From a Chance Opportunity to a Career in Building Control: Meet Zoe Grayson

Zoe Grayson recently joined Harwood’s Canterbury office as Project Manager. Having started her career as a Building Control Technician in 2013, she has progressed through local authority and private sector roles, returned to education and achieved a first-class degree in Construction Management.

We spoke to Zoe about her route into Building Control, an interesting project she’s worked on, her experience as a woman in construction and what she hopes to achieve at Harwood.

Discovering Building Control

Before applying for a Building Control Technician position in 2013, Zoe had never heard of the profession.

At the time, she was looking for a job closer to her daughter’s nursery, and the Building Control office happened to be nearby.

Zoe began by registering projects and initial notices, issuing correspondence and supporting the wider team. The position introduced her to the Building Control process and opened the door to a career she had never previously considered.

“I fell into Building Control and stayed,” she says.

A year later, Zoe successfully applied for a Trainee Building Control Officer role with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. The move created an opportunity to progress, but it also meant returning to education after many years away from the classroom.

Returning to Education

Zoe completed an ONC and HNC before converting her qualification into an HND and progressing to a BSc (Hons) in Construction Management. Highlighting the importance of not being too late to explore a career, Zoe said:

“I had not been in education since I was 16 and was in my late thirties when I went back.”

Zoe completed the programme in five years rather than seven and graduated with a first-class honours degree.

“That was a huge achievement for me,” she says. “It was not easy, but I crossed the line, and I am really proud that I did it.”

During the same period, Zoe progressed beyond her trainee position, took responsibility for her own geographical area and gained experience in plan checking, site inspections, dangerous structures and unauthorised building work.

A Project Unlike Any Other

One of Zoe’s most memorable experiences involved supporting work across several buildings and animal enclosures at a zoo.

The project included a giraffe house, a new primate building and visitor facilities. It required the team to consider a range of unusual design, operational and safety requirements that would rarely arise on a conventional development.

“It was absolutely amazing watching the new building going up, the little islands being built and the moats being put around them,” Zoe recalls.

The project also required collaboration between Building Control, planning officers, the zoo and the fire service.

One unusual consideration related to the provision of water for the fire service. Following discussions with the project team, it was agreed that a nearby elephant lake, containing more than 45,000 litres of water, could provide an additional water source.

“You do not get many projects where you can work in that kind of environment,” Zoe says. “You just do not see those kinds of things every day.”

The experience remains a memorable example of the variety and practical problem-solving that Zoe enjoys about Building Control.

More Than Checking Compliance

For Zoe, the most rewarding part of the profession is seeing a project develop from its earliest stages into a completed building.

“My favourite part is watching something go from a hole in the ground right through to the finished result,” she says. “I have seen some beautiful buildings go from nothing to looking absolutely fantastic.”

Although Building Inspectors are sometimes perceived as people who arrive on site simply to identify faults, Zoe emphasises that the role is fundamentally collaborative and involves active problem-solving, site engagement, and teamwork. Clarifying these aspects can help demystify the profession for newcomers.

“We are all trying to achieve the same thing,” she explains. “We want a building that has been properly constructed, complies with the Building Regulations and can receive its final certificate.”

Site visits also allow Zoe to have the practical, face-to-face conversations she values.

“When you are on site, you can see what you are discussing, point to the issue and use the materials around you to illustrate the solution.”

For Zoe, continuing to appreciate the finished result remains central to her enjoyment of the profession.

“The day I stop appreciating that is the day I have to hang up my boots and my hat.”

Encouraging More Women into Construction

Zoe believes Building Control offers a varied and rewarding career, but that greater awareness is needed to help young people discover the profession.

During her local authority career, she supported a Building Control stand at a college open day and spoke to Level 3 carpentry students about the role.

“I think Building Control needs to be involved in more careers fairs at school level,” she says.

Zoe believes this visibility is particularly important for young women who may not realise that technical careers in construction and engineering are open to them.

“Girls need to know that those options are there,” she explains. “The stereotypes need to change.”

Although construction remains a male-dominated industry, Zoe has seen attitudes begin to change throughout her career and would recommend Building Control to women considering a practical and technically focused profession.

“I like the fact that I get to go to different sites, see different people and see different aspects of a project,” she says. “I need to be out and about and interacting.”

A New Chapter at Harwood

Much of Zoe’s recent experience has involved domestic work, including extensions, loft conversions and occasional flat conversions. At Harwood, she is looking forward to gaining experience across a broader range of developments.

In particular, Harwood’s work in the education and care sectors will introduce Zoe to project types she has not previously supported, helping her build additional knowledge ahead of her future re-registration.

Zoe is currently registered as a Class 2AD Building Inspector, allowing her to undertake plan checking and site inspections on domestic and commercial buildings up to 7.5 metres.

Her next objective is to add the B and E categories to her registration, expanding the range of domestic and commercial buildings she can work on to include those up to 11 metres. Her longer-term ambition is to achieve Class 2ABDE registration and become a Chartered Member of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers.

For now, Zoe is looking forward to supporting Harwood’s clients, broadening her project experience and taking the next steps in a career that began by chance but has developed through determination, curiosity and a genuine enjoyment of the built environment.

Interested in developing your own career in Building Control? Explore current opportunities at Harwood here.