Entertainment Licensing Service Manager in Leeds

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Hours: 37 hours per week including occasional evenings, weekends and bank holidays when required

Contract: Full-time, permanent

Location: Leeds City Centre, office/hybrid working (with occasional work at alternative locations, including externally for enforcement and events)

As our Entertainment Licensing Manager, you will be motivated by ensuring our licensing service achieves the highest standards and creates a safe and dynamic leisure industry in our city. It’s about more than regulations and compliance; your leadership and vision will drive continuous improvement and transformation in our Entertainment Licensing Service. You will have operational oversight of the service, ensuring legislative compliance and delivery of a modern, customer-focused and robust licensing service.

About you

As our Entertainment Licensing Manager, you will be qualified to degree level or have equivalent relevant knowledge and experience. You will hold the BIIAB Level 2 National Certificate for Licensing Practitioners. You will also bring to the role:

• Proven leadership and management experience within a regulatory or licensing environment
• A strong understanding of licensing legislation and policy development
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Flexibility to work outside office hours and in varied environments, including at outdoor events
• Skills in financial management, performance monitoring and service improvement

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of entertainment licensing in Leeds, ensuring safe and vibrant hospitality services for residents and visitors. You’ll work in a collaborative team environment that values innovation, professionalism and customer service.

As our next Entertainment Licensing Manager you will:

• Lead the Entertainment Licensing Service and manage a team responsible for compliance, enforcement, policy development and licence processing
• Drive performance improvement, staff development and engagement with council values
• Oversee licensing functions, ensuring compliance with statutory requirements and local policies
• Prepare and present reports to Licensing Committees, Scrutiny Committees, Executive Boards, Full Council and other meetings
• Develop and maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders, including elected members, the public, the licensed trade, event organisers and community organisations
• Ensure timely processing of applications, hearings and decision notices
• Monitor budgets, authorise payments and lead annual licence fee reviews
• Promote partnership working and represent the service at internal and external meetings, including Leeds Safety Advisory Group
• Respond to complaints, attend court as required, and ensure compliance with GDPR and health and safety standards

The role is a vital part of our Elections and Regulatory Services team, which delivers a wide range of essential frontline services. These include Elections, Entertainment Licensing, Environmental Health, Land and Property Searches, Parking Services, Registrars, and Taxi and Private Hire Licensing. Together these functions ensure Leeds operates safely, legally and democratically, upholding public protection, fair trading and democratic participation across Leeds.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form. If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact: Jason Singh, Head of Regulatory Services (tel: 07891 272 817 or email jason.singh@leeds.gov.uk)

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Purpose

Management and operational responsibility for the Entertainment Licensing Service, providing leadership, vision and drive, leading on continuous improvement and change programmes to provide customer focused, modern, robust and effective services. The service is based in the City Centre but there will be need to occasionally work from alternative locations, including greenfield sites and on rough terrain, this will include occasional evening, weekend and public holiday work. Colleagues should work in line with our hybrid working principles, spending regular time in the workplace.

