Overview

We are seeking an experienced Building Regulations Principal Designer to join our growing CDM and Building Safety team. This is a key professional role within Trident’s employee-owned business. The Building Regulations Principal Designer (BR PD) will deliver robust, proportionate BR PD services — protecting life safety, managing regulatory risk, supporting compliant design development, and providing trusted professional advice to clients and design teams. The postholder will work collaboratively with Building Surveyors, Project Managers, Cost Consultants and CDM Principal Designers to integrate Building Regulations compliance into Trident’s wider delivery model. This role offers a genuine opportunity to take ownership of high-profile regulatory work, contribute to business development, and play a central part in shaping Trident’s building safety capability. The ideal candidate will bring deep technical expertise, a collaborative mindset, and a commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for clients.

The Purpose

Purpose

The BR PD role presents a significant opportunity for Trident — and we hope for you too. The purpose is to discharge the Building Regulations Principal Designer function with integrity and precision, ensuring that statutory duties under the Building Safety Act are effectively met across all relevant projects, from initial design through to Gateway submissions and practical completion.

Responsibilities

• Technical delivery: Provide clear, technically robust and outcome-focused advice to clients and design teams on Building Regulations compliance; coordinate design and compliance reviews that reduce late design change, regulatory challenge and client risk.
• Gateway submissions: Prepare and submit BSR Gateway applications (Gateways 1–3), ensuring accurate, coordinated and auditable information throughout regulatory engagement.
• Risk & compliance management: Identify, coordinate and manage design-stage Building Regulations risks; ensure duty-holder competence is assessed and recorded; maintain a proportionate Golden Thread of information aligned with building risk profile.
• Client relationships: Act as a trusted professional advisor to clients; manage expectations through proactive communication; clearly explain Building Regulations duties, risks and mitigation strategies.
• Business development: Support fee proposals and scope definitions; actively promote Trident’s building surveying and safety services; develop client relationships and contribute to Trident’s regional market presence.
• Team development: Mentor and support junior colleagues; contribute to internal CPD, knowledge sharing and service improvement; assist in reviewing team capacity and resource planning.

Skills and qualifications

• Chartered or Incorporated membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. RICS, RIBA, CIOB, ICE, APS or equivalent).
• Demonstrable experience delivering Building Regulations compliance and/or Principal Designer services.
• Strong working knowledge of the Building Safety Act, Building Regulations and duty-holder roles, including experience on high-risk or complex buildings.
• Ability to interpret complex legislation into clear, practical and proportionate project advice.
• Familiarity with Golden Thread information requirements and digital compliance systems.
• Excellent report writing, communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to manage multiple instructions and priorities effectively.
• Experience acting as BR PD on high‑risk or complex buildings.
• Experience contributing to fee proposals or business development activity.
• Integrity, a commitment to excellence, a collaborative approach and a passion for advancing building safety.

Benefits

• iPhone & Laptop to support our agile & hybrid working policy
• Enhanced maternity / paternity and adoption leave policy (after a successful probationary period)
• Private Health Care (after 3 months)
• Tax-free EOT bonus scheme – after 12 months continuous employment
• Membership to our life insurance scheme (x2 annual salary)
• Upon passing probation the company will provide you with a £20.00 monthly allowance to spend on our benefits package provider, Zhoosh, to further enhance your benefits package:
• Top up your pension contributions
• Purchase critical illness cover, in steps of £25,000 up to £250,000 maximum cover
• Purchase life insurance, in steps of £25,000 up to £250,000 maximum cover
• Purchase a bike through our cycle scheme
• Lease an electric car
• Company and team profit shares
• Payment of professional fees and membership subscriptions
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays (full time entitlement)
• Opportunity to accrue an additional 4 long service days
• Opportunity to buy a maximum of two weeks’ additional annual leave each year
• Electric Car Scheme
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Company annual staff team building day and regular local social events

About Trident

In June 2022 Trident proudly became an Employee Ownership Trust. Trident has recently been awarded “Investors in People” Gold accreditation, which demonstrates that our people are our most important asset. Trident’s culture embraces diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) across our offices and our team enjoy a healthy work life balance that supports physical and mental wellbeing.

Trident are B Corp certified and were featured in the Sunday Times, Best Places to Work 2024! We have also partnered up with PREACH Inclusion to implement our DEI Framework. We\'ve meticulously measured our carbon footprint and set a science-based target through SBTi (Science Based Targets Initiative), ensuring our goals are grounded in scientific consensus.

Our network of national regional and offices work as a collaborative team to provide the highest level of Building Surveying and Project Management to our enviable client list. Our agile working policy has operated since 2019 and it recognises that work is not just performed “9 to 5” in the office, allowing our staff the flexibility to vary working hours and to work remotely although we encourage staff to attend the office regularly to help promote our core values of team working and collaboration.

To Apply

This is a rare opportunity for a skilled building safety professional to deliver impactful regulatory work and help shape Trident’s building safety capability across the UK. Please apply via the LinkedIn job post.