Job description
Are you an experienced building surveyor ready to take the lead on major housing projects? We’re looking for a highly motivated and strategic Principal Building Surveyor to play a key leadership role in shaping the quality, safety, and sustainability of our housing portfolio.
We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity and inclusion is the key to our success. Reading Borough Council is a Disability Confident Employer and is committed to the recruitment and continued employment of people with disabilities.
We are open to flexible working patterns and can provide a hybrid working environment which utilises the best of both worlds with a mix of office working in central Reading and homeworking according to the needs of the Service.

As Principal Building Surveyor, you will lead a team of surveyors and oversee complex, high-value works programmes across our housing stock. You will be responsible for ensuring all projects meet regulatory standards, are value for money, and support our long-term asset management strategy. This is a pivotal role that combines technical expertise with team leadership and client-focused service delivery.
We are part of a multi-disciplinary team, consisting of 5 teams – Building Surveying, Housing New Build, Compliance, Mechanical and Electrical and Quality Assurance. Our role is to deliver a varied programme of repairs, maintenance, refurbishment, and redevelopment to our portfolio of housing stock alongside our Direct Services Organisation.
Our housing stock lies totally within the Borough of Reading and our vision is for everyone to have the opportunity to live in a good quality sustainable home, within in a lively and thriving neighbourhood. We’re working hard to improve disadvantaged areas and enhance people’s lives across the Borough, including a carbon neutral strategy.
This is a key role within Housing Property Services, managing a team of building surveyors and a portfolio of your own projects as part of delivering our annual planned works programme. The role offers real variety and involvement in a wide range of exciting projects. We manage circa 6000 stock of residential property, from Victorian terrace houses, through to high rise flats and modern care facilities.
Through partnership working, with both the tenant and contractor, you will arrange and manage works from inception to completion to ensure a seamless approach is delivered.
Our planned works programme has an annual budget of circa £14 million, with additional multi-million pound refurbishment projects. The projects variety include house extensions for less able tenants, whole house refurbishment, kitchen & bathroom replacement, elemental renewal, external decorations, and repairs and zero net carbon installs.
Your work will include feasibility, design, planning, procurement and full contract and project management of a portfolio of projects.