buildings is essential.
• Manage compliance through Gateways 1, 2, and 3, ensuring all documentation meets regulatory requirements.
• Maintain and coordinate the Golden Thread of building safety information throughout design stages.
• Review design information, identify risks, and ensure mitigation through proactive design governance.
• Liaise with the Building Safety Regulator, Building Control Bodies, Principal Contractors, and design teams.
• Oversee statutory submissions, including design safety reports, risk assessments, structural information, and fire safety documentation.
• Ensure competence verification across design teams (Skills, Knowledge, Experience, Behaviours – SKEB).
• Provide expert advisory support on building safety legislation and effective duty holder compliance.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to the development of internal standards and templates.

Essential Requirements

• Strong knowledge of the Building Safety Act 2022, Building Regulations, and relevant statutory guidance.
• Experience acting as a Principal Designer (BSA and/or CDM) in construction, architecture, or building control.
• Professional qualification in architecture, engineering, surveying, or building control.
• Excellent stakeholder, regulatory, and technical communication skills.
• Demonstrable ability to manage complex design compliance for HRBs.

Desirable Qualifications and Skills

• Membership of RIBA, CABE, CIOB, ICE, APS (IMaPS / CMaPS) or equivalent.
• Experience leading Gateway submissions for higher risk buildings.
• Background in fire safety, façade engineering, building control or structural design.

Our client offers more than just a role – they provide a supportive environment where expertise is respected, development is encouraged, and high performance is recognised. If you’re a proactive, confident Health and Safety professional looking to play a pivotal role in shaping safe, compliant, and high-performing project environments, they would love to hear from you.

Apply now! To help our client place the right people in the right roles, all applicants are invited to complete a short questionnaire as part of the application process.