Clerk of Works (Fire/Building Safety) Harlow District Council
Harlow District Council
Temporary, Full Time
£350.00 per day (umbrella)
Location: Harlow
Closing Date: 2nd October 2026
Essex County Council are pleased to be supporting Harlow District Council to recruit a temporary Clerk of Work (Fire & Building Safety) on an initial 12-month basis. Please note that this post requires the successful individual to be based on site for a minimum of 3 days per week.
Harlow is a district of contrasts and an ideal location to both live and work. The town itself is thriving, with excellent shopping and leisure facilities for all ages. We have good road links to the M11 and M25 and excellent rail connections to London and Stansted Airport, just 35 minutes and 20 minutes away from Harlow respectively.
Harlow is an authority with big ambitions. Our Housing capital programme for investment work to occupied homes is in the region of £150m over the next 2 years. We are building a team of high calibre professionals and welcome applications from those with drive and experience who can help us meet the challenge.
The role:
The Fire & Building Safety Clerk of Works shall act as Harlow Council's independent quality assurance representative, undertaking inspections of fire and building safety works to verify compliance with the approved design, statutory requirements, manufacturers' instructions and relevant standards. The role provides independent technical assurance throughout construction, practical completion, handover and the defects liability period.
Inspection Responsibilities
- Undertaking inspections at agreed hold points throughout the construction process.
- Inspect passive fire protection before enclosure, including fire stopping, linear gap seals and compartmentation.
- Inspect service penetrations prior to closure.
- Inspect cavity barriers and fire barriers within walls, roofs, façades and concealed voids.
- Inspect fire doors, frames, glazing, seals, ironmongery and installation quality.
- Inspect smoke control systems, AOVs, fire dampers and associated builders' work.
- Inspect structural fire protection and means of escape provisions.
- Witness opening-up inspections where required to verify concealed works.
Quality Assurance & Reporting
- Produce weekly written inspection reports.
- Maintain a comprehensive inspection register.
- Maintain dated photographic records of inspections and defects.
- Issue defect schedules and non-conformance reports where necessary.
- Monitor contractor responses and close-out of defects.
- Produce monthly quality assurance reports summarising inspection findings, trends and contractor performance.
Provide evidence to support contractor performance reviews.
Inspection Responsibilities
- Undertaking inspections at agreed hold points throughout the construction process.
- Inspect passive fire protection before enclosure, including fire stopping, linear gap seals and compartmentation.
- Inspect service penetrations prior to closure.
- Inspect cavity barriers and fire barriers within walls, roofs, façades and concealed voids.
- Inspect fire doors, frames, glazing, seals, ironmongery and installation quality.
- Inspect smoke control systems, AOVs, fire dampers and associated builders' work.
- Inspect structural fire protection and means of escape provisions.
- Witness opening-up inspections where required to verify concealed works.
Quality Assurance & Reporting
- Produce weekly written inspection reports.
- Maintain a comprehensive inspection register.
- Maintain dated photographic records of inspections and defects.
- Issue defect schedules and non-conformance reports where necessary.
- Monitor contractor responses and close-out of defects.
- Produce monthly quality assurance reports summarising inspection findings, trends and contractor performance.
Provide evidence to support contractor performance reviews.
The experience you will bring:
- Strong building construction knowledge.
- Experience in occupied residential refurbishment.
- Understanding of fire safety and compartmentation.
- Knowledge of Building Regulations and British Standards.
- Ability to produce structured technical reports.
What you should do next
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website. If you have any queries relating to this post, please email louise.butler@essex.gov.uk
