Job Description

Overview

We are looking for experienced and talented officers to work in the Housing & Domestic team within the Council\'s Environmental Health Service. Buckinghamshire Council is a unitary authority , and we work closely with our Health and Social Care colleagues to make a real difference and to protect our residents. This is an exciting time for the service as we undertake proactive work in key target wards under the Council\'s Opportunity Bucks programme in addition to our robust enforcement programme to tackle criminal landlords.

Working within the Housing and Domestic Team, you will have the opportunity to undertake a range of challenging enforcement and preventative interventions to support the public health agenda and make a real difference to the lives of the residents of Buckinghamshire. This busy team is working flexibly and remotely in a friendly and supportive environment, aligned to several bases over a large geographical area.

Applications are welcome from qualified and experienced professionals looking for a new and exciting challenge.

Please note, we have 3 positions available. 1x permanent position and 2x fixed-term contracts until 30th September 2024. Please state in your application if you want to be considered for the permanent/FTC position or both.

About us

The Environmental Health service forms part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate. The service encompasses all aspects of environmental health and is delivered across three teams; Strategic Environmental Protection, Housing and Domestic and Commercial. The directorate delivers a range of services including trading standards, housing, planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

From consultation document - Coming together as a single EH service, our purpose is to ensure a safe and healthy, living and working environment within Bucks, minimising the impact on the environment and ensuring compliance with the law. Our vision is to provide a trusted and approachable Environmental Health service for local communities, businesses and visitors, ensuring Bucks is a safe place to work, live and visit.

The Environmental Health service works to help ensure that Buckinghamshire is a safe and healthy place to live and work, minimising impacts on the environment & supporting business to ensure compliance with the law. Our vision is to provide a trusted & approachable service for local communities, businesses & visitors, ensuring Bucks is a safe place to work, live & visit. Recently, our teams have been critical in providing a flexible response to the pandemic. As well as this monitor food safety (including awarding hygiene ratings), supporting public health and acting against nuisance. In 2019 to 2020, the service responded to over 8,100 environmental health requests.

The council\'s key priorities are:

• strengthening our communities
• improving our environment
• protecting the vulnerable
• increasing prosperity

Now in its third year, Buckinghamshire Council brings together the best of the previous five councils to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

About the role

You will manage a busy and varied caseload covering aspects of private sector housing enforcement and licensing, public health and domestic nuisance. Work will be a mix of reactive service requests along with undertaking interventions to support Health and Social Care partners through a preventative agenda.

The ideal candidate will have a detailed knowledge and understanding of the Housing Act 2004, and other legislation used to address poor housing conditions along with the ability to investigate and resolve statutory nuisance and public health related complaints. You must have excellent communication skills and have a positive approach to customer care.

You will also be qualified in HHSRS and have good knowledge of different building construction methods, the deficiencies that can be present and the risks to health these may present.

Officers respond to service requests and undertake proactive projects to tackle criminal landlords, inadequate and dangerous private rented housing and unlicensed HMOs.

The team works closely with Health and Social care partners utilising preventative interventions to assist speedy hospital discharge and contribute to the Public Health agenda through innovative action and assistance such as the Healthy Homes on Prescription scheme.

This job does require carrying out site visits, but we actively encourage the team to adopt a flexible working approach to improve their work-life balance. This includes working from home and attending the office as and when required, such as face-to-face meetings.

Our main offices are based in Aylesbury & High Wycombe.

Mobile:

A \'mobile\' role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You\'ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

Other information

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Amy Starsmore on 01494 421706 or

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• Unspent convictions and/or unspent conditional cautions only

For further information on how long it takes for convictions and conditional cautions to be spent, please refer to Nacro\'s on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are - Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that\'s why we\'re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it\'s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire. We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council\'s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

It\'s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you\'ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That\'s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Caf\xc3\xa9s, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

Buckinghamshire Council