Environmental Health Officer/ Graduate Environmental Health Officer

Camden Council; City Of London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government council in London is seeking an Environmental Health Officer to join their private sector housing team. The role involves enforcing housing standards, conducting inspections, and protecting tenants from rogue landlords. Ideal candidates will have a degree in Environmental Health and experience in enforcement actions. This position offers competitive salary and numerous benefits, including flexible working and a comprehensive pension scheme.

Benefits

Flexible working

27 days annual leave (+ bank holidays)

Incredible pension scheme

Family leave and loan schemes

Qualifications

• Must be an Environmental Health Practitioner or a Graduate enrolled on the Environmental Health Pathway.
• Experience with enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004 is preferred.
• Solid understanding of housing legislation is essential.

Responsibilities

• Conduct inspections of licensed and unlicensed HMOs.
• Issue enforcement notices and civil penalties.
• Take proactive enforcement actions against landlords.

Skills

Knowledge of the Housing Act 2004

Enforcement action experience

Excellent communication skills

Organizational skills

Understanding of HHSRS

Education

BSc or MSc in Environmental Health

Certificate of Registration with the CIEH/EHRB

Tools

IT systems and databases

Job description

Environmental Health Officer/ Graduate Environmental Health Officer (Ref No: 3875)

Job Title: Environmental Health Officer (EHRB/Chartered status)

Job Grade: Level 4 Zone 1 -* plus a £2,000 golden hello, Zone 1 and 2 annual travel card allowance and annual 7% retention payment

Starting Salary: £46,006 - £52,329

Job Title: Graduate Environmental Health Officer

Job Grade: Level 3 Zone 2 (on completion of CIEH EH Pathway to Registration the post holder is eligible for a zone 1 and 2 annual travel card allowance and annual 7% retention payment)

Starting Salary: £42,221 - £47,940

** AGENCY STAFF, PLEASE CLICK HERE TO APPLY - Please do not click on the Apply Now tab at the bottom of this page as your application will not be considered. **

About Camden

Camden is changing on the inside to make life better for everyone. Our residents and communities are at the heart of everything we do. We’re home to the most important conversations happening today and we’re making radical social change a reality, so that nobody gets left behind. Here’s where you can help decide a better future for us all.

What You’ll Be Doing / How You’ll Be Involved

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join Camden’s private sector housing team. The Council has a large number of houses in multiple occupation and has operated a successful borough‑wide additional HMO licensing scheme since 2015.

We are looking for a proactive and enthusiastic Environment Health Practitioner, or a graduate EHO working towards their Chartered status, to join our HMO Enforcement team.

At Camden we strive to make use of all enforcement tools available to protect tenants and ensure accommodation is of a suitable standard. We are looking to continue to expand upon this good work as it is estimated that there may still be up to 5,000 unlicensed HMOs operating within the borough.

This is a unique opportunity to work within a small multi‑disciplinary enforcement team consisting of Environmental Health Officers, Tenancy Relations Officers (TROs), Trading Standards Officers and dedicated legal support.

The role will require you to take personal responsibility for investigations into unlicensed and/or dangerous HMO properties, carry out reactive and proactive inspections of both licensed and unlicensed HMOs, serve enforcement notices, issue civil penalties and take prosecutions. You will also be required to consider other high level enforcement interventions including rent repayment orders and banning orders for the most serious cases.

The multi‑disciplinary set up enables the team to ensure that tenants are provided with holistic housing advice and enforcement action can be taken for harassment and illegal evictions as well as Housing Act 2004 offences. The multi‑disciplinary set‑up provides an opportunity for you to work closely with colleagues in other areas and improve your knowledge and understanding of related housing legislation which may not be regularly enforced by EHOs.

If you are motivated and professional in your approach with good organisational skills, then Camden could be the place for you. You’ll be joining a friendly team committed to providing safe and healthy housing. At Camden we embrace teamwork and personal development and you will have the opportunity to develop your skills across a range of fascinating challenges.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act and will require an Enhanced DBS.

All About You

To find out more about what it is like to work at Camden, meet some of our People by visiting 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/our-stories'.

About you

You must be either:

• Environmental Health Practitioner holding a Certificate of Registration with the CIEH/EHRB or Chartered status. Or
• A Graduate who holds a BSc or MSc in Environmental Health enrolled or eligible to enrol on the Environmental Health Pathway to Registration. Applicants who are not CIEH/EHRB registered, or do not have Chartered status, will start on a lower grade and accompanying salary until they become registered. Support, training and fees for candidates to enrol on the EH Pathway will usually be provided by the Council.

The ideal candidate will:

• be driven by a desire to act upon the poor treatment of vulnerable tenants by rogue landlords and agents which often forces tenants to live in poor quality accommodation with an ongoing threat of illegal eviction hanging over them
• be motivated to improve housing conditions and take the appropriate enforcement action to deal with the worst criminal landlords
• have a detailed knowledge/understanding of the Housing Act 2004 and other legislation that can be used to control poor housing conditions and the general legislative framework relevant to the team and its application to casework.
• have experience of taking enforcement action under the Housing Act 2004 in respect of unlicensed and/or dangerous HMO properties.
• be trained on HHSRS and have a good understanding of house construction and components including an up to date understanding of improvement trends and capabilities including those around energy efficiency.
• be an excellent communicator (both verbal and written) and will be adept at providing excellent customer care and communication skills in explaining complex and technical issues accurately, clearly and concisely both orally and in writing when dealing with all service users.

We are looking for a committed, flexible and self‑motivated team player to work in busy, high‑profile environment delivering housing enforcement and licensing objectives. You will have the ability to monitor and manage your own casework, make timely decisions and deliver agreed outcomes. Crucially you will have excellent negotiation, verbal and written communication skills and experience in explaining legislation, procedures and requirements to a wide range of stakeholders including landlords, agents and residents. The ability to use IT systems and databases to record, monitor and communicate information is essential. Experience of software systems and applications connected with the role is desirable though not essential.

How To Apply

To apply for this job please follow the "Apply" link. In the ‘Why you?’ section of the application you will be required to demonstrate how you meet the role criteria noted in the Job Profile under the “About You” section.

What We Offer

At Camden, you’ll receive a host of benefits. From flexible working to 27 days annual leave (+ bank holidays!). We also know that a work life balance is extremely important so we also offer family leave, loan schemes and access to our incredible staff networks. We also have an incredible pensions scheme.

Visit 'www.camdenjobs.co.uk/staff-benefits' for more details.

Inclusion and Belonging

At Camden, we want every colleague to feel they belong and can thrive. We welcome applications from all parts of our community, and particularly encourage people from Black, Asian and Other Ethnic Heritage communities, LGBTQ+ people, disabled and neurodiverse people, survivors of domestic abuse, and those from lower socio‑economic backgrounds or with care experience. We know that different voices and perspectives make us stronger, and we are committed to providing the support, adjustments and flexibility people need to succeed. Click here for more information on our commitment.

Asking for Adjustments

At Camden, we are committed to making our recruitment process barrier‑free and accessible for everyone. If you need us to do something differently during the application, interview or assessment process, just let us know and we will support you. This could include providing information in an alternative format, extra time in assessments, or adjustments for disabled, neurodiverse or long‑term health conditions.

Please contact us on 020 7974 6655, at [e-mail] or by post to 5 Pancras Square, London, N1C 4AG. We’ll work with you to make sure the process works for you.

Anonymised Application – in keeping with Camden’s commitment to inclusion the recruitment to this role is anonymised and supports the objective of reducing the impact of unconscious bias.