Fixed term secondment until 31 March 2021
About us
Fire risks don’t go away because of Covid-19, and the Government is keen to press on with remediating unsafe ACM buildings. The LGA, (wholly funded by MHCLG), built a team to tackle dangerous cladding on private sector residential tower blocks. The Joint Inspection Team, (JIT), goes across England assisting boroughs to enforce against uncooperative landlords. The JIT team has a fire engineer and building control staff, working alongside the EH team to help with making HHSRS assessments. The team works with the ‘host’ borough to support them take appropriate enforcement action. We need a new experienced and dynamic Environmental Health Officer (EHO) to work within the team, to support the PEHO and JIT Team Leader.
The role
The team is based in London, (once social distancing is over), but much of the work will be on site: wherever the high-risk blocks are. We need the best staff for this crucial work, and we welcome staff from across the country, on the basis that there will be some team meetings and training required in London. There’ll be blocks to be visited in London too. All staff will have to be ready to stay, (with colleagues), in a hotel in the city where the given block(s) is. Inspections and associated over-night stays will be fully risk-assessed, appropriate measures will be in place and any necessary PPE provided.
If you are currently working for a local authority and want to return there at the end of the contract, you will need permission from your employing borough. It’s a great opportunity to take part in this team at the cutting edge of using HHSRS in enforcement on tower blocks. Your employers would get back an upskilled team member, and a sum of up to £8k is available to assist in recruiting to each vacancy caused by EH posts seconding to the JIT team.
The requirements
Supporting the EH manager, you’ll work in the team principally doing site visits with a fire engineer, and building control colleagues in the team, and those from host boroughs, making HHSRS assessments, and advising host boroughs on potential enforcement action.
If you like the sound of the work, you will need:
• A degree or diploma Environmental Health, and experience in court enforcement action
• To have completed a recognised HHSRS assessors training course
• Interpersonal skills to engage with residents, team colleagues and those in ‘host’ boroughs.
• Excellent written skills
• Experience of service delivery with customers.
• Experience of arranging events, involving customers and external stakeholders or site visits or inspections.
• Essential to have some understanding of how buildings work, of common disrepair problems, and some fire safety problems within a tall block of flats.
If you have any question about this role, please contact Brian Castle at brian.castle@local.gov.uk or tel. on 07833 046708
To apply
Please complete the online form and a supporting statement detailing how you meet the criteria, in no more than 1000 words.
Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday 10th June
Interview date: Thursday 18th June, interviews will be held remotely
As a Disability Confident Leader the LGA values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community