Principal Lead Officer - Food, Safety and Infectious Disease

Oxford City Council; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 48,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Oxford is looking for a Principal Lead Officer to oversee food safety and infectious disease control within their Business Regulation Team. You will supervise other officers, lead critical regulatory work, and engage with internal and external stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have significant experience in environmental health and a strong background in food safety enforcement. This role offers competitive pay and a variety of benefits, promoting a supportive work environment.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Local Government Pension Scheme

Gym membership

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel to Work Discount Scheme

Qualifications

• Minimum 2 years of experience in environmental health.
• Experience with regulatory and inspection programmes.
• Ability to work with various stakeholders including Councillors.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical aspects of food safety and infectious disease control.
• Mentor and supervise 3 specialist officers.
• Develop proactive inspection programmes and response work.
• Influence service improvements using technology.

Skills

Significant post qualification experience

Formal enforcement in food safety

Dealing with complex cases

Confident communicator

FSA compliant food competence

Good working knowledge of environmental health legislation

Job description

Principal Lead Officer - Food, Safety and Infectious Disease

Fixed Term Contract for up to 13 months for Sabbatical cover. Period - March 8th 2026 to April 2nd 2027.

G8: £47,235 per annum (pro-rata for part time), plus market allowance of up to £3047 per annum (pro-rata for part time) - discretionary and subject to review.

Working from home with the flexibility and ability to attend meetings, team events, and in‑person appointments in Oxford on a semi‑regular basis.

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious, innovative and dynamic Environmental Health Officer to take the role of technical lead in our Business Regulation Team who are responsible for a range of Environmental Health regulatory functions in commercial premises.
The successful candidate will primarily focus on food safety, health and safety and infectious disease control. This will include delivery of proactive inspection programmes, regulatory and response work, development of related projects and other commercial case work. The post holder mentors and supervises 3 specialist officers and a contractor as well as providing cover and support to the Team Manager. You will have the opportunity to influence change, the team have already applied robotic process automation, Power BI dashboards, made the move to SharePoint and will progress to the next generation of Uniform in 2026. With local government reorganisation in full swing there has never been a better time to help shape the future in Environmental Health at Oxford City Council.

You will need to have significant post qualification experience, including formal enforcement in food safety and health and safety and dealing with complex cases. FSA compliant food competence is a must along with a good working knowledge of current environmental health legislation.
As a confident and insightful communicator, you’ll be comfortable liaising with Councillors, internal and external customers as well as working with other partners to deliver a high-quality service.

Our ambitious leadership team and dedicated staff are working hard building a world class city for everyone. Oxford City Council has accelerated plans to build more affordable and council housing in the city. We provide services to help reduce inequality and improve the health and wellbeing of Oxford’s residents and are taking a lead on reducing emissions and increasing biodiversity to become a net carbon neutral city of the future.
We are a supportive and collaborative bunch of people working towards shared goals, where new ideas and initiatives are valued. We strive to deliver service excellence, take accountability for our actions and communicate with honesty and respect. There has never been a more exciting time to join us! Help us to build successful places in which to live and work and build a fairer, greener city in which everyone can thrive.

We offer generous holiday of 29 days a year with an additional 4 days after 5 years’ service and an excellent range of benefits including the Local Government Pension Scheme, payment of professional fees and subscriptions, Personal accident insurance, Travel loans, Travel to Work Discount Scheme, Eye care, Gym membership, Cycle to Work Scheme, Staff Offers Discount Scheme, an Employee Assistance Programme and discounts for Oxford attractions.
In addition, we are committed to supporting career development opportunities and learning and development.