Trading Standards Officer in Chelmsford

We’re open to a chat about flexible or part time working. No promises, but we would still like to hear from you if you would like to discuss potential options.

Essex Trading Standards is looking for a highly-motivated person to join its team as a Trading Standards Officer. Essex is one of the largest Shire Counties in the UK with a population of just under 1.6 million residents and in excess of 25,000 diverse business premises. As a multi-functional officer, you will never have two days that are the same.

The Trading Standards Officer will be responsible for ensuring a fair-trading environment throughout the County of Essex and accountable for the achievement of service and community objectives by enforcing civil and criminal Trading Standards laws in an effective, efficient and impartial way. The role will provide information, advice, and assistance on Trading Standards law to businesses based in the County.

The role requires the ability to undertake investigations and research and produce high-quality written reports. The role includes undertaking visits alone to inspect businesses for compliance, the provision of guidance and support, and when necessary, gathering of evidence and compiling prosecution reports. You’ll be working in one of three multi-functional teams responsible for handling all incoming demand one week in three – so a good working knowledge of Trading Standards legislation is desirable.

You will need to be a fully qualified Trading Standards Officer holding either the DCATS, DTS or equivalent and while not essential, weights and measures and lead assessor qualification would be an advantage. We’ll support you to be at your best, with the resources, training and development to empower you. Flexible working options and other lifestyle benefits will enable you to make the most of your life outside work too.

• Advise businesses that are based in Essex but operate throughout the UK and beyond on the full range of Trading Standards legal requirements, liaising with other Trading Standards authorities as appropriate to enable the sharing of best practice and a consistency in enforcement of over 200 pieces of Trading Standards legislation across multiple disciplines.
• Carry out unaccompanied visits to businesses, exercising statutory powers in order to ensure compliance with legislation, provide advice and guidance and have autonomy to decide on the most appropriate remedy for non-compliances at the time of visit.
• Investigate alleged breaches of Trading Standards law and conduct triage and assessments of incoming demand as part of duty team structure, including assessment of goods entering the UK at ports and borders and referrals for suspect notifiable disease outbreaks.
• Conduct investigations and other enforcement activities; including PACE interviews and preparing prosecution reports on the more serious infringements in line with the Trading Standards Investigation Protocol and giving evidence in court as required.
• Manage project teams and provide mentoring/coaching to team members to ensure knowledge and good practice are disseminated including supervision of trainees.
• Work collaboratively with fellow professionals, internal/external partners, stakeholders, and communities to ensure that the needs of Essex residents and businesses are met and that service objectives are successfully delivered.
• Provide consultancy services quotations, customer relationships management and manage agreed sums of petty cash and p-card transactions to ensure ECC financial policies are complied with, all spend is auditable and income generating opportunities are maximised.
• Work with a range of internal and external stakeholders including colleagues, managers, elected members, partners, business representatives and national organisations including Central Government Departments.
• Monitor and review the sale of goods by carrying out authorised test or sample purchases, exercising any power of seizure and take such steps as considered necessary to enforce any law enforceable by the local authority.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

• You will need to be a fully qualified Trading Standards Officer holding either the DCATS, DTS or equivalent.
• Proven experience of undertaking investigations and research and producing reports that meet the requirements of Trading Standards policy, process and quality criteria.
• Demonstrable experience of successful project management delivering desired outcomes for residents and businesses.
• Proven experience of working as part of a team to achieve objectives.
• Excellent communication and organisational skills with the ability to plan, manage and deliver complex workloads, including that of team members, as part of a project team.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to keep accurate, concise, and legally admissible records and notes.
• Ability to use and familiarity with bespoke Trading Standards databases e.g. Intelligence Database (IDB), Civica APP/Cx trader database, livestock movement and enforcement databases and IPAFFS.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

• Specific qualifications include being a fully qualified Trading Standards Officer holding either the DCATS, DTS or equivalent.
• Desirable additional qualifications include weights and measures and lead assessor qualification.