Principal Facade Engineer in City of London

Harmony is on a mission to be the best life safety partner to work with and for. Rated an ‘Outstanding Employer’ by Best Companies in 2025, we are only getting bigger and stronger — and we’re looking for A-players to help us get there. We are passionate about making a difference and obsessed with quality. Our goal is to build a world where every resident can sleep safely at night, knowing their home is 100% safe.

The building safety landscape is at a pivotal moment. As FRAEW (Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls) programmes scale across the country — including major programmes with clients such as L&Q and Lifeguard — the need for credible, technically rigorous facade engineering expertise has never been greater. We are building out our Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to meet that need, and we are looking for a Principal Facade Engineer to sit at its heart. Based in London and reporting to the Principal Fire Engineer, you will provide technical authority on external wall systems and facade construction across our consultancy and pre-construction portfolio — leading facade assessments, authoring FRAEW reports, advising clients on external wall compliance and remediation strategies, and providing oversight on complex facade remediation projects. This is a senior individual contributor role with real influence over how Harmony’s MDT operates and the quality of advice we provide to some of the UK’s largest housing providers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and author Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls (FRAEW) in accordance with PAS 9980:2022, providing technically robust, defensible assessments across a range of building types and cladding systems.
• Act as the technical authority on external wall construction and facade engineering within Harmony’s MDT, providing expert input on cladding systems, fixings, cavity barriers, fire break arrangements, and external wall composition.
• Advise clients — including housing associations, local authorities, and building owners — on external wall compliance, remediation options, and risk management strategies under the Building Safety Act and associated regulatory framework.
• Provide technical oversight and peer review on complex facade remediation projects, ensuring proposed solutions are appropriate, technically sound, and compliant with relevant standards.
• Support pre-construction teams with facade-related technical input on tenders, specifications, and design reviews.
• Represent Harmony in client meetings, design team meetings, and at pre-construction stage, presenting technical findings clearly and credibly to clients and their advisors.
• Contribute to the development of Harmony’s facade engineering methodology, templates, and standard details, helping to build a scalable, repeatable approach to FRAEW and remediation advisory work.
• Work collaboratively within the MDT alongside fire engineers, building surveyors, and other specialists to deliver integrated, multi-disciplinary assessments and programmes.
• Keep abreast of changes to the regulatory framework, PAS 9980, Building Safety Act guidance, and relevant British Standards, ensuring Harmony’s approach remains current and compliant.
• Mentor and develop junior colleagues within the consultancy team, sharing technical knowledge and raising the standard of facade-related work across the function.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• An A-player mindset — high standards, extreme ownership and the drive to do things properly, the first time.
• Proven experience in facade engineering or external wall assessment, with a track record of delivering technically robust FRAEW reports to PAS 9980:2022.
• Deep technical knowledge of external wall systems and facade construction — including cladding systems, rainscreen facades, cavity barriers, fixings, fire breaks, and ACM and HPL panels.
• Strong working knowledge of the Building Safety Act, PAS 9980:2022, Approved Document B, and the regulatory framework governing higher-risk residential buildings.
• Experience advising housing associations, local authorities, or large building owners on external wall compliance and remediation.
• Comfortable operating as a senior technical authority — able to make and defend complex technical judgements under scrutiny.
• Excellent written communication skills — able to produce clear, concise, and technically defensible reports for clients and regulators.
• Strong stakeholder management skills — credible and authoritative at the highest client and consultant level.
• Degree in civil or structural engineering, architecture, building surveying, or a related discipline.
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional body (IStructE, CIOB, RICS, CABE, or equivalent).
• London-based and available full time.

Nice to Have

• Experience working on large-scale FRAEW or EWS1 programmes for major housing providers.
• Familiarity with the Lifeguard programme or similar government-backed remediation schemes.
• Experience producing or reviewing External Wall System (EWS1) assessments.

Job Benefits

This is a rare opportunity to join Harmony’s growing Multi-Disciplinary Team at a defining moment in the building safety landscape — working at the cutting edge of FRAEW and external wall compliance, advising some of the UK’s largest housing providers, and helping to shape how Harmony’s consultancy function delivers technically rigorous, independent advice. At Harmony, we ask a lot — and we give a lot back. The hours are real, the standards are high and the work is demanding, but for those who show up, deliver and go the extra mile, the rewards follow. A-players here enjoy a competitive salary, a Personal Development Plan with ongoing training and mentoring, unlimited holiday, a bonus scheme paying up to 50% of annual salary, enhanced maternity and paternity, lunch, snacks and refreshments on us every day (fresh fruit and Takeaway Friday included), a team social budget, cycle to work, an auto enrolment pension, two major company events a year and our Reward and Recognition scheme — including European mini-breaks for those who go above and beyond. It is a collaborative, high-energy environment focused on doing things the right way — and none of it is a perk for showing up; it’s what we share with the people pulling the business forward. Harmony is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all applicants for employment regardless of age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief. We want everyone who works with us to feel valued and to make a difference.