Illicit Tobacco and Underage Sales Officer

Surrey County Council; Reigate; Hybrid; GBP 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK seeks an Illicit Tobacco and Underage Sales Officer for its Trading Standards Team. This role focuses on ensuring compliance with age-restricted sales regulations concerning illicit tobacco. Candidates should have relevant legal knowledge, excellent communication skills, and the ability to manage complex interactions. Benefits include generous holiday allowances, pension, and support for well-being. This position allows for flexible working arrangements, promoting a balance between office attendance and remote work.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Generous local government pension

Employee Assistance Programme

Responsibilities

• Devise and carry out interventions related to age-restricted sales.
• Liaise with enforcement partners including public health and police.
• Lead operations to assess compliance regarding illicit tobacco sales.
• Investigate incidents of non-conformity in sales practices.

Skills

Understanding legislation

Providing statutory advice

Engaging in complex conversations

Conflict de-escalation

Managing priorities

Investigating non-conformities

Job description

Illicit Tobacco and Underage Sales Officer

Details

• Reference: SCC/TP/399871/4267
• Positions: 1
• Salary: £36,873 per annum
• Category: Trading Standards
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 36 hours per week
• Posted on: 11 December 2025
• Closing date: 4 January 2026
• Directorate: Chief Executive Office
• Location: Woodhatch Place,11 Cockshot Hill, Woodhatch, Reigate, RH2 8EF

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council.We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

The starting salary for this role is £36,873 per annum for working 36 hours per week.

We are hiring an Illicit Tobacco and Under Age Sales Officer to join our Trading Standards Team in Surrey, based at Woodhatch Place, Reigate. This role is open to remote working meaning you aren't required in the office 5 days a week.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service (prorated for part time staff)
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About the Role

Trading Standards protects individuals, communities and businesses from harm and financial loss and helps businesses to thrive by maintaining a fair trading environment. We enforce over 200 pieces of legislation and regulations and we are intelligence informed, helping us to determine what areas of work to focus on.

The team helps to protect the most vulnerable residents within Buckinghamshire and Surrey by tackling fraudulent, illegal and unfair trading practices, with a particular focus on activities to disrupt criminal activity. We enable businesses to get the help and support they need to thrive and grow and work to improve regulatory compliance to ensure a level playing field. We improve wellbeing and public health through tackling the supply of unsafe, dangerous or age restricted products.

In this role you will devise and carry out interventions to contribute to the age restricted sales regime. This will include liaison with a variety of enforcement partners and organisations including public health, the police and His Majesty's Revenue & Customs. You will have responsibility for leading underage sales operations, conducting visits to businesses to assess their compliance in respect to the sales of illicit tobacco, vapes, knives and nitrous oxide. Additionally, you will investigate incidents of non-conformity.

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours:

• An ability to understand, interpret and apply relevant legislation governing the work in this area
• An ability to provide statutory advice and guidance to businesses relating to illicit goods
• An ability to confidently engage in difficult and complex conversations with a variety of audiences
• Experience of de-escalating conflict and difficult situations
• A proven ability to manage your own priorities and workloads
• An ability to investigate non-conformities and to use a variety of databases and systems to record actions and outcomes appropriately

The role holder will need to have the willingness and ability to travel around the county to meet the demands of the role.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description and our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment. For an informal discussion please contact David Bullen: [e-mail]

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 04/01/2026 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.