Environmental Health Practitioner

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working (home and office)

Generous annual leave 27 days (32 when

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Durham County Council is recruiting two Environmental Health Practitioners to join our Community Protection Service. You will support nuisance action or environmental protection work, protecting public health and improving quality of life across County Durham.

This career-graded post offers progression from Graduate Environmental Health Practitioner to Senior Environmental Health Officer depending on qualifications.

Qualifications

• Post/grade will depend on qualifications and experience.
• Refer to Person Specifications for full criteria.
• Interviews will be held in week commencing 30th November 2026.

Responsibilities

• Delivering regulatory, enforcement and public protection services within a specialist environmental health area.
• Providing expert advice and applying relevant legislation, policies, and statutory guidance.
• Supporting responses to public health incidents, infectious disease outbreaks, and emergency situations.
• Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with colleagues, external organisations, and stakeholders.
• Supervising, coaching, and supporting the development of team members.
• Preparing reports and representing the Council at meetings and legal proceedings where required.
• Contributing to service improvement and the delivery of high-quality, customer-focused services.
• Participating in out-of-hours work, including evenings and weekends, when required.

Skills

Regulatory enforcement

Public health advice

Team coaching

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Degree in Environmental Health

Job description

We are recruiting two Environmental Health Practitioners to join our Community Protection Service. Working within our Nuisance Action or Environmental Protection teams, you will help protect public health and improve the quality of life of those who live, work and visit County Durham.

This is a career graded post and appointment will be made as a Graduate Environmental Health Practitioner or Senior Environmental Health Officer based on the successful candidate's qualifications and experience.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

You will either work in the Nuisance Action team dealing mainly with statutory nuisance complaints or in the Environmental Protection team dealing with planning consultations, air quality, contaminated land, private water supplies and permitting.

Key responsibilities include:

• Delivering regulatory, enforcement and public protection services within a specialist environmental health area.


• Providing expert advice and applying relevant legislation, policies, and statutory guidance.


• Supporting responses to public health incidents, infectious disease outbreaks, and emergency situations.


• Developing and maintaining effective partnerships with colleagues, external organisations, and stakeholders.


• Supervising, coaching, and supporting the development of team members.


• Preparing reports and representing the Council at meetings and legal proceedings where required.


• Contributing to service improvement and the delivery of high-quality, customer-focused services.


• Participating in out-of-hours work, including evenings and weekends, when required.

We encourage you to contact Mark Anslow, Health and EP Strategic Manager via email at [e-mail] to arrange an informal discussion about the role.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

The successful candidates will be appointed to the post/grade in relation to the qualifications and experience they can bring to the role.

Please refer to the attached Person Specifications for the full criteria.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held on week commencing 30th November 2026.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable. Explore the full range of rewards and benefits on our website.

Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

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