Private Sector Housing Officer

We are seeking someone with an Environmental Health degree to work as part of a team of Private Sector Housing Officers, providing expert advice and interventions to customers on a range of housing standards issues.  This could be an exciting opportunity for a graduate who would like to focus on improving housing standards and the lives of the residents through inspections, education and enforcement. 

You would be working in a supportive team environment, under experienced managers, where you will be able to develop your EHO skills and experience real job satisfaction.  The role is varied and always interesting!

Salary: Grade 8, starting salary £30,120 per annum
Hours: Full Time
Place of Work: Dereham, Thetford and travel throughout the district of Breckland
Basis: 2-year contract

Would you like a job where what you do:

• Makes a difference to people and the homes that they live in?
• Allows you to play a crucial part in improving the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents?
• Creates lasting improvement to individuals and communities.

About you:

• You look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing your views and knowledge
• You always ask yourself ‘How could we do this better?’, taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it
• You make sure you are clear on what you need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions; you am driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don’t go to plan
• You ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don’t go well, learning from it for your own and for the organisation’s development
• You treat others as I would want to be treated yourself, ensuring you are welcoming, friendly and approachable

OK, I'm interested... But is it really the job for me?

As a Private Sector Housing Officer you will:

• Investigate housing complaints in privately rented and owned property. Undertake housing condition inspections using the Housing Health & Safety Rating System pursuant to the Housing Act 2004 and make the necessary decisions on the action to be taken. Take the necessary enforcement action required to resolve complaints, including generating detailed schedules of work, statutory notices, undertaking works in default, serving penalty notices and preparing cases for prosecution. Carry out inspections of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in response to complaints and to ensure compliance with existing licence conditions. Have a detailed knowledge and experience of housing legislation, HHSRS and the provision of various grants including property adaptations.

Working here

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

Our employees enjoy excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing with service, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Agile working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office.

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Apply now - we look forward to hearing from you!

Closing date: Monday 19^th June, 9am
Interview date – Thursday 29^th June