Hull City Council
Senior Environmental Health Officer
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Number of Vacancies:
1
Time Type:
Full time
Worker Type:
Regular
Proposed Interview Date:
Monday, September 21, 2026
Hours of Work:
37
Hiring Manager:
David Sayers
Contact Number:
01482 414949
Job Description Summary:
This is a Full Time, Permanent position. (up to £48,226 with the current market supplement)
Recognising the workforce demand these posts are enhanced with a market rate pay supplement in excess of the top of the substantive grade. An annual review will take place which could reduce, increase or remove the enhancement subject to market conditions.
If you would like an informal discussion about the position, call David Sayers, Food, Health & Safety Manager, on 01482 414 949.
Make a Difference. Protect Consumers. Support Business. Shape the Future.
Are you an experienced Environmental Health Practitioner looking for your next challenge?
We are seeking a highly motivated and qualified Environmental Health Officer or Practitioner to join our dynamic team as a Senior Environmental Health Officer. This is an exciting opportunity to play a leading role in protecting consumers, supporting legitimate businesses, and helping to develop the next generation of Environmental Health and Food Safety professionals.
As a Senior EHO, you will lead and undertake a wide range of enforcement, advisory, and investigative activities across the full spectrum of food safety functions.
You will be based in the food safety team. Whilst primarily responsible for enforcing standards of food hygiene and safety, you will also be required to deliver high-quality regulatory services in the investigation of incidents of infectious diseases, providing advice to businesses, supporting food export functions, and sampling programmes.
You will prepare case files, gather and present evidence, and represent the authority in court proceedings.
In addition to operational duties, you will play a key role in supporting and developing colleagues, including mentoring apprentices, trainee officers, and less experienced staff, helping them to achieve professional qualifications and develop their enforcement skills.
The successful candidate will hold:
- MSc or BSc (Hons) Degree or Diploma in Environmental Health
- A valid Certificate of Registration with the Environmental Health Officers Registration Board
- A full UK driving licence and access to transport suitable for business use.
You will have:
- Significant experience working within a food safety regulatory environment
- Experience investigating and enforcing legislation relating to all aspects of food safety work
- Experience preparing prosecution files and presenting evidence
- Strong partnership-working skills with local, regional, and national agencies
- Experience providing advice and guidance to businesses and consumers
- Experience supervising, coaching, mentoring, or supporting apprentices and trainees.
We are looking for someone who:
- Demonstrates sound professional judgement and integrity
- Has excellent investigative and analytical skills
- Can communicate confidently with businesses, consumers, legal professionals, and partner agencies
- Is organised, self-motivated, and capable of managing competing priorities
- Is passionate about developing others and promoting professional standards within the service.
ROLE AND PURPOSE
To supervise and participate in the work of the Food Safety team, organising and supervising specialist professional officers in discharging the City Council’s statutory functions in relation to food safety and health and safety in food businesses (which fall within local authority control for enforcement) and infectious disease control. The work will involve taking a lead role in the inspection and regulation of food businesses, dealing with infectious diseases and dealing with food safety concerns from the public amongst other specialist food safety subject areas.
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To take a lead role in an area of specialist subject areas covered by the team, for example, approval of premises, certification of food for export, infectious disease investigations and sampling.
To safeguard the health, safety and welfare of persons living, working or visiting the city, by ensuring the sale of safe and wholesome food through the inspection of a wide range of retail, manufacturing and catering premises and processes, including those requiring approval, those trading in an evening, those catering for vulnerable people and those operating at events throughout the City. Activities will include the enforcement of legislation, investigation of complaints; inspection of food and premises; sampling of food; the certification of food for export; the issuing of statutory notices; the prosecution of offenders and the provision of technical advice.
A significant part of this role will involve the day-to-day management of electronic records, and the co-ordination and allocation of work in the above specialist food safety subject areas.
To provide a high level of knowledge and expertise in the areas of food safety, especially in most complex enforcement and allied functions, and assist in the management of highly interactive client focused services.