Responsibilities

• Manage performance of team across range of agreed indicators and undertake management actions to improve performance and staff development as necessary including regular service meetings supervision, appraisal, recruitment, induction, probation of new staff, improving attendance, performance, grievance and disciplinary issues.
• Manage a team of senior managers within the service who individually oversee the functions of compliance and enforcement, policy development and licence processing.
• Support staff to feel motivated and engaged in the values, vision and direction of the service, promoting the values of the Council through appropriate behaviour and professionalism.
• In association with the Head of Regulatory and City Services, prepare and assist in the development of reports brought before the Licensing Committee, Scrutiny Committees, Executive Boards and Full Council, as necessary and attend meetings as required.
• Oversee the development of reports brought before the Licensing Sub-Committee, and attend as necessary.
• Develop constructive relationships and work in partnership in response to areas impacted by licensed premises.
• Deliver work with a host of service providers, elected members, the licence trade, event organisers, community and charity organisations, agencies and stakeholders to provide a safe environment in the leisure industry, including that of licensed outdoor events.
• Deal with the licensing of sex establishments, there will be occasions when the postholder is required to deal with matters of an adult nature, as a consequence, candidates must be over 18 years of age and should not be offended by this element of the role.
• Ensure service standards are maintained, including process of applications within legislative timeframes and for licence hearings to be accommodated before the Licensing Sub Committee.
• Ensure efficient day to day running and forward planning of all licensing functions having regard to legislative timescales and available resource to ensure efficient service delivery.
• Carry out and ensure licensing functions are in accordance with relevant legislation and local licensing policies, including compliance and enforcement.
• Identify priorities whilst embedding priorities, local needs, Council-wide ambitions, values and vision.
• Ensure operation of licence application processes, licence hearings and timely provision of decision notices.
• Support the Licensing Committee and Licensing Sub-Committees, providing annual member training and introductory training to new members.
• Develop and maintain licensing policy within statutory and local democratic timescales.
• Work within and monitor activities and interpret financial policies, procedures and regulations ensuring value for money including authorising card payments and monitoring non-contract spend reports.
• Liaise with finance colleagues in the annual budget setting, mid-year monitoring of income and expenditure, and lead the annual licence fee review.
• Ensure appropriate use of information technology, processes and systems to ensure efficient and effective service delivery including planning and control in accordance with the requirements of GDPR.
• Produce and present reports to committees and boards within Leeds City Council.
• Engage with the council’s legal services in the scheduling of licence hearings and subsequent appeals.
• Undertake service and policy review and development in association with the Head of Service.
• Responsible for development, maintenance and compliance of health & safety risk assessments, council building safety procedures and business continuity plans.
• Attend meetings (there will be occasion to attend meetings outside normal office hours) and ensure that the service is represented at the variety of meetings/working groups and similar, including that of community/resident groups, partnership initiatives, and the Leeds Safety Advisory Group.
• Use initiative to identify issues, develop solutions and ensure effective service delivery.
• Promote and maintain partnership working and engagement with services internal and external.
• Be engaged in the holding of licensed outdoor events of a large capacity, compiling reports for the Licensing Committee as necessary, contributing to and reporting back on multi-agency meetings and sub-groups held.
• Provide a transparent and accessible customer service.
• Promote staff safety and welfare both within the workplace and remote working.
• Investigate and respond to complaints and attend court and provide evidence as required.
• Ensure that Freedom Information requests are actioned within designated timeframes.
• Report to on matters relating to any service failure and prospective risks to the Authority and keep Chief Officer, Head of Service, relevant Executive Member and Licensing Chair appraised of key matters arising.
• Keep appraised of changes to legislation, and of relevant new legislation, dissemination to the service and co-ordination of amendments to existing or the implementation of new procedures.
• Maintain professional and effective communication with a wide range of people including colleagues across the Council, elected members, internal/external partners, agencies customers and the public dealing with all contact in a professional manner.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications:

Degree level or equivalent knowledge and experience gained in relevant service and BIIAB Level 2 National Certificate for Licensing Practitioners are essential requirements.

Essential Requirements:

• Able to work effectively as part of a team and to demonstrate organisational and time management skills prioritising own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines.
• Able to travel throughout Leeds City Council boundaries and move location within the service working at different sites /areas depending on need.
• Able to and experience of developing constructive working relationships and working in partnership with others to deliver work.
• Able to work within and interpret financial policies and procedures ensuring value for money.
• Able to and experience of accurately entering and retrieving data and information from digital and manual systems preparing and presenting reports and data to a wide range of audiences using a variety of formats.
• Able to and experience of communicating appropriately and effectively with a wide range of people including internal and external partners and customers using a variety of different methods.
• Able to use initiative to manage competing priorities whilst delivering on a range of objectives and adapting to changing circumstances.
• Able to use and experience of the use of information technology e.g. word, spreadsheet, database, internet etc.
• Able to identify and implement positive change to service delivery.
• Able to recognise and effectively respond to sensitive or contentious situations.
• Able to and experience of working within statutory time constraints.
• Operational knowledge and experience of relevant legislation, guidance, policies with ability to interpret and apply them consistently including Licensing Act 2003, Gambling Act 2005, Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (Licensing of Sex Establishments), Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, Marriage Act 1949, Police, Factories etc (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916, House to House Collections Act 1939, Hypnotism Act 1952.
• Experience in the development of licensing policy, including the administration processes to be applied.
• Understand responsibilities in terms of Health and Safety, Wellbeing, security, confidentiality and data protection.
• Experience of managing staff, contributing to development through appraisal, supervision and training.
• Experience of workload planning having regard for work output verses staff wellbeing.
• Experience of budget management and financial planning in accordance with approved procedures whilst adhering to Financial Regulations in a business setting.
• Managerial experience of implementing and monitoring health & safety procedures.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon.
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing.
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.