Health Protection Officer

Job title: Health Protection Officer

Based: Northampton

Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week

Salary: £38,234 - £40,778

About the role

We are seeking an enthusiastic and self-motivated person to work as an Officer within the Regulatory Services Business Development team at West Northamptonshire Council.

We promise a varied and interesting workload that includes supporting, advising and guiding our Primary Authority Partnerships and local businesses with legal requirements, procedures and guidance. You will also manage a caseload of food hygiene inspections, health & safety investigations, infectious disease work and reactive complaints. There will also be some project work to support the growth and transformation of the Business Development Teams services.

This role presents a genuine opportunity to make a difference to the wellbeing of West Northamptonshire residents and help local, regional and national businesses to prosper.

The role will be based in Northampton with work across the whole district and be part-flexible in nature. It will be expected that the successful candidate can attend the office or other locations as required.

What will you be doing?

Working within the Regulatory Services Business Development Team providing our 32 Primary Authorities with advice and information on a range of Environmental Health areas, particularly Health & Safety and Food Hygiene. You will provide formal Primary Authority advice and review Partners’ procedures and documents. You will undertake site visits and meet with Partners.

Alongside other experienced Health Protection officers, enforce a range of environmental health legislation relating to food and health & safety. Undertake a range of enforcement activities where there are breaches in legislation.

Provide professional advice in accordance with the Council's corporate objectives and statutory responsibilities.

About you

You will have excellent communication skills and experience of working with partner organisations to develop strong links with internal colleagues and external partners. You will understand the role of Primary Authority and be able to handle sensitive Partner information and use discretion and businesses confidentiality. Understanding the challenges business face, you will be able to help develop innovative approaches to support business compliance.

Be able to demonstrate a sound base knowledge of the above areas, with the drive and determination to develop yourself and your experience. Whilst this role will have a busy and varied caseload, we are happy to accept applications from those at the start of their Environmental Health journey as support and development opportunities will be provided.

You will have a full driving licence and use of a vehicle to undertake the duties of the post.

You will fully understand the role in the context of safeguarding children, young people, and vulnerable adults.

If you want to discuss this role or have any questions, please contact Ella Wheeldon ella.wheeldon@westnorthants.gov.uk

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme via Tusker.
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Commsave- Free membership to Commsave Credit Union who provide a variety of savings accounts, loans, a monthly lottery draw and more!
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.