Environmental Health Enforcement Officer

Environmental Health Enforcement Officer; Walthamstow; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Additional annual leave

Gym discounts

Travel loans

Job summary

London Borough of Waltham Forest is recruiting a permanent Environmental Health Officer to join the Private Sector Housing and Licensing Team in an ambitious council focused on resident needs.

The role requires a degree in Environmental Health, registration with EHRB, strong enforcement ethos, and willingness to develop professionally with support from the council.

Qualifications

• Requires degree or diploma in Environmental Health (BSc/MSc).
• Registered Environmental Health professional (EHRB/REnvH) preferred; will consider nearing qualification.
• Commitment to enforcement actions and regulatory services.

Responsibilities

• Authorised officer for Private Sector Housing and Licensing; enforce housing acts and related duties during office hours and as needed.
• Be competent in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
• Knowledge of licensing schemes including HMO licensing in Waltham Forest.
• Investigate breaches, serve notices, gather evidence and prepare prosecutions.
• Lead projects from inception to conclusion using project management methods.
• Flexible working times including early mornings or evenings.

Skills

Enforcement experience

HHSRS knowledge

Licensing knowledge

Project management

Flexibility in working times

Education

Degree in Environmental Health

Full EHRB registration

Willingness to complete registration

Job description

Description

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary:£42,771 - £55,323

Retention Bonus:£3,000 'Golden Hello' payment (subject to minimum retention period)

Contract Type: Full-time/Permanent

Working hours per week: 36 Hours per week

Application Deadline:13th November 2026

Proposed Interview Date(s) TBC

Reference:2373

About Us

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

We offer a fantastic range of staff benefits, including an option to purchase additional annual leave, discounted gym memberships, savings from local shops and online retailers and season ticket and travelcard loans.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

About the role

We’re looking to recruit a permanent Environmental Health Officer to join our ambitious and progressive Private Sector Housing and Licensing Team.

The appointed officer will be a qualified and experienced and must hold a degree or diploma in Environmental Health (i.e. BSc/MSc). It is preferable that applicants be fully registered with the Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB), as a Registered EHP (REnvH) or equivalent but candidates approaching full qualification and registration with EHRB/REnvH will also be considered, with appointment subject to achieving full EHRB/REnvH qualification within an agreed timescale.

The successful candidate will display a commitment to strong enforcement actions using the full range of available powers. We are looking for a motivated and dedicated officer with a demonstrable commitment to top quality regulatory services. The Council will offer appropriate support to successful candidates in their professional development.

> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities

• Be an authorised officer for the undertaking of the Council’s statutory functions in relation to Private Sector Housing and Licensing, investigations into housing disrepair and non-compliance to legislation within Parts 1-4 Housing Act 2004 and the Renters Rights Act 2025, including all enforcement work required. Undertake duties during standard office hours and outside standard office hours according to needs of the service to ensure relevant legislation, regulations and policies are complied with. Supports wider workstreams within regulatory services as appropriate.

• To be competent in the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

• To have knowledge of HMO licensing and the other licensing schemes that operate in Waltham Forest.

• Possess the knowledge and skills to be able to investigate possible breaches of legislation, serve notices, gather evidence and prepare cases for prosecution and appeal hearings.

• To take the lead role on projects from inception to conclusion using project management techniques

• The post holder will need to be flexible with regard to working times which may include early morning or evening visits.

• Plan and organise work to ensure the delivery of those aspects of the service for which responsible

Qualifications and Requirements

• Applicants must hold a degree or diploma in Environmental Health (i.e. BSc/MSc).

• Applicants must be fully registered with the Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB), as a Registered EHP (REnvH) or equivalent.

• NB. Candidates approaching full qualification and registration with EHRB/REnvH will also be considered, with appointment subject to achieving full EHRB/REnvH qualification within an agreed timescale.

Terms and conditions

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
• Satisfactory declaration of interest;
• Continued professional body registration;
• Suitable driver’s licence;

• As a public authority, we must ensure that members of staff in public-facing roles are able to speak fluent English. This means that they must have a command of spoken English, with confidence and accuracy, sufficient for the effective performance of their role. This requirement does not refer to any particular English language qualifications, regional or international accents, dialects, speech impediments or the tone of conversations. It does not require staff to speak only in English.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Catherine Lovett, Private Sector Housing and Licensing Team Manager at [e-mail] or 020 8496 2205.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at [e-mail].

Equal Opportunity Employer

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other opportunities/working-us.

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.