Trainee Housing Standards Enforcement Officer

inploi; Oldham; On-site; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Oldham seeks an Environmental Health Trainee for a three-year fixed-term position. The role offers opportunities to help improve housing standards while gaining valuable qualifications. Trainees will learn to conduct property inspections, assess hazards, and advise landlords. Ideal candidates should possess good communication skills and a passion for assisting others. This position offers a supportive environment with potential salary increases based on progression and performance.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Attractive pension scheme

Discounted gym membership

Wellbeing support

Salary sacrifice scheme

Qualifications

• Passion for helping people and a desire to learn enforcement skills.
• Ability to assess and diagnose property hazards.
• Good communication skills and eagerness to improve housing standards.

Responsibilities

• Conduct property checks and tackle issues with landlords.
• Develop skills to carry out legal actions and prosecutions.
• Work alongside experienced enforcement professionals.

Skills

Communication skills

Literacy

Numeracy

Assertiveness

Education

Level 4 apprenticeship

Level 5 Diploma in Regulatory Compliance

Job description

Place Environmental Health Trainee Housing Standards Enforcement Officer

Ref: 001217
Contract: Fixed Term (3 years)
Salary: £24,086 per annum
Hours: 36.66 per week
Location: Sir Robert Peacock House, Vulcan Street, Oldham, OL1 4LA
Closing Date: Wednesday 7th January 2026
Interview Date: TBC.

Role Overview

Oldham Council is looking to recruit a trainee to kickstart their career in enforcement against poor housing and bad landlords. Over the course of this three-year entry‑level role, you will gain two qualifications, including a Level 4 apprenticeship, and see your salary rise as you progress. Too many people live in substandard rented homes that are taking a toll on their health and happiness. Housing standards officers hold unique legal powers to conduct property checks and tackle this. As a trainee you will develop all the skills you need to help people to live in better quality rented homes. Working alongside experienced enforcement professionals, you will learn how to inspect and assess properties for hazards, advise landlords on their legal responsibilities and, ultimately, take legal action and prosecute the worst offending property owners.

During your role, you will work towards achieving a Level 4 Regulatory Compliance Officer Apprenticeship, followed by a Level 5 Diploma endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, nationally recognised qualifications for these in‑demand professionals.

About You

The ideal candidate will be passionate about helping people and enthusiastic to learn the technical and people skills enforcement officers need, from assessing and diagnosing property hazards to being assertive and having difficult conversations. You will be open to meeting people from across a range of different backgrounds and visiting them in their homes to conduct assessments, which are central elements of the role. Whether you are at the start of your career or considering a career change, you will have good communication skills, literacy and numeracy, and an eagerness to improve bad housing.

More information about the criteria for candidates can be found in the job description / role profile.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

About Us

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are Proud, Ambitious, and Together, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page.

Our Benefits Package

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10‑years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating‑out, eating‑in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer or someone who has served in the Armed Forces and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and Privacy

For details of how we use your data please see our privacy notice.

Important Information

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

While we embrace the use of AI as an innovative tool to maximise our services at Oldham Council, we are looking for authenticity in applications we receive. We therefore ask you to think carefully if choosing to use AI when completing your application and ask that you ensure you read all instructions carefully and that your application is written by you and reflects your skills, knowledge and enthusiasm.

Supporting Documents

↗ Job Description & Person Specification

↗ Right To Work

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