Environmental Health Practitioner

Durham County Council; Spennymoor; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

27 days annual leave

LG Pension Scheme

Job summary

Durham County Council is recruiting two Environmental Health Practitioners to join our Community Protection Service, working in the Nuisance Action or Environmental Protection teams to protect public health and improve quality of life in County Durham.

This is a career graded post offering either a Graduate Environmental Health Practitioner or Senior Environmental Health Officer level, depending on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

• Graduate Environmental Health Practitioner or Senior Environmental Health Officer depending on qualifications and experience.

Responsibilities

• Deliver regulatory, enforcement and public protection services within a specialist environmental health area.
• Provide expert advice and apply relevant legislation, policies, and statutory guidance.
• Support responses to public health incidents, infectious disease outbreaks, and emergency situations.
• Develop and maintain effective partnerships with colleagues, external organisations, and stakeholders.
• Supervise, coach, and support the development of team members.
• Prepare reports and represent the Council at meetings and legal proceedings where required.
• Contribute to service improvement and the delivery of high-quality, customer-focused services.

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.

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.