Public Protection Officer (Trading Standards)

Cyngor Sir Ceredigion County Council; Penmorfa, Aberaeron; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority is seeking a Public Protection Officer to join its Trading Standards team in Penmorfa, Wales. This role involves investigating complaints, enforcing laws, and ensuring fair trading practices to protect consumers. Candidates should be enthusiastic, have excellent communication skills, and hold a full UK driver's license. The position offers a range of professional development opportunities, including support for gaining Trading Standards qualifications.

Benefits

Work-life balance

Lifestyle savings scheme

Generous employer pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Learning and development

Qualifications

• Enthusiastic and motivated individual with a strong sense of fairness.
• Full UK driver’s licence or ability to travel independently.
• Welsh language skills are desirable but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Investigate complaints and enforce laws to keep consumers safe.
• Carry out inspections and compliance checks across businesses.
• Advise on legal requirements and best practices.
• Take enforcement action as necessary.
• Work on product safety, fair trading, and food standards.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Motivation and integrity

Ability to work independently

Team collaboration

Job description

We operate a bilingual policy. All applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.

Public Protection Officer (Trading Standards)

Are you passionate about protecting consumers, ensuring fair trading, and making a real difference in our community? If you’re looking for a rewarding career with purpose, this could be your opportunity to join Ceredigion County Council as a Public Protection Officer in its Trading Standards team.

Trading Standards is at the heart of consumer protection–from tackling counterfeit goods and unsafe products to ensuring businesses play fair. It’s a varied, challenging, and respected profession that combines investigation, law, and public service.

What Will You Do?

• Investigate complaints and enforce laws that keep consumers safe.
• Carry out inspections and compliance checks across a range of businesses.
• Advise businesses on legal requirements and best practices.
• Take enforcement action where necessary, including preparing evidence for court.
• Work on diverse areas such as product safety, fair trading, intellectual property, food standards, feed hygiene, and age‑restricted sales.

Who are we looking for?

An enthusiastic, motivated individual with a strong sense of fairness and integrity. You’ll need excellent communication and problem‑solving skills, and you’ll have the ability to work independently and as part of a team. A full UK driver’s licence or the ability to travel independently, flexibly, and at short notice to meet service needs. Welsh language skills are desirable, but if you aren’t fluent, we’ll help you learn within two years.

Training provided: You don’t need to be fully qualified – we’ll support you to gain professional Trading Standards qualifications, including the Trading Standards Practitioner Certificate and specialist modules in areas like food standards, product safety, and animal feed.

For further information and an informal discussion regarding this post please contact Lawrence Martin, Trading Standards and Licensing Manager, on 01545 570881.

Note: We reserve the right to extend the application closing date.

What we offer

Work‑life balance

Lifestyle savings scheme

Generous employer pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Learning and development

Where you’ll work

Policy, Performance and Public Protection

We lead on corporate performance, corporate policy, strategic partnerships, engagement, community cohesion and civil contingencies, and also are responsible for strategic and operational responsibility for public protection: environmental health, food fraud, licensing and trading standards. Our key functions are as follows:

• Complaints, Compliments and FOI
• Corporate Performance and Policy: Corporate performance; Property gazetteer; Research
• Public Protection: Environmental health; Food fraud; Licensing; Trading standards; Pollution Control; Pest Control; Weights and Measures; Communicable Diseases; Health and Safety; Animal Health.
• Strategic Partnerships, Engagement and Research: Business continuity; Civil contingencies; Community safety partnership; Engagement; Equality; Public service board; Refugee programme

Penmorfa is our most central office, it is where our Chief Executive and Councillors are based.

Aberaeron is a picture‑perfect harbour town and is one of Ceredigion’s best loved holiday destinations with fashionable places to stay and eat.