Specialist - Environmental Health

Take the next step in your career

We have an exciting opportunity for an Environmental Health Specialist to join us. Apply now and become a valued member of the Environmental Health team, helping Somerset to be a place where businesses flourish, communities are safe, vibrant and healthy and residents enjoy good housing and cultural, leisure and sporting activities.

Job Title: Specialist – Environmental Health (Housing Standards)

Salary: Grade EST10, £32,909 – £37,261                               

Hours: 37 per week

From 1^st April 2023 the County and District Councils in Somerset will be replaced by a new single unitary authority – Somerset Council. It’s an exciting time to join us as we work together to deliver the new Council for Somerset. Should you join us from the 1^st April 2023, your terms and conditions will be from the new Somerset Council.

What you can expect from us…

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including agile working.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more 

What we’re looking for… 

We are looking for a professionally qualified and skilled officer who is competent, confident, enthusiastic and highly motivated within the Environmental Health Service.

Key work will include: HMO licensing and enforcement ensuring compliance with licence conditions, identification and regulation of unlicenced HMOs, investigating and remedying complaints about defective private sector housing conditions, carrying out private sector housing inspections and surveys using the housing health and safety rating system, dealing with empty properties, immigration inspections and provision of grants and loans. We expect the successful applicant to have knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory provisions.

Working in a friendly and agile environment there may be occasions where you will be supporting the close relationship we have with other services. We encourage personal and professional development and facilitate innovative thinking.

You will have a degree (or equivalent) in Environmental Health or be qualified by strong relevant professional experience. Excellent communication skills are essential and experience in Private Sector Housing work is desirable, along with a positive attitude and flexible approach that you bring to protecting the health of our local residents and working with our businesses to ensure compliance.

Please contact Vicki Dawson, Lead Specialist Environment on 01935 462546 or Sam Wenden-de-Lira, People Manager on 01935 462346 should you wish to discuss these roles in more detail.

Please contact the people@southsomerset.gov.uk  should you require any assistance throughout the recruitment process. 

Closing Date: 26^th March 2023, 5pm 

Interview Date:  TBC

Job Reference: 2168

We promote and value diversity in the workplace and welcome diverse applicants. We are committed to applying our equal opportunities policy at all stages of recruitment and selection. Shortlisting, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to disability, sex or sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age, or pregnancy or maternity.  

We treat personal data collected during the recruitment process in accordance with our data protection policy/policy on processing special category personal data and criminal records. Information about how your data is used and the basis for processing your data is provided in our privacy notice.

In the application please give details of any conflict of interest that could impact either the recruitment process or your employment with south Somerset.