Are you an ambitious graduate Building Surveyor or Architectural Technician looking to develop your career in a unique and varied estate?
Canford School is seeking an enthusiastic Assistant Building Surveyor / Architectural Technician to join our Estates team. Working across our historic and modern buildings, you'll play a key role in designing, surveying and delivering refurbishment, maintenance and improvement projects while developing your professional skills alongside experienced surveyors.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to progress towards Chartered Building Surveyor (RICS) status or other similar architectural pathways.
About the role
You'll be involved in:
- Producing existing and proposed CAD drawings, plans and design schemes.
- Assisting with building surveys, inspections and condition reports.
- Running refurbishment and planned maintenance projects and minor works.
- Liaising with contractors, direct labour teams and internal stakeholders.
- Preparing planning and building regulations applications.
- Maintaining accurate estate drawings and project records.
About you
You'll have:
- A degree in Building Surveying (or equivalent) or an Architectural Technician qualification.
- Strong AutoCAD skills and excellent IT proficiency.
- A proactive, organised approach with excellent communication skills.
- A willingness to learn and develop within a supportive professional environment.
Previous surveying experience and knowledge of historic buildings would be advantageous but are not essential. The role is likely to encompass work across the Canford Group of Schools.
If you're looking for a varied role where you'll gain hands-on project experience while helping care for an exceptional school estate, we'd love to hear from you.
Closing date: 31st August 2026
Interview date: 9th September 2026
Early applications are very much encouraged. We will review and shortlist candidates on an ongoing basis and may close the vacancy once the right candidate has been identified. Candidates are therefore advised to submit their applications promptly to avoid disappointment.
Canford School is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion in all areas of our Community and encourages applications from all suitably qualified candidates.
Canford School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
All successful job applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening.
JOB DESCRIPTION
JOB TITLE: Assistant Building Surveyor / Architectural Technician
RESPONSIBLE TO: Director of Estates
DEPARTMENT: Estates Department
DATE OF ISSUE: June 2026
MAIN PURPOSE:
The maintenance, development and refurbishment of all buildings, grounds and plant at Canford School and other schools in the Canford Schools Group is the responsibility of the Estates Department. The Assistant Building Surveyor / Architectural Technician supports the busy Estates Department in the drawing, design and management of refurbishment and improvement projects and planned maintenance work with our existing property portfolio. Works include associated condition and compliance survey work of existing buildings.
This is a role which will develop with the post-holder as they gain confidence and experience. The role could form part of their route towards completion of their APC and becoming a fully Chartered Building Surveyor, or other similar architectural pathways. The post holder will work alongside more experienced building surveyors and will enjoy working as the CAD lead for all Estates drawings and in-house design work. The post-holder will run their own projects and liaise with stakeholders and contractors / sub-contractors and the School’s in-house maintenance teams as required.
This is a full time role and is not term time only. Indeed much of the post holder’s work will focus on projects and inspection work taking place in school holiday time.
KEY FUNCTIONS:
Professional
- To carry out the duties of an assistant building surveyor in accordance with recognised professional standards.
Surveying duties
Provide a high-quality surveying service to assist both the Director of Estates and the Building & Surveying Manager in delivering the expected professional estates service to the Canford Schools Group. Duties as follows:
- To know ensure high standards on all tasks and to ensure that all work is completed to an appropriate standard in the available timescale.
- To measure buildings and sites, take briefs, and produce existing plans, elevations, sections, site plans, feasibility schemes and detailed design and construction drawings, taking into account construction cost, longevity, flexibility of use, future expansion, value for money and future maintenance.
- To produce all new drawings on AutoCAD LT, and to update and upgrade existing record drawings to a common agreed standard, notation and presentation. To support all team colleagues with their CAD requirements. On occasion to use simple 3D SketchUp, Planner 5D or similar modelling software to assist in creating scheme presentations.
- To assist the Director of Estates in production of report information and the production of documents such as planning applications, building regulations applications, feasibility reports, photographic records and survey reports.
- To assist the Buildings and Surveying Manager with inspections and schedules for cyclical maintenance work.
- To assist the Director of Estates in the building inspection programme, producing maintenance schedules and updating cyclical maintenance records as required.
- To carry out legal inspections, defect inspections, risk analysis tasks and assist with the Groups’ masterplan strategy and associated planning issues.
- To design, commission and run directly allocated improvement project and planned maintenance tasks, ensuring that works are carried out to agreed standards and to budget. To include liaison with users, budgetary control, obtaining quotations, obtaining statutory approvals, controlling directly employed subcontractors and contract administration.
- To prepare and monitor health and safety risk assessments for directly allocated projects.
- To assist the Building and Surveying Manager with creating the core holiday programmes and in due course to take a lead in preparing and issuing the overall MS Project programmes.
Administrative
- Maintain a tidy office, ensuring all records and files are kept neatly and accurately.
- To be responsible for the Department’s drawing records.
- Update records and files following completion of projects and works, including a significant catch-up exercise for capital projects completed in the past few years.
Health and Safety
- To ensure that Estates Department safe working practices are followed at all times and never compromised. Comply with all safety and safeguarding instructions issued.
- To be aware of the school’s “General Requirements for Contractors” document, Approved List of Contractors, and all issued health and safety details for the direct labour team. To ensure that these instructions are followed by staff and contractors working on the allocated projects, and to bring to the Director of Estates’ attention observed breaches by others.
- Properly maintain personal protective equipment as required for the work.
- To be responsible for all issued estates office equipment.
Liaison
- Liaison with the Director of Estates, other colleagues and external contractors and consultants on all matters regarding the allocated projects, programming, access, safety, annual leave and workload in a professional manner.
- To work as a team with Estates Office colleagues in order to collectively successfully complete the planned and reactive workload and to maintain the excellent reputation of this team.
- To manage your own workload and set priorities, with guidance and support from the Director of Estates.
Notwithstanding all these duties, the nature of the dynamic school environment requires the Estates Department staff to offer a far-ranging service, and it is not anticipated that this job specification is or can be fully definitive.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Job Title: Assistant Building Surveyor / Architectural Technician
Date: June 2026
Department: Estates
- BSc Building Surveying or equivalent and either training towards full professional membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Building Surveying Professional Group) or a TechRICS qualification. It is anticipated that the post-holder will be a recent graduate or similar.
OR
A similar architectural technician qualification
- Strong CAD experience and proficient ability to draw building regulations style details and/or design schemes.
- Ideally some experience of working to rigid health and safety guidelines
- Ideally some experience of working in a multi-functional environment
- Knowledge of building requirements with regards to historical properties
It will be highly desirable for the selected candidate to have had suitable surveying or surveying technician experience which ideally will include either private practice or non-public sector environments.
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- Ability to use initiative and self-motivation.
- IT literate and strong AutoCAD and Microsoft Office skills. A working knowledge of Microsoft Project and Microsoft PowerPoint is desirable but not essential.
Personal Qualities required
- An approachable professional and friendly manner, and the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels.
- Willingness to undertake training as required, including first aid training.
- Good communication skills both written and oral.
- Self-motivated and able to work efficiently and quickly. A “today” attitude is essential to the everyday pressures of the department.
- Willingness to get hands-on with the team on occasion
- Flexible
- Physically capable of carrying out all aspects of the job
