Team Leader – Environmental Protection Team

ROLE PURPOSE:

Leadership of the Environmental Protection Unit, ensuring the strategic delivery of statutory environmental protection functions and ensuring that complaints relating to nuisance are fully investigated.

Responsible for identifying risks within the service and ensuring that the service complies with legislative requirements and all recognised codes of practice.

Lead on the provision of relevant professional and technical advice on environmental protection matters as required, including full assessments of the potential effects of upcoming legislative change, and identifying opportunities for continuous improvements.

Ensure that service delivery is compliant and is in support of council wider corporate objectives.

1.0         Resident & Community Contribution

• Provide high quality, customer-focused enforcement, regulation, and technical advice by building and leading a team which works efficiently and effectively, bringing positive outcomes for residents, stakeholders, businesses, elected members and colleagues.
• Demonstrate a full understanding of the Council’s Customer Care Standards and Council Plan and to ensure that these standards and objectives are met to deliver the Council vision of ‘putting our residents first’.

2.0        People Management

• Responsible for the selection, development and performance of the Environmental Protection Unit in line with the Council’s HR policies as well as all legislative and code of practice requirements and practice guidance.

• Ensure all team members receive the appropriate level of communication to maintain engagement with the Council’s vision, priorities, and activities.

• Responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy working environment in line with Health & Safety at Work Act (1974).

• Supervise and line manage staff within the Environmental Protection Unit.

• Identify competency requirements and training and development needs including activity-based learning whilst considering existing codes of practice and practice guidance.

• Ensure full staff participation in any training and development activities to provide for a competent inspectorate.

• Ensure staff performance is managed and monitored against agreed targets.

3.0        Operational Service Delivery

• Plan resource and develop strategