Senior Environmental Health Officer

This is a Full Time, Permanent position. Recognising the workforce demand, these posts are enhanced with a market rate pay supplement in excess of the top of the substantive grade. An annual review will take place which could reduce, increase or remove the enhancement subject to market conditions.

Are you an experienced Environmental Health Practitioner looking for your next challenge? We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified Environmental Health Officer or Practitioner to join our dynamic team as a Senior Environmental Health Officer. This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in protecting consumers, supporting legitimate businesses, and helping to develop the next generation of Environmental Health and Food Safety professionals.

As a Senior EHO, you will lead and undertake a wide range of enforcement, advisory, and investigative activities across the full spectrum of food safety functions. You will be based in the food safety team. Whilst primarily responsible for enforcing standards of food hygiene and safety, you will also be required to deliver high-quality regulatory services in the investigation of incidents of infectious diseases, providing advice to businesses, supporting food export functions, and sampling programmes. You will prepare case files, gather and present evidence, and represent the authority in court proceedings.

The successful candidate will hold:

• MSc or BSc (Hons) Degree or Diploma in Environmental Health
• A valid Certificate of Registration with the Environmental Health Officers Registration Board
• A full UK driving licence and access to transport suitable for business use.

You will have:

• Significant experience working within a food safety regulatory environment
• Experience investigating and enforcing legislation relating to all aspects of food safety work
• Experience preparing prosecution files and presenting evidence
• Strong partnership-working skills with local, regional, and national agencies
• Experience providing advice and guidance to businesses and consumers
• Experience supervising, coaching, mentoring, or supporting apprentices and trainees.

We are looking for someone who:

• Demonstrates sound professional judgement and integrity
• Has excellent investigative and analytical skills
• Can communicate confidently with businesses, consumers, legal professionals, and partner agencies
• Is organised, self-motivated, and capable of managing competing priorities
• Is passionate about developing others and promoting professional standards within the service.

ROLE AND PURPOSE

To supervise and participate in the work of the Food Safety team, organising and supervising specialist professional officers in discharging the City Council’s statutory functions in relation to food safety and health and safety in food businesses and infectious disease control. The work will involve taking a lead role in the inspection and regulation of food businesses, dealing with infectious diseases and food safety concerns from the public amongst other specialist food safety subject areas.

Activities will include the enforcement of legislation, investigation of complaints; inspection of food and premises; sampling of food; the certification of food for export; the issuing of statutory notices; the prosecution of offenders and the provision of technical advice. A significant part of this role will involve the day-to-day management of electronic records, and the co-ordination and allocation of work in the above specialist food safety subject areas.

To provide a high level of knowledge and expertise in the areas of food safety, especially in most complex enforcement and allied functions, and assist in the management of highly interactive client focused services. To contribute to and assist in policy formulation for the Service, including the annual Food Service Plan and Sampling Programme.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Strategy – To assist the Food and Health and Safety Section Manager by implementing and monitoring policies and work programmes to enable the performance of the Section to be managed against objectives.
2. To determine the need for, and to arrange for food samples to be taken and submitted, to interpret and evaluate the analytical results, to detain and seize food, articles or substances, and to use statutory powers to safeguard public health and secure continuous improvements in standards.
3. To be responsible for, and have the discretion to, initiate investigations to detect and rectify serious breaches of a wide range of legislation.
4. Customer Focus - To conduct detailed inspections and audits at high-risk business premises, to determine standards, secure improvements and ensure compliance with legal requirements.
5. To produce accurate and timely correspondence, records, files and data, including the use of IT and the production of technical reports.
6. When required, to develop and deliver educational packages, guidance and presentations to members of the public, businesses, schools, universities, colleges and other bodies in specialist areas of environmental health.
7. To respond to public requests for advice and reports of concern in a timely and effective way.
8. Performance Management - To assist the Section Manager in ensuring set standards are achieved and maintained.
9. To mentor, train, guide and support less experienced Food Safety Enforcement Officers, Health and Safety Enforcement Officers, Enforcement Support Officers, Graduate Environmental Health Officers and professional trainees.
10. Leadership - To supervise, guide and support specialist professional and technical staff; to ensure that staff operate in accordance with the defined policies, priorities and objectives of the Service.

To participate in the Councils Standby and Call Back to Work Scheme if/as required to meet the demands on the service. To play a leading role in the development of career graded Graduate Environmental Health Officers and Food Safety Enforcement Officers with their professional qualifications and competency development.

Statutory Obligations - To interpret new and existing legislation using professional judgement, and to determine appropriate courses of action when non-compliance with legislation or risks to public health are identified.

Benefits of Working of Hull City Council:

• An excellent pension through the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Initially 23 days annual leave depending on length of service.
• Career development and learning experiences from a range of training courses and learning methods.
• Supportive and forward-thinking culture.

We are committed to increasing the diversity, equality, and inclusion within our workforce to represent the people we serve and build an environment in which everyone can feel like they belong. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.