Environmental Health Officer – Selective Licencing

The Role

As an Environmental Health Officer, you too can make a powerful contribution. This role sits within the private housing sector team, specifically for a new selective licencing scheme. You will be working alongside a team of specialists in environment, housing standards and licencing support, all motivated by the shared goal of creating safer and fairer housing. Innovation and professional growth are both valued here, and there are plentiful opportunities for career advancement.

Our aim is for every resident, business or visitor of Westminster to thrive in a clean, safe, quiet environment. By harnessing your environmental health knowledge and technical skills, you will develop, implement, and enforce environmental health policies and legislation. Your work will have a direct impact on people’s lives, improving living conditions for tenants, including many that are vulnerable or living in poor housing. Plus, you will offer your environmental health expertise to guide others in their decision making. You will be proactive about ensuring that your knowledge is up to date, through taking on training and new projects.

A key part of your role will be ensuring that the Private Housing Sector meets high standards, property licencing is enforced, and rogue landlords are tackled. To this, you’ll need to engage with landlords and tenants to ensure compliance, requiring a mix of diplomacy and firm enforcement. You will be proactive in identifying and educating on areas of risk, helping the public to meet regulatory requirements. When complaints arise, you will deliver a sensitive, fair and informed response in a timely manner. You will carry out routine or unannounced visits and inspections to ensure compliance with legislation. When necessary, you’ll take enforcement action, initiate court proceedings, prepare and give evidence in court. This will require gathering the right intelligence and having well-kept records.

To ensure housing compliance and the effectiveness of enforcement actions, you will work with internal teams, legal professionals, landlords, tenants, and external agencies like the police and fire service. You will often have to balance differing perspectives, expectations and priorities.

We would like you to be an advocate for environmental health across the council and its partners. Plus, you’ll nurture your understanding of the subject by undertaking training and new projects.

This is your opportunity to use your environmental health expertise to have a direct, positive impact on improving living conditions across Westminster.