On Monday night the deadline passed to apply for what may be the most demanding job in the built environment: the first ever chief construction and scientific adviser.

Thouria Istephan, the current interim holder of the more limited role – without the “scientific” part added – made it clear in our interview this month that she’s not putting her hat in the ring. Who, one wonders, will?

Istephan, characteristically frank, has been clear about why the role looks the way it does. For her, the role’s primary function is one of “challenge and scrutiny” and is a central plank of the post-Grenfell building safety reforms as recommended by the official inquiry, which the government backed and she worked on for years.

On paper, the job spec is formidable. To precis the advert, MHCLG is looking for a senior leader with end‑to‑end construction project experience and deep technical expertise as well as strong skills in stakeholder engagement, change leadership and communication. Crucially, it adds a formal scientific remit, tasking the adviser with leading independent science and engineering advice and feeding that expertise into government decision‑making.