Principal Designer​/Principal Designer Advisor

Position: Principal Designer / Principal Designer Advisor
Location: City of Westminster

The Principal Designer / Principal Designer Advisor will provide senior technical leadership and governance on major, complex, and high‑risk construction projects, acting in the statutory role of Principal Designer or as Principal Designer Advisor under the Building Safety Act Regulations. The role focuses on leading project‑level compliance, design risk management, and regulatory coordination, ensuring that health, safety, building regulation, and compliance risks are identified, managed, and communicated throughout the design and construction lifecycle.

Working closely with clients, designers, contractors, regulators, and internal technical teams, the role‑holder will ensure projects meet statutory obligations, industry best practice, and SOCOTEC standards, while contributing to service excellence, reputation, and strategic growth. Working across a variety of projects both autonomously and as part of a wider team, tasks you will be required to undertake as part of your role include:

Principal Designer Leadership & Statutory Compliance

• Act as Principal Designer or Principal Designer Advisor on major and complex projects, including higher‑risk buildings where required
• Ensure compliance with the Building Safety Act, Building Regulations, and associated legislation throughout the project lifecycle
• Plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate design work to eliminate, reduce, or control foreseeable health, safety, and building safety risks
• Ensure that design risk management information is clearly communicated between duty holders

Project Delivery Excellence

• Provide senior‑level oversight to ensure projects are delivered to the highest professional, statutory, and SOCOTEC quality standards
• Support effective project governance, including programme milestones, risk mitigation, and issue resolution
• Work collaboratively with internal teams (building control, fire, façade, structural, and compliance specialists) to deliver integrated outcomes
• Ensure proportional, pragmatic, and well‑documented approaches to risk management on major projects

Business Development & Client Engagement

• Act as a trusted senior advisor to clients on design safety, regulatory compliance, and risk management strategies
• Build and maintain strong client relationships through consistent technical excellence and leadership
• Support business development activities by contributing to fee proposals, scope definition, and technical inputs for bids related to PD and compliance services
• Represent SOCOTEC in client meetings, regulator discussions, and multi‑disciplinary design forums

Service Line Development

• Lead the creation and refinement of specialist service lines within the Building Regulation and Compliance division
• Evaluate market trends to inform service innovation, pricing models, and delivery strategies
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with other technical and operational leads to integrate services and optimise resource sharing

Training, Mentoring & Technical Governance

• Develop and deliver a structured training and mentoring programme to build technical capability and succession within the team
• Conduct performance reviews, CPD planning, and competency assessments aligned with professional standards (RICS, CABE, etc.)
• Champion a culture of learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement
• Ensure knowledge transfer across teams and consistent application of technical methodologies

Collaboration, Mentoring & Technical Support

• Provide guidance and mentoring to junior Principal Designers /   Consultants, and technical staff
• Support consistency of PD delivery standards, methodologies, and best practice across projects
• Contribute to internal technical guidance, templates, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Support knowledge sharing across disciplines and service lines

Quality, Compliance & Safety

• Uphold rigorous quality assurance, compliance, and safety standards across all technical operations
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of legislative and regulatory changes, ensuring proactive adaptation of internal procedures
• Lead technical audits and peer reviews to ensure consistency, accuracy, and excellence in delivery

Health & Safety Leadership

• Champion a positive and…