Clerk of Work

Job Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO5 £52,194 - £55,323

Contract Type: Permanent

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 24/02/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): TBC

Reference: 1891

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role:

We are looking for two Clerk of Works- The Clerk of Works( COW) Officer plays a vital role within the Planned Works & Responsive Repairs Team at the London Borough of Waltham Forest, ensuring that all repair works carried out across the Council’s housing stock are delivered to the highest possible standards of quality, safety, compliance and value for money. This role is central to maintaining and enhancing resident satisfaction, service reliability, and the Council’s strong reputation for excellence in housing services.

As part of a performance-driven and resident-focused team, you’ll carry out detailed post-inspections of completed repairs and monitor works in progress. You’ll assess workmanship, materials, and compliance with contractual specifications—ensuring repairs meet the highest standards and are delivered within agreed timeframes.

You’ll work closely with contractors, operatives, and internal teams to resolve issues promptly and effectively, contributing to continuous service improvement and a culture of accountability and excellence.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct Post-Inspections
  Carry out thorough post-inspections of completed responsive repair works to assess the quality of workmanship, materials used, and compliance with contractual specifications and safety standards.
• Monitor Repairs In Progress
  Visit active repair sites to monitor ongoing works, ensuring they are being delivered to the required standards and addressing any issues early in the process.
• Ensure Compliance with Housing Standards
  Support the Council’s compliance with Decent Homes Standards, Building Safety Regulations, and the Damp and Mould Policy through regular quality monitoring and reporting.
• Identify and Report Deficiencies
  Record and report instances of substandard work or non-compliance, working with contractors and internal teams to ensure timely rectification.
• Maintain Accurate Records
  Maintain detailed and up-to-date records of inspections, findings, corrective actions, and outcomes in the Council’s housing management systems.
• Provide Technical Feedback
  Offer clear, constructive technical feedback to contractors and operatives to support ongoing improvements in service delivery.
• Support Contractor Performance Reviews
  Provide evidence-based input for contractor performance evaluations, helping to ensure continuous improvement and accountability.
• Contribute to Service Improvements
  Identify trends, recurring issues, and areas for improvement in the responsive repairs service, and contribute to the development and implementation of quality improvement initiatives.
• Resident Engagement
  Engage with residents during inspections where necessary, ensuring their concerns are understood and addressed in a professional and timely manner.
• Promote Value for Money
  Help to ensure repair works are completed effectively the first time, minimising repeat visits and promoting cost-efficiency in service delivery.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Experience of having worked in a fast-paced, customer-focused environment.
• Good knowledge and application of IT systems and software packages.
• Able to work with minimal supervision, using problem solving skills and initiative to provide a customer-focused service.
• Excellent levels of literacy and numeracy.
• Able to work flexibly, balancing competing priorities and meeting deadlines whilst understanding the needs, timescales and deadlines of others.
• Able to deal diplomatically and confidently with a wide range of customers both internally and externally.
• Able to identify improvements to processes and systems (at a level appropriate to the role) and to share the recommendations with the wider team.
• High level of professionalism, care and integrity, ensuring a positive image of the organisation is promoted at all times.
• Strong time management skills.
• A positive attitude and ability to adapt to changes.
• Highly organised with the ability to multi-task and be flexible to respond to service delivery requirements.
• Clear communication skills.
• Able to build strong relationships.
• Goal-oriented focus with the customer in mind.
• Willingness to learn new skills, processes and systems as appropriate to the role.
• Able to work in an inclusive manner with staff and residents.
• Strong knowledge of housing legislation and disrepair protocols.
• Experience managing legal disrepair cases in a housing environment.
• Excellent communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to manage complex cases and liaise with multiple stakeholders.
• High level of organisation and attention to detail, especially in record-keeping and compliance with legal standard.

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Relevant qualifications in housing or legal fields, or equivalent experience in managing disrepair or litigation cases.
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in legal and housing management

What We’re Looking For

• Strong technical knowledge of housing repairs and construction standards.
• Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively with contractors, residents, and colleagues.
• Commitment to delivering excellent public service and value for money.
• Experience in site inspections, quality assurance, or similar roles.

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to make a real impact in your community. You’ll be part of a team that values professionalism, integrity, and resident satisfaction. We offer a supportive working environment, opportunities for development, and the chance to contribute to meaningful improvements in housing services.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;

Satisfactory declaration of interest;

Satisfactory DBS check;

As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Sharon-Leigh Gordon, Assistant Director of Housing Repairs & Planned Works at Sharon-Leigh.Gordon@walthamforest.gov.uk

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.