Team Leader - Private Sector Housing

Ashford Borough Council; Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary linked pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Life insurance

Relocation package for specific roles

Training and development

Job summary

Ashford Borough Council is seeking a skilled Team Leader to manage a diverse housing standards service, improving conditions in private rented sectors and delivering grants and energy efficiency initiatives. You will oversee enforcement, licensing, and regulatory activity while guiding policy development and service improvements.

The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on professional practice, requiring significant post-qualification experience in Environmental Health or Private

Qualifications

• Degree in Environmental Health with EHRB/CIEH registration.
• Experience leading, supervising and developing staff.
• Strong knowledge of private sector housing legislation, enforcement and regulatory practice.
• Experience undertaking enforcement action and appearing in court.
• Excellent communication, report-writing and partnership-working skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee housing standards enforcement, HMO licensing and regulatory activity.
• Lead on grants, adaptations, empty homes initiatives and energy efficiency programmes.
• Provide expert advice to Members, senior officers, MPs and external partners.
• Manage complex and contentious housing cases, complaints and investigations.
• Lead on policy development, service planning and performance management; represent the Council in court, tribunals, hearings and committee meetings.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Enforcement & regulatory practice

Policy development

Report writing

Education

Degree in Environmental Health with EHRB/CIEH registration

Job description

Make a real difference to housing standards across the borough This is an exciting opportunity to manage a diverse and high-profile service that plays a crucial role in improving housing conditions, tackling poor standards in the private rented sector, bringing empty homes back into use, delivering housing grants and adaptations, improving energy efficiency and leading enforcement activity where necessary. As Team Leader, you will manage a team of specialist officers and work closely with elected Members, senior managers, partner agencies, landlords, managing agents, housing providers and residents. You will have the opportunity to influence policy, lead service improvements and play a key role in delivering the Council's wider housing, public health and wellbeing objectives. You will be responsible for overseeing housing standards enforcement, HMO licensing and regulatory activity, along with:

• Leading on grants and adaptations, empty homes initiatives and energy efficiency programmes.
• Providing expert advice to Members, senior officers, MPs and external partners.
• Managing complex and contentious housing cases, complaints and investigations.
• Leading on policy development, service planning and performance management., Representing the Council in court, tribunals, hearings and committee meetings.

This is a varied role combining strategic leadership, operational management and hands‑on professional practice so you will be an experienced Environmental Health or Private Sector Housing professional who can demonstrate significant post‑qualification experience within Environmental Health and/or Private Sector Housing as well as having:

• A degree or diploma in Environmental Health and registration with the Environmental Health Registration Board (EHRB/CIEH).
• Experience of leading, supervising and developing staff.
• Strong knowledge of private sector housing legislation, enforcement and regulatory practice.
• Experience of undertaking enforcement action and appearing in court.
• Excellent communication, report‑writing and partnership‑working skills.
• The ability to manage competing priorities and make sound professional judgements.
• A commitment to delivering excellent customer service and driving service improvements.

Additional qualifications or experience in Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), housing grants, energy efficiency, fire safety, housing adaptations or management are highly desirable.

At Ashford Borough Council, you'll be joining a forward-thinking authority with ambitious plans for the borough and a strong commitment to improving residents' health, wellbeing and quality of life so If you are an experienced housing professional looking for your next leadership opportunity and want to make a genuine difference to residents and communities across Ashford.

• Hybrid Working - We are an organisation that puts people first and understands how important employee wellbeing is. We want to help you to balance your working life and home life and offer flexible ways of working to help structure your life in a positive and productive way; both at home and in the office. This maximises personal development and collaborative working.
• Competitive remuneration package - We offer an excellent salary linked pension scheme, generous annual leave with flexi time, free life insurance, supportive relocation package for specific roles and opportunities for training and development.

Ashford Borough Council recognises the need to ensure the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults when they come into contact with the services we provide We welcome applications from the Armed Forces Community