Environmental Health Officer

Coventry City Council; West Midlands Combined Authority; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the West Midlands is seeking an Environmental Health Officer to enforce legislation and educate the community on health and safety standards. The role requires a degree in Environmental Health and EHRB registration. Candidates with recent relevant experience are encouraged to apply. The position offers flexible working options and is a fixed-term post lasting two years.

Benefits

Flexible working practices

Guaranteed Interview Scheme for eligible groups

Rewards and benefits package

Qualifications

• Experienced in enforcement of health and safety and food standards legislation.
• Competency in Food Hygiene inspections.
• Ability to enforce Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
• Experience in investigating workplace accidents.

Responsibilities

• Enforce relevant legislation regarding food and health safety.
• Educate public and business owners on standards.
• Conduct inspections and investigations as needed.

Skills

Knowledge of Environmental Health law

Investigative techniques

Health and safety enforcement

Food safety legislation

Education

Degree or Diploma in Environmental Health

EHRB registration

Job description

Environmental Health Officer

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

About the team we are recruiting to

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

The Food and Safety Team is responsible for administering all requirements under food and health and safety law including inspections, complaint investigations, and accident investigations. We also administer the Safety Advisory Group to support safe events in the city.

We are based in the new One Friargate office building, within the City Centre. We embrace flexible working practices and empower you to manage your working day and location based on your workload and service area delivery requirements.

What is the job role?

We are seeking a positive, experienced, enthusiastic, talented, and driven professional who cares about the development of our great city to join our busy, high-performing, forward-thinking team.

You will be working in our Food and Safety Team which sits under the wider Regulatory Services Division, made up of multi-disciplinary professionals including Licensing, Trading Standards, Housing Enforcement and Property Licensing, Community Safety, Building Control, Taxi Licensing and Community Safety.

You will be working under the general direction of the Principal EHO - Food and Safety, to enforce all relevant legislation administered by the department, and to educate and encourage the public and business proprietors to improve relevant standards.

Please note this a 2 year fixed term post.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for a qualified and experienced Environmental Health Practitioner who has detailed knowledge of the law relating to Environmental Health issues, investigative techniques, and the law of evidence.

Recent experience and competency in the enforcement of health and safety, food safety and food standards legislation is desirable.

To apply for this role,you must possess a Degree or Diploma in Environmental Health and be EHRB registered.

Applications from candidates who are competent under the provisions of the FLCOP to inspect high-risk food businesses for food safety and food standards and to use the full range of food safety and food standards enforcement powers open to the profession are encouraged however, applications from newly qualified candidates will also be considered.

In addition, the competency to enforce the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and associated Regulations and experience investigating serious workplace accidents is desirable, as is authorisation to serve Improvement and Prohibition Notices.

For further information about the role, please see the Job Description and Person Specification.

When applying for this role you will be asked to write a personal statement, please ensure you provide information on the following in your application:

• Recent examples of where you have undertaken high-risk food hygiene inspections and the action taken to resolve non-compliances found.
• Recent examples of work undertaken in respect of food standards and how the outcome of this work had a positive impact.
• Recent examples of health and safety investigations undertaken and the action taken to resolve non-compliances found.
• How you have worked in partnership with others to achieve a mutual goal.

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit ouraccessibility pageto see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme- As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached documentlabelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'.If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date(s): 11th September 2025.

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards andbenefits package - to find out more please visithttps://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies

Coventry City Council

Attached documents

• EHO - Job Description and Person Specification.pdf
• Coventry City Council Application Process (1).pdf