Senior Environmental Health Officer in Oldbury

Hours: 37 Hours per week

The Environmental Health Commercial team at Sandwell MBC is looking to recruit a Senior Environmental Health Officer to work within our Food & Health and Safety team delivering on food hygiene, food standards (in caterers and retail), health & safety and infectious diseases.

About you

We are looking for a suitably qualified Environmental Health Officer (Registered with CIEH as either a Chartered or EHRB registered Environmental Health Officer or a Registered EHP or equivalent) with experience in food safety and health & safety to join our team. You will help shape the direction of our team, use your specialist knowledge and experience to provide regulation and support to businesses, and assist the Team Manager to meet Sandwell’s Vision.

You must hold a qualification as listed in the Food Law Code of Practice and have post‑qualification experience within food and Health & Safety to carry out food hygiene inspections at high‑risk businesses and to undertake Health & Safety interventions.

To be considered for the Senior Environmental Health Officer role you will need to have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working in a regulation and enforcement role within Food Safety and Health & Safety. You will need to be open to new challenges, have excellent communication skills, be professional and an exemplar for Sandwell MBC and the Environmental Health profession.

Although most work is undertaken in core office hours you will be expected to work flexibly and outside of core office hours to ensure service delivery.

You will need a full driving licence, access to a vehicle and business use insurance as travel across the borough is essential for the role.

The role

You will be responsible for undertaking food hygiene inspections across a broad range of businesses from retailers and caterers, up to large manufacturers and approved premises; investigating food and health & safety complaints; undertaking accident investigations and dealing with infectious disease notifications and outbreaks. You will be expected to manage your own caseload and prioritise your work accordingly.

The team have also recently started undertaking food standards inspections at retailer and catering premises and you will be expected to work towards developing your competency in this area. Further training will be provided as needed.

Along with the above responsibilities, you will also be expected to use your specialist knowledge to support other members of the team and to take the lead on complex case work and projects.

Alongside our existing Senior EHO’s, you will be expected to participate in a rota to triage and allocate work to colleagues within the team. You will also need to assist the Team Manager by taking a lead on key areas of work, such as managing contractors, or managing our new registrations, taking a lead on our Cat D/ Cat E programmes or leading on a Health & Safety project. Whilst there are no line management responsibilities, this role is ideal for experienced officers who are looking to develop their skills and experience outside of the day‑to‑day work of an EHO or for officers who are looking to develop their leadership and project management skills to progress into management roles.

The team

The wider Environmental Health team is a busy, friendly, and professional team. There are two teams within Environmental Health, one team covers Food Safety, Health and Safety, Infectious Diseases, and the other team covers Industrial and Commercial Nuisance & Waste and Animal Welfare. The two teams work closely together and provide support as needed. Whilst this role is based within the Food Safety and Health and Safety team, there is the opportunity to develop your skills and experience across disciplines.

What we offer

• Flexible working arrangements
• A flexi‑time scheme allowing up to an extra 2 days leave per month, pro rata
• Generous annual leave: 31 days leave rising to 36 days after 5 years’ service.
• Extra concessionary day over Christmas, plus 2 days office closure (2 days annual leave to be booked)
• Family friendly policies including Carers and Emergency Leave Hybrid working, with the expectation of 3 days per week working within Sandwell (on‑site/ in the office)
• Opportunities for further development. We support officers with further training and ensuring they can meet Continuous Professional Development.

Closing date: 6th April 2026

Shortlisting date: 8th April 2026

Interview date: 16th April 2026

For an informal discussion about these job opportunities please contact Jo Hickman Environmental Health Team Manager: Email - joanne_hickman@sandwell.gov.uk, Telephone: 07776 453879.

Applications for this role will only be considered where a CV is accompanied by a personal statement detailing how you meet the criteria in the job description and personnel specification, along with a demonstration on how you meet the competency requirements for this role as outlined below.

Area to cover in your personal statement:

• Please demonstrate how you meet the qualification and competency requirements, as defined under the Food Standards Agency Food Law Code of Practice, to undertake the full range of food hygiene work, including in approved premises.
• Please demonstrate how you meet the qualification and competency requirements, as defined under the Food Standards Agency Food Law Code of Practice, to undertake food standards interventions in caterers and retailers.
• Please demonstrate how you meet the qualification and competency requirements to undertake the full range of Health and Safety interventions.

To apply please send a CV email and the requested information as detailed above to PPP_Team@sandwell.gov.uk. CV’s with no accompanying personal statement will not be considered.

We reserve the right to close vacancies prior to their advertised date if we receive a large number of applications. Therefore, you are strongly advised to complete and return your application as soon as possible. When completing your application please refer to the supporting documents attached.

If you have a disability and require assistance in making an application, or have experienced a problem whilst applying for a position, please contact Helen Hanson via e-mail to PPP_Team@sandwell.gov.uk.