Senior Waste Management Officer in Trowbridge

About the job

Job purpose: Monitoring and enforcement of prescribed regulatory areas, which will include but not limited to, recommendations regarding infringement, resolution advice, event-based activities. Provision of services of a technical, vocational or specialist operational nature to internal and external customers. To provide legal / regulatory / statutory monitoring and enforcement support within a specific work area.

Role description: Regulation & Technical job family overview: Monitoring and enforcement of prescribed regulatory areas. Provision of services of a technical, vocational or specialist operational nature to internal and external customers. Assessment of physical or administrative situations. Judgement or recommendation regarding infringement. Advice on resolution to participant. Delivery of authoritative technical services to meet specific event-based request. Vocational and/or theoretical knowledge and skills in specific discipline.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Support the Waste Treatment and Disposal Manager in day-to-day management of the public-facing Household Recycling Centre network and associated contracts (£5.8m PA).
• Support the Waste Treatment and Disposal Manager in day-to-day management of the high value waste management and landfill diversion contracts (over £25m PA).
• Deputise for Waste Treatment and Disposal Manager, primarily on operational and contract issues.
• Support the Waste Treatment and Disposal Manager in the long-term development and delivery of Household Recycling Centre, and Waste Management services, from both a technical and legislative/council perspective.
• Supporting with the development and implementation of policies and procedures.
• Using professional knowledge and experience, identify practical, innovative and effective solutions to service delivery or contract issues, such as where changes in legislation require a review of service provision to ensure ongoing statutory compliance.
• Preparing and presenting technical reports to the Senior Management Team, to inform decision-making on complex issues, requiring the research and evaluation of current issues, future developments, good practice and changing legislation.
• Provide a senior level of technical advice and guidance on complex, high value contracts, to the senior management team and wider Waste Service.
• Problem solving and technical decision making is integral to the role therefore the postholder requires an innovative and creative approach making use of extensive technical knowledge and experience in waste management to ensure the council is delivering solutions as efficiently and effectively as possible, while providing value for money.
• Represent the council in meetings with external stakeholders, such as attending Contractor Community Liaison meetings, including contractor Directors and senior managers, Wiltshire councillors, Environment Agency and other interested parties.
• Attend and actively contribute to monthly contractor meetings involving contractor Directors and senior managers, challenging contractor performance and ensuring compliance with the contracts.
• Analyse complex data to inform recommendations to Waste Managers and Head of Service, e.g. reviewing monthly contractor performance reports to identify trends requiring challenge or action, or positive confirmation that objectives are being achieved.
• Co-ordinate the activity of the Waste Officers in actively reviewing and validating monthly contractor returns and high value invoicing.
• Act as technical service expert in respect of waste treatment and disposal activities, assisting colleagues across the service and Directorate with complex technical queries arising.
• Support the Waste Treatment and Disposal Manager in regular monitoring and forecasting of the Waste Service Budget.

Person Specification:

• Degree in relevant area e.g. environmental, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a service provision environment (at least 3 years), including dealing with a range of stakeholders and service providers.
• Sound knowledge of other areas of the organisation relevant to the delivery of waste services.
• Proven interpersonal skills with the ability to establish and develop effective working relationships and productive partnerships with all relevant partners.
• Experience of de-escalating service complaints, with demonstrable ability to exercise tact, diplomacy and discretion in managing these to resolution.
• Excellent ICT skills, including good working knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc.).
• Proven ability to engage with stakeholders and senior level executives such as external contract managers and establishing credibility.
• Excellent analytical skills, particularly around interpreting financial information and large data sets.
• A high standard of literacy, in order to ensure all written communications meet the appropriate standards, and to ensure any unsatisfactory responses or public-facing communications are challenged and addressed.
• A high level of numeracy to inform interpretation of complex data sets, or production of performance reports.
• High level of relevant and practical experience and demonstrable ability of analysing complex issues, producing technical reports and presenting them in an understandable form to a wide range of audiences.
• In-depth understanding of relevant waste and environmental legislation, including permitting requirements of waste facilities.
• In-depth understanding of waste contract specification requirements to inform development of effective contract monitoring regimes.
• Experience of budget management, including monitoring, forecasting and reporting.
• Membership of a recognised environmental body, such as Chartered Institute of Waste Management.