About Haringey

Haringey is a fantastic place to live and work – the world in one borough. A place brimming with creativity, personality, radicalism, and community. It is a place where we stand up for each other. A place that is proudly distinctive. We’ll be celebrating all this and more as the “rebel borough” when we are the 2027 London Borough of Culture.

Our history champions change-makers and everyday rebels; revelling in our differences, battling discrimination, championing equality, and doing things our own way. Haringey’s people are a huge asset, with knowledge, expertise, and passion. Our staff members embody our organisational values: Caring, Creative, Courageous, Collaborative and Community-focused. These values keep us looking forward, ambitious for the future, and continuously striving to do our very best for all of our residents.

About the role

This is a pivotal and senior role for Haringey Council’s Housing and Building Safety Team. Taking the lead on the Building Safety agenda as well as focussing on Fire and Asbestos Safety, you will be responsible for ensuring compliance and improving the safety and awareness of residents. You will ensure that the profile of the team and the work it does receives the support, resources, and recognition it requires to drive the safety agenda from an operational and customer facing level through to the Executive and Cabinet Members. The role is as much about strategic vision and regulatory awareness as it is about programme delivery, customer service and financial management, all of which are high on the agenda when it comes to scrutiny and monitoring of performance.

Working for Haringey

At Haringey Council we are committed to creating a workplace culture where all our people feel valued, included, and able to be their best at work, and we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce so welcome applications from all ethnicities and communities so that we continue to make a difference to our residents and community.  Our benefits package includes a leave entitlement of 30 days + bank holidays, potential hybrid working opportunities, health and wellbeing support, a generous local government pension scheme and a range of discount schemes across leisure and culture that provide both financial and money-saving discounts.

About you

Given the responsibilities and level at which you will be operating, you will be an excellent communicator, both written and orally, you will be able to gain the confidence of everyone from our MP, Elected Members, the Executive and your peer group, and be able to explain complicated technical issues to non-technical people, safe in your own extensive subject knowledge around fire asbestos and building safety.

With an auditor’s eye for detail and a demand for high standards and a can-do culture, you will need to be able to lead, manage and drive your team, support your peer group and senior managers, and operate under scrutiny and in high pressure situations, always demanding a cool head and professional approach.

Your ability to lead multi-disciplinary professionals, support staff and contractors must be exemplary, and your experience of Council Governance, Financing and Housing stock challenges will be essential if you ae to succeed in this role.

Required qualifications for this position include an IFE (Institution of Fire Engineers) certification, NEBOSH Fire Certificate, and professional accreditation evidenced by membership in an engineering or related professional institute such as RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building), or C.Building Engineering.

About the team

Reporting directly to the Head of Residential Building Safety, you will lead a team of around 15 people, subject to business requirements at any time, consisting of professional, highly trained, and qualified surveyors, risk assessors and technical staff, as well as administrative and resident liaison support staff. The in-house team is supplemented and supported by a supply chain of manufacturers, installers, specialist contractors and consultants, focussed on delivering both on-going regulatory inspection programmes and large-scale follow-on works.