At a Glance
- Tasks: Protect residents by enforcing trading standards and ensuring safe, fair practices.
- Company: Join Staffordshire County Council's dedicated Trading Standards team.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, generous leave, and professional development opportunities.
- Other info: Supportive environment with a focus on personal growth and community impact.
- Why this job: Make a real difference in your community while developing your career.
- Qualifications: Experience in enforcement; qualifications in Trading Standards preferred but not essential.
The predicted salary is between 30000 - 40000 € per year.
Are you passionate about protecting residents and visitors from fraudulent and illegal practices? If so, we have an exciting opportunity to join our high quality, professional Trading Standards team whose focus is on delivering the most effective service for Staffordshire residents and businesses, whilst embracing intelligence led activity within a matrix working environment.
Our team of dedicated officers work hard to maintain the integrity of the food chain and keep people safe and well. The Trading Standards service has responsibility for the enforcement of regulation across a wide variety of areas and almost three hundred pieces of legislation. The service aims to support businesses to grow by ensuring a sustainable trading environment through the provision of compliance advice whilst taking robust enforcement actions to keep people safe and protect vulnerable communities in Staffordshire from harm and/or financial loss.
Our Trading Standards Priorities:
- Prevention – working with partners to reduce offending.
- Supporting the local economy – enabling businesses to be compliant.
- Safeguarding - our most vulnerable residents.
- Enforcement – taking robust and proportionate action against offenders.
You will be based in Stafford with the opportunity to work flexibly subject to business requirements.
Main Responsibilities
As a Trading Standards Officer, you’ll play a vital role in promoting a fair, safe, and lawful trading environment across Staffordshire. Your work will be varied, impactful, and community-focused. Here’s a glimpse of what you might be doing:
- Maintaining Food Standards: Conducting regular inspections of food businesses, including manufacturers, retailers, and caterers.
- Animal Health and Welfare Oversight: Inspecting farms and markets to uphold animal health and welfare standards, including animal licensing activities.
- Protecting the Public: Safeguarding vulnerable individuals and taking enforcement action when necessary.
- Preventing Harm and Detriment: Disrupting and investigating rogue traders and illegal doorstep activities, building criminal cases, and presenting evidence in court.
- Collaborating for Impact: Working with partners and stakeholders to enhance efficiency, recover costs, and generate income.
- Ensuring Product Safety: Conducting test purchases and sampling food, toys, cosmetics, electrical goods, and animal feed to ensure compliance with legal standards.
- Monitoring Trade Practices: Carrying out inspections both in-person and online of manufacturers and suppliers.
- Supporting Businesses: Advising companies on how to trade fairly and comply with regulations.
- Fighting Fraud and Scams: Partnering with other agencies to protect consumers and businesses from deceptive practices.
The Ideal Candidate
You’ll have enforcement experience and will preferably already hold a trading standards qualification (Diploma in Trading Standards or Consumer Affairs, Regulatory Compliance Officer or Trading Standards Practitioner Apprenticeship or similar, preferably with a recognised certificates of competence in Food Standards, Feed, Animal Health and Welfare, Animal Licensing Inspector Level 3 Award). However, we will also accept applications from part-qualified candidates with relevant enforcement experience, and we will offer support to continue personal training and development through to full qualification or equivalent.
We’re looking for someone who has:
- Experience of criminal investigation and completion of criminal investigation reports.
- Experience of Project working.
- Ability to manage conflict and difficult situations effectively.
- Excellent interpersonal skills to form effective diverse working relationships with colleagues and partners.
- In depth knowledge of Trading Standards matters, criminal, civil and procedural legislation.
- Aware of National and Local Government policy in regulatory services.
You will be expected to travel efficiently across Staffordshire and have a flexible approach to out-of-hours & weekend working, including out-of-hours rota.
What We Offer
As one of the region’s largest employers, Staffordshire County Council offers a wide range of benefits and rewards to support your wellbeing and development:
- A supportive and inclusive working environment.
- Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working.
- Generous annual leave and pension scheme.
- Ongoing professional development opportunities.
If this sounds like a good match to your skills, we look forward to hearing from you. In return we can offer you an exciting and diverse role which is rewarded with a competitive salary and benefits package within the high performing and supportive Trading Standards team.
Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferrable skills, experiences, and qualifications so for an informal chat about the role, please contact: Stephanie Young, Trading Standards Team Leader on 07773 791256 or email: stephanie.young@staffordshire.gov.uk
Interviews to be held on: Thursday 16th and Monday 20th April 2026.
Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.
About Staffordshire County Council
We are no ordinary county council:
Our Values: The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively. Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy: We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future. We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.
Our benefits: We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire.
Our recruitment process: As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities. As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.
Trading Standards Officer in Stafford employer: WMJobs
Staffordshire County Council is an exceptional employer, dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment for its employees. With flexible working arrangements, generous annual leave, and ongoing professional development opportunities, the Trading Standards team is committed to empowering staff to thrive while making a meaningful impact in the community. Join us in our mission to protect residents and support local businesses in a vibrant and ambitious county.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Trading Standards Officer in Stafford
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the Trading Standards field, attend local events, and connect with professionals on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can give you a leg up.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching Staffordshire County Council and their Trading Standards priorities. Show them you’re not just passionate about the role but also understand their mission to protect residents and support businesses.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your responses to common interview questions, especially those related to enforcement experience and conflict management. We want you to feel confident and ready to showcase your skills!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining the team and making a difference in Staffordshire.
We think you need these skills to ace Trading Standards Officer in Stafford
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:When writing your application, let your enthusiasm for protecting residents and businesses shine through. We want to see that you genuinely care about making Staffordshire a safer place!
Tailor Your Supporting Statement:Make sure to customise your supporting statement to highlight your relevant experience and skills. We’re looking for how you can contribute to our Trading Standards team, so be specific about your past roles and achievements.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application clear and to the point. Use straightforward language and avoid jargon where possible. We appreciate a well-structured application that’s easy to read and understand.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our official website! It’s the best way to ensure your application is received and considered by our team. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at WMJobs
✨Know Your Legislation
Familiarise yourself with the key pieces of legislation relevant to Trading Standards. Brush up on your knowledge of food safety, consumer rights, and animal welfare regulations. This will not only help you answer questions confidently but also demonstrate your commitment to the role.
✨Showcase Your Experience
Prepare specific examples from your past work that highlight your enforcement experience and ability to manage conflict. Think about times when you've successfully navigated difficult situations or worked on projects that had a positive impact on the community.
✨Engage with the Community Focus
Since the role is community-focused, be ready to discuss how you would engage with local businesses and residents. Share ideas on how to promote compliance and protect vulnerable individuals, showing that you understand the importance of collaboration in this role.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions to ask at the end of your interview. Inquire about the team dynamics, ongoing projects, or how the council measures success in Trading Standards. This shows your genuine interest in the position and helps you assess if it's the right fit for you.
