At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and innovate in Environmental Health & Licensing to ensure community safety and wellbeing.
- Company: Join Harlow Council, a forward-thinking organisation committed to public health and community improvement.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, flexible working, generous leave, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Be part of a collaborative culture that values innovation and excellence.
- Why this job: Shape the future of services in a borough undergoing exciting transformation and growth.
- Qualifications: Experience in environmental health and strong leadership skills are essential.
The predicted salary is between 14560 - 31487 £ per year.
Salary: £30,145.60 - £31,487.20 per annum pro rata (full-time equivalent £75,364 - £78,718 per annum)
Working hours: 15 hours per week (banking 12 minutes per week towards the shut down between Christmas and New Year)
Package: Positive work/life balance, pension scheme, generous annual leave entitlement, health and wellbeing initiatives, employee assistance programme and development opportunities, and employee benefits scheme.
About the Role: Harlow Council is seeking an experienced, dynamic, and forward-thinking Head of Environmental Health and Licensing to lead our high-performing regulatory services. This is a pivotal leadership position responsible for safeguarding public health, ensuring safe and vibrant communities, and supporting local businesses through a fair and modern regulatory approach. You will lead multidisciplinary teams covering environmental health, food safety, housing standards, disabled facilities grants, environmental protection, health & safety, and licensing. This is an opportunity to shape the strategic direction of these services as Harlow continues its exciting growth and regeneration journey.
What You’ll Do:
- Provide strategic leadership across Environmental Health and Licensing, ensuring compliance with statutory duties and delivery of excellent public services.
- Lead, motivate, and develop professional teams to achieve high performance and continuous improvement.
- Oversee delivery of key services including food hygiene, private sector housing enforcement, health & safety, noise and nuisance, pollution control, and all licensing functions.
- Work collaboratively with local partners, public health bodies, businesses, and other stakeholders to promote community wellbeing and economic growth.
- Drive innovation, service transformation, and digital improvement to enhance efficiency and customer experience.
- Act as the Council’s principal adviser on environmental health and licensing matters, providing expert guidance to senior leaders and elected members.
- Manage budgets, resources, and regulatory programmes to ensure effective and value-for-money service delivery.
About You: We’re looking for a strategic leader with a strong professional background and a commitment to improving public health and community safety. You will have:
- Significant experience in environmental health with particular expertise in Private Sector Housing and/or licensing within a local authority or similar regulatory environment.
- Proven leadership and people management skills with the ability to inspire teams and deliver measurable results.
- Excellent understanding of regulatory frameworks, including relevant environmental health, housing, and licensing legislation.
- Strong communication, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement abilities.
- A proactive, solution-focused approach with the confidence to influence at all levels.
- Chartered status or eligibility for Chartered status with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) is desirable.
Why Harlow Council? This is a rare opportunity to help shape services in a borough undergoing major transformation. At Harlow Council, you’ll join a collaborative leadership environment committed to innovation, empowerment, and delivering the best outcomes for residents.
Benefits: We offer competitive salary and generous local government pension scheme, flexible and hybrid working options, support for professional development, and a culture that values ideas, improvement, and excellence.
Harlow Council is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We also support a range of flexible arrangements to help balance work and personal life and provide health and wellbeing initiatives and an employee assistance programme. As a Disability Confident Employer, we guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the Essential Criteria on the Employee Profile.
