Food and Safety Technical Officer

Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX

Salary: £37,280 - £44,075 per annum (pro rata for part time).

Hours: Part Time, 22.2 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Closing date: 5pm, 20 February 2026

Reference: 21946

This role is open to full time, part time, and job share applications, all of which will be assessed equally.

We are looking for a Food and Safety Technical Officer to join our Food and Safety team. If you share our values and are motivated to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities, we would love to hear from you.

About the role

You will carry out and be responsible for a range of technical and administrative duties in support of the Food and Safety regulatory service, both in and out of the office. Your duties will include:

• Collecting samples and information from premises and households, assist with food poisoning and private water supply investigations
• Carrying out healthier catering award assessments of retail food businesses
• Carrying out audit assessments of low-risk food businesses
• Carrying out caravan licence inspections and issue licences
• Maintaining and updating computer-based and paper records including complex spreadsheets and produce reports from the data
• Processing requisitions, invoices and payments for supplies and services
• Maintaining equipment, stocks of consumables and work out low-cost ways of replacing consumables for ongoing projects

You will need to have a clean driving licence and access to a car to enable occasional travel for work purposes.

About you

We are looking for an experienced Food and Safety Officer with relevant qualifications at NVQ Level 4 or equivalent knowledge gained through experience in a similar role. You will need to demonstrate good knowledge and understanding of Food and Safety regulations as well as a working understanding of local government. You will have had experience of liaising with external government agencies and customers in a service industry.

You will also:

• Be able to analyse and interpret varied information or situations and to solve problems
• Have experience of auditing, investigation and enforcement
• Use persuasive, negotiating and training skills e.g. aimed at seeking agreement/compromise or developing understanding of legal and technical guidance
• Have the ability to ask questions, seek clarification and exchange information using tact and diplomacy with a range of different people and groups
• Have good administration skills including a knowledge of Assure and M3 software
• Have working knowledge of environmental health services and some experience in this field
• Be skilled in dealing with members of the public and commercial operators, often in stressful and difficult situations
• Have good communication skills
• Have experience working in a customer orientated service

About us

At Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils we are passionate about building communities that people want to live, work, visit and invest in. We serve around 200,000 residents across our two districts and are well known for our collaboration and partnership working across public, private and voluntary sectors. We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work, with:

• 60 conservation areas
• Two National Landscapes
• Many picturesque market towns

It is no surprise we are ranked among the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Employee Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Great opportunities for learning and development.
• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 26 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays).
• Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Wellbeing Support programme.
• Employee Assist programme.
• Health care options.

For more information, visit our Employee Benefits page and view ‘The best things about working for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils’ to find out what our employees say about working for us.

Our working culture

We believe work is what we do, not just where we go. We work in a hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote based working (Business need permitting). Our hybrid working arrangements support flexibility and collaboration, helping our teams to thrive. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion, providing opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible services for our residents.

For more information

If you wish to discuss the hybrid working approach for this role, or for an informal discussion, please contact Sally Haggerstone, Food and Safety Manager by either calling 07545 500826 or emailing sally.haggerstone@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk

How to apply

To apply and for further details, please visit: Suffolk Jobs Direct. Please ensure:

• Your application form is fully completed, including employment and education history
• Your supporting statement clearly addresses how you meet the criteria in the Person Specification

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.

Closing date: 5pm, 20 February 2026