To contribute to and assist in policy formulation for the Service, including the annual Food Service Plan and Sampling Programme.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
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Strategy – To assist the Food and Health and Safety Section Manager by implementing and monitoring policies and work programmes to enable the performance of the Section to be managed against objectives. To take a lead role in the day-to-day co-ordination of areas of specialisation, a role which may also involve the management of Contractors.
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To determine the need for, and to arrange for food samples to be taken and submitted, to interpret and evaluate the analytical results, to detain and seize food, articles or substances, and to use statutory powers to safeguard public health and secure continuous improvements in standards.
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To be responsible for, and have the discretion to, initiate investigations to detect and rectify serious breaches of a wide range of legislation. To interview witnesses, take statements, collect, prepare and collate evidence correctly, thoroughly, professionally and in accordance with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and departmental procedures, to prepare prosecution reports and to act as a witness in court on behalf of the Council.
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Customer Focus - To conduct detailed inspections and audits at high-risk business premises, to determine standards, secure improvements and ensure compliance with legal requirements, so as to safeguard work force and public health, safety and welfare. Investigate complex service requests, officer identified contraventions, and statutory notifications from Government Agencies to identify breaches of legislation, non-compliance with statutory codes of practice, and risks to public health.
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To produce accurate and timely correspondence, records, files and data, including the use of IT and the production of technical reports, to ensure the delivery of quality assured highly focused customer service. To inculcate practices and processes throughout the team. To act as a lead in the development of corporate systems in use in order to make them as effective as possible in illustrating the contributions of the team to public health objectives.
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When required, to develop and deliver educational packages, guidance and presentations to members of the public, businesses, schools, universities, colleges and other bodies in specialist areas of environmental health, through the provision of public displays, lectures, seminars, campaigns, advisory visits and the production of leaflets, to raise awareness to risks to public health and to bring about improvements to the environment and public safety.
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To respond to public requests for advice and reports of concern in a timely and effective way and provide an evidence trail associated with interventions which will allow a qualitative review of action undertaken.
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Performance Management - To assist the Section Manager in ensuring set standards are achieved and maintained. To take a lead role in the delivery of key objectives, prioirites and targets associated with developing a more intelligence led and digital approach.
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To mentor, train, guide and support less experienced Food Safety Enforcement Officers, Health and Safety Enforcement Officers, Enforcement Support Officers, Graduate Environmental Health Officers and professional trainees, to contribute to their professional development and the development of the team.
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To recognise, communicate and mitigate risks to the delivery of performance standards.
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To achieve personal objectives and targets to ensure compliance with the Service Delivery plan by working effectively as a team member.
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Leadership - To supervise, guide and support specialist professional and technical staff; to ensure that staff operate in accordance with the defined policies, priorities and objectives of the Service. To take the lead, and to provide staff with guidance and direction, in dealing with the most complex issues. To contribute to the production and review of written Food Safety Section procedures and documentation to ensure quality, consistency and best value in accordance with the Department's Service Business Plan. To contribute to the annual Food team service plan, particularly with respect to statistics around interventions, premises and specialist areas of work.
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To lead, guide and support Food Safety Enforcement Officers and Graduate Environmental Health Officers in the decision to make applications to the Magistrate’s Court for warrants, their execution, and the seizure, detention and confiscation of dangerous articles and substances to safeguard public health. To act as a professional lead during the assessment of other serious contraventions, providing support to Food Safety Enforcement Officers and Graduate Environmental Health Officers during incidents and as part of Voluntary closure situations.
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To participate in the Councils Standby and Call Back to Work Scheme if/as required to meet the demands on the service. Separately from this, as a matter of course to be able to work flexibly to allow site visits to occur outside of normal working hours to meet the exigencies of the service.
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To play a leading role in the development of career graded Graduate Environmental Health Officers and Food Safety Enforcement Officers with their professional qualifications and competency development.
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Statutory Obligations - To interpret new and existing legislation using professional judgement, and to determine appropriate courses of action when non-compliance with legislation or risks to public health are identified. Actions will range from the provision of advice, guidance and written reports, the service of a variety of legal notices,
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