HomeJobsLondonSenior Building Surveyor
Back to all jobs
⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56817538

Senior Building Surveyor

James & Partners·London·Posted 1 week ago
🏠 Hybrid💰 80-95k GBP/year⭐ Senior
Tailor my CV for this job — Free

Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Job Title: Senior Building Surveyor - Prime Central London

Location: Prime Central London / Hybrid Working

Salary: £80,000 - £95,000 base

Working Pattern: Hybrid / Work from Home Flexibility


The Opportunity

My client has built a genuinely differentiated Prime Central London platform spanning brokerage, valuation and advisory across high-value residential property.

Operating across homes valued between £1m and £60m, the business combines deep market penetration with a relationship-led, technology-enabled model. With strong access to PCL agents, wealth managers, private family offices, banks and solicitors, the platform is built around speed, commercial awareness and trusted advisory capability.

The next stage of growth requires the appointment of a senior Building Surveyor who can deliver full Level 3 survey capability while operating as a strategic partner within the business.

This is not a corporate box-ticking role. It is an opportunity to sit alongside the founder, shape standards, influence growth and build something meaningful in Prime Central London.

The Role

You will:

  • Undertake Level 3 building surveys across Prime and Super Prime residential property
  • Carry out condition reports, pre-purchase surveys and defect investigations
  • Diagnose complex building pathology issues and provide clear, commercially sound remedial advice
  • Produce high-quality, client-focused reports tailored to UHNW clients
  • Advise on Building Regulations, statutory compliance and risk
  • Manage instructions from inception to completion with pace and precision
  • Liaise with agents, solicitors, banks, wealth managers and private clients
  • Support lease enfranchisement work before properties transition into high-value sales and advisory
  • Help shape internal processes, reporting standards and quality assurance
  • Contribute to the long-term evolution of service lines as the platform expands

You will be client-facing from day one and expected to represent the business with confidence, discretion and authority.

Candidate Profile

Essential

  • MRICS (Building Surveying pathway)
  • 6-12 years PQE
  • Strong Prime Central London residential focus
  • Proven Level 3 survey capability
  • Excellent technical knowledge of construction, defects and building pathology
  • Confident advising high-end private clients

Highly Desirable

  • Red Book valuation exposure
  • Experience dealing with UHNW clients and complex transactions
  • Existing network across agents, solicitors, private banks or family offices
  • Technology-literate and comfortable with modern surveying tools

Personal Attributes

Technical competence is a given. What will differentiate you is mindset.

You will be:

  • Commercially aware and solutions-led
  • Comfortable operating with autonomy
  • Energetic and aligned with a founder-led environment
  • Relationship-driven rather than process-bound
  • Motivated by building and scaling something rather than hiding inside a corporate structure
  • Clear, articulate and polished in written and verbal communication
  • Discreet, professional and calm under pressure

This role suits someone who wants visibility, influence and long-term alignment - not bureaucracy.

What's On Offer

  • £80,000 - £95,000 base salary
  • Hybrid working with genuine flexibility
  • High-quality Prime Central London instructions (£1m-£60m homes)
  • Direct exposure to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients
  • The opportunity to shape standards, processes and growth strategy
  • Long-term progression potential within a growing Prime platform

This is a rare opportunity for a commercially astute Building Surveyor to step into a senior, high-trust role within a fast-growing Prime Central London advisory platform.

SpeedCV AI

Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills
MRICS Building Surveying pathway6-12 years PQEPrime Central London residential focusLevel 3 survey capabilityConstruction defects knowledgeBuilding pathology expertiseHigh-end private client advisory
Nice-to-have
Red Book valuation exposureUHNW client experienceComplex transactions experiencePCL agent networkModern surveying tools proficiency
Soft skills
Commercial awarenessAutonomyCommunicationDiscretionRelationship buildingSolutions-focused thinkingAuthorityArticulation
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Highlight your MRICS Building Surveying pathway qualification prominently as this is explicitly essential

2

🏢 Emphasise your Prime Central London residential experience as the role focuses on £1m-£60m properties

3

📊 Quantify your Level 3 survey experience: 'Completed 150+ Level 3 surveys across PCL properties valued £2m-£25m'

4

🔍 Showcase building pathology expertise with specific examples of complex defect diagnoses you've resolved

5

🤝 Demonstrate UHNW client experience and discretion as you'll be client-facing from day one with high-net-worth individuals

NEW
AI SpeedCV

Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

  • Completed 180+ Level 3 building surveys across Prime Central London properties valued £2m-£45m, identifying critical structural defects in 23% of Victorian conversions
  • Diagnosed complex building pathology issues in Grade II listed Belgravia townhouses, providing remedial advice that saved clients average £85k in unnecessary works
  • Built network of 40+ PCL agents and private banks, generating 65% of survey instructions through relationship referrals within 18-month period

Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.

NEW
AI cover letter

Your cover letter is ready

We've drafted a cover letter for James & Partners. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.

Letter preview — tailored to James & Partners

Dear Hiring Manager,

James & Partners' Prime Central London platform represents exactly the strategic, founder-led environment where I want to apply my MRICS Building Surveying expertise and Level 3 survey capabilities. Your focus on £1m-£60m residential properties aligns perfectly with my 8 years of PCL experience diagnosing complex building pathology issues.

My background in delivering comprehensive condition reports and defect investigations for UHNW clients has equipped me with the commercial awareness and discretion essential for this role. I have consistently managed instructions from inception to completion while maintaining the pace and precision your platform demands.

Get my personalised letter — free

Free signup, no card needed. Export to PDF/Word requires a £1.99 trial (14 days).

SpeedCV exclusive
SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • Describe your approach to diagnosing complex building pathology in a Victorian mansion worth £15m
  • How would you structure a Level 3 survey report for a UHNW client purchasing a £8m Belgravia property?
  • What are the key Building Regulations compliance issues you'd assess in a Prime Central London conversion?
  • Explain how you would investigate and report on structural defects in a Grade II listed Mayfair townhouse
  • How do you differentiate between cosmetic and structural issues when surveying high-value residential properties?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult news to a high-net-worth client about a property purchase
  • Describe a situation where you had to work autonomously on a complex survey with tight deadlines
  • Give an example of how you've built relationships with agents or solicitors in the property sector
  • Tell me about a time you identified a significant defect that others had missed
  • Describe how you've contributed to improving processes or standards in a previous role
SpeedCV AINEW

STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you had to deliver difficult news to a high-net-worth client about a property purchase

A private client was purchasing a £12m Knightsbridge mansion when my Level 3 survey revealed significant structural movement in the rear extension. The subsidence required £180k remediation work and 8-week delay. I arranged an immediate site meeting, presented photographic evidence and thermal imaging results, then provided three costed remedial options. I liaised with their solicitor to renegotiate the purchase price, securing a £220k reduction. The client appreciated my thoroughness and directness, later instructing me on two additional property purchases worth £28m combined.
2Question

Describe how you've contributed to improving processes or standards in a previous role

I noticed our Level 3 survey reports lacked consistency in building pathology diagnosis, leading to client queries and delayed completions. I developed a standardised defect classification system with photographic templates and remedial cost brackets. I trained 6 junior surveyors on the new methodology and created quality assurance checklists. This reduced report revision requests by 40% and improved average completion time from 12 to 8 days. The system was adopted across our 3 regional offices, improving client satisfaction scores from 7.2 to 8.6 out of 10.

Similar jobs

View all