Lead Technical Support Surveyor

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Job Details

Exciting opportunity to be part of the Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH) as the Lead Technical Support Surveyor, working in partnership with a range of internal and external stakeholders to create, source and deliver approaches to supporting local authority building standards teams, wider stakeholders, and the building standards delivery model, specifically to develop Technical and Operational Services within the SBSH, together with the range of material, services, and activities it delivers. Contribute to the wider corporate and inter agency change and development agendas through holding the strategic lead on the provision of general and specialist technical advice.

Building and construction is a key sector contributing to Scotland’s economy every year. Following the fire at Grenfell Tower and other high profile building failures the Scottish Government set up the Ministerial Working Group on Building and Fire Safety to determine what action was needed in Scotland to ensure that buildings were safe for the people who live in and use them.

As a result of the Ministerial Working Group and the Expert Review Panels on Compliance and Enforcement and Fire Safety, recommendations for longer term changes to the building standards system in Scotland were made. The Scottish Government’s Building Standards Futures Programme Board was established to deliver the recommendations and oversee transformational change including changes to the Building Standards Delivery Model.

As part of this transformational change the ‘Scottish Building Standards Hub’ was established on the 24th May 2024 to deliver a range of building standards system services for all 32 Scottish local authority building standards teams, to operate hubs of expertise, support operational partnerships and transformation and deliver learning and development. The Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH) is a specialist stand-alone unit hosted within Fife Council’s Protective Services.

Being responsible for developing strategies, supporting systems, policies, procedures, and processes consistent with legislative requirements and needs of the organisation you will provide a key role in the delivery of the range of building standards system services and activities provided by the Scottish Building Standards Hub (SBSH) and will also support their consistent application across partner councils.

Key areas of work include:

• You will develop the operation of the Scottish Type Approval Scheme (STAS) and Technical Services within the SBSH, including the identification and implementation of service enhancements.
• You will develop and cultivate relationships with relevant stakeholders within Councils including partner agencies and external providers to identify requirements, synergies, potential efficiencies, and solutions.
• You will use effective communications and engagement to ensure the work of Technical and Operational Services within the SBSH is promoted, supported, directed, appreciated, and understood by all stakeholders.
• You will provide expert advice and guidance.
• You will research, lead, recommend and implement organisational development and performance improvement strategies and approaches to support Technical Services change initiatives.
• You will ensure the dissemination or direct delivery of Technical and Operational Service outcomes, organisational development and performance improvement interventions are undertaken by the most efficient means.
• You will set priorities and teamwork plans, deliver customer expectations, whilst manage team development and performance.
• You will provide the team with professional leadership, direction and support.

The Person

• You must have worked in a senior/lead role delivering the functions undertaken within a Building Standards & Public Safety environment as well as substantial Building Standards and Public Safety verification service experience (approval and compliance/inspection). You must be educated to degree level or equivalent and be a full member of an appropriate professional body e.g., RICS, CIOB or CABE, etc.

In addition, you must be able to demonstrate:

• A high level of competency in use of IT skills.
• Ability to undertake research.
• Organisational awareness and political acumen.
• Ability to think and act strategically and experience of translating strategy into deliverable plans and outcomes.
• Applied knowledge and understanding of relevant legislation and theories/models and interventions that apply within a building standards technical, legislative and procedural, as well as an organisational development context.
• Ability to reconcile competing priorities and deal with ambiguity and complexity.
• Experience of collaborative working and developing and maintaining effective and positive working relationships.
• Significant professional post qualification experience including experience in a senior role, leading/managing, organising, and delivering the full range of Building Standards functions.
• Ability to respond to customer needs aligned with strong organisational and business awareness and provide constructive challenge where appropriate.
• Ability to lead and work autonomously on a range of concurrent, complex issues and conflicting priorities.
• Ability to motivate and develop staff to deliver results and strategic outcomes within a challenging environment.
• Ability to travel to various locations across Scotland.

For Further Information Please Contact: Alan.McAulay@fife.gov.uk