Senior Building Surveyor

Senior Building Surveyor – new role to lead a small Building Surveying team

Location: Lancaster with travel across the North of England

Salary: c. £70,000

About the Duchy of Lancaster

The Duchy of Lancaster is a private estate held in trust for the current and future Sovereigns. It comprises over 18,000 hectares of land across England and Wales, including a diverse mix of commercial, agricultural, and residential properties. The Duchy is committed to the protection, preservation, and enhancement of its estates, with an ambition to become one of the most respected let landed estates in the country. This ethos underpins everything we do.

Role Overview

Beach Baker are working in partnership with the Duchy of Lancaster who are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Building Surveyor to lead the Building Services function across the Duchy’s rural portfolio, which includes both historic and modern properties. This role is responsible for managing the Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme, delivering building projects, and providing expert advice on all building-related matters. You will also lead a team of three Building Surveyors and work closely with internal stakeholders and external consultants.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Leadership: Manage a range of building projects from inception to completion, including capital works (e.g., barn conversions), refurbishments, and maintenance. Coordinate external consultants such as planning advisors, structural engineers, and M&E specialists.
• Professional Services: Conduct building inspections and surveys, prepare schedules of condition and dilapidations, develop specifications of work, and advise on building defects and remedial actions.
• Budgeting & Planning: Develop multi-year budgets and realistic delivery programmes for building works.
• Contract Management: Administer contracts, including tendering, procurement, and oversight of construction activities.
• Regulatory Compliance: Act as Principal Designer, ensuring full compliance with Building Regulations, CDM Regulations, health & safety, fire safety, and other statutory requirements.
• Team Leadership: Mentor and support the Building Surveying team and administrative staff, fostering a high-performance culture.
• Client Engagement: Serve as the main point of contact for the Duchy Rural team, delivering a responsive and high-quality surveying service.
• Service Development: Define service standards, identify training needs, assess equipment requirements, and ensure regulatory compliance for the in-house service.
• Performance Monitoring: Implement systems to track service delivery and performance, and recommend improvements where necessary.

Skills & Experience

• Professional Accreditation: Chartered Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or equivalent.
• Experience: Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience in commercial building surveying.
• Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of building surveying practices, construction legislation, and property maintenance.
• Project Management: Demonstrated ability to plan, budget, and manage resources effectively.
• Health & Safety: Solid understanding of health and safety regulations and best practices.
• Financial Acumen: Up-to-date knowledge of building costs and proven ability to prepare accurate budgets.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical information clearly.
• Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop a team.
• Commercial Insight: Awareness of the commercial dynamics of property development and asset management.
• Digital Proficiency: Skilled in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, and relevant surveying software.

To find out more about this exciting opportunity, please call Dan Cole on 07443 880 834.

Alternatively, send your CV (at this stage do not worry if it’s not up-to-date) directly to dan.cole@beachbaker.co.uk.

All third party and direct applications will be forwarded to Beach Baker Recruitment for review.