Environmental Health Manager (Protection & Housing) - Maldon District Council in Chelmsford

Maldon District Council is working in partnership with Essex Shared Services to support the role of Environmental Health Manager (Protection & Housing), a full-time position offering hybrid working with an expectation of currently attending the office 2 days per week.

Role Purpose: To provide a specialist, professional service with high standards of advice and support, resolving cases of varying complexity as they arise. Ensure compliance with statutory regulations, legislation, professional codes of practice and adherence to Council policy. To enable the delivery of projects, interventions and initiatives and develop policies (together with the Strategy teams) in line with corporate and business plans. Ensure and develop appropriate levels of quality and specialist knowledge within the environmental protection/private sector housing team and manage team performance. Ensure that enquiries, complaints and cases are managed and completed at the appropriate level. Be a role model for the service, demonstrating authenticity, integrity, resilience and compassion and focusing on communication, personal development and wellbeing.

Accountabilities – Service Delivery:

• Deliver customer-focused specialist advice and services for the area of environmental protection & private sector housing, keeping up to date with current and emerging legislation, best practice and policy to ensure continuous development and improvement in services.
• Manage complex or contentious applications, cases and inspections that will require an understanding of these specialist areas, processes and compliance, regulations and legislation, acting as the single point of contact for customers on those cases, attending court or appeals as appropriate.
• Support, guide and advise the multi-skilled environmental protection/private sector housing team on less complex cases related to the specialism.
• Ensure personal and professional development is maintained to the required standards.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation, Members and managing key relationships e.g. with Members, partners and other stakeholders.
• Access and accurately update all relevant information systems, both customer and back office ensuring that the master customer record is updated and maintained through verification and validation, and in accordance with Data Protection principles.
• Prepare and present reports to Planning Area committees and other internal and external meetings.
• Acting as member of corporate or community project teams - providing specialist advice and input.
• Owning key professional and technical stakeholder relationships on behalf of the Council relevant to day-to-day delivery of services or projects.
• Manage a broad range of complex cases, applications and inspections and providing resilience and flexibility within the Specialist team.
• Deputise, as appropriate, for the Head of Service.
• Have a deeper understanding of Environmental Health Services, enabling resolution of a broader range of more complex cases, applications and inspections and providing resilience and flexibility within the team.
• Provide leadership for a team of environmental protection/housing officers ensuring the provision of professional services that meet customers’ needs.
• Prepare and present reports to non-planning Council committees.
• Assisting the development of the community of practice across the organisation including mentoring staff in order to improve delivery of the specialism and support career development.
• Oversee the day-to-day operational management of direct reports, following HR policies and processes.
• Support the Head of Service with performance monitoring, financial planning and input into service plans and other strategic documents or projects as requested.
• Ensure effective 2-way communication and feedback is promoted across all teams and important management updates are shared where appropriate.
• Encourage praise, peer to peer feedback and recognition of achievement.

The Experience You Will Bring:

• Degree/relevant qualification and/or extensive work experience in specialist field (e.g. Environmental Protection, Private Sector Housing).
• Management or professional qualification or qualified by strong relevant experience.
• Member of a relevant professional body (e.g. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)).
• Previous experience within management or team leader role.
• Evidence of Continuous and Professional Development (CPD).
• Understanding of the governance arrangements for the service and the council.
• Ability to demonstrate working experience and knowledge of practices / methodologies of environmental protection.
• Sound working knowledge of legislation and developments in Environmental Protection and private sector housing.
• Excellent understanding of good customer service.
• Continuous improvement and business process redesign.
• Proven ability to give sound advice and guidance on a wider range of cases, topics or issues.
• Experience of working with a range of cases within environmental protection, some of which complex, and with little guidance and support of more experienced staff, occasionally referring to Head of Service for work outside previous experience.
• Significant experience of management, leading and ensuring professional practice and high standards of customer delivery, balancing strategic support and practical operational management.
• Experience of effective staff management which is compliant with HR policy and process.
• Experience of the working in the Public Sector or demonstrable knowledge of Local Authority regulation and governance arrangements.
• Experience of process improvement ensuring all processes are fit for purpose meeting customer need.
• Effective communication with stakeholders including internal and external customers, senior officers and Members enabling delivery of the role of trusted adviser.
• Financial and commercial acumen with experience of managing budgets and resource management to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
• Evidence of cultivating and delivering a high performance, collaborative and inclusive culture, which delivers outstanding outcomes.
• Proven ability to enforce legislation where appropriate.
• Proven ability to manage staff in a hybrid working environment including setting clear targets and objectives and proactively managing workflow, priorities and performance.
• Able to effectively manage own changing priorities in a fast-paced environment and plan workload to ensure deadlines are met.
• Demonstrate excellent timekeeping and management of Outlook 365 emails and calendar appointments.
• Sound organisational skills to ensure effective management of electronic and other information including diary management to ensure openness, setting an appropriate standard for the team.
• Confident using technology and Microsoft applications (e.g. Office 365, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and service specific systems (i.e. GIS, Uniform, Academy etc.).
• Developed and effective verbal and written communication skills including providing compelling and factual reports, communications, and business cases.
• Ability to identify risks and manage competing priorities for self and team.
• Confident presenting skills to a wide range of stakeholders and remaining professional and composed under pressure.

Maldon District Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children, young people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Disclosure and Barring checks will be undertaken according to the responsibilities of the role. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, culture and experience. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, sex, disability or marital status. Maldon District Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. To demonstrate our commitment, we have been accredited as a Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident Employer we take various actions in order to successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.

For more information on these roles or if you have any questions, please email. Alternatively, you can contact us by phone: Samantha Myddelton, Business Development Lead: Thea Towers, Specialist Recruitment Consultant: Essex Shared Services is advertising this role as part of its partnership with Maldon District Council; however, the successful candidate will be employed directly by Maldon District Council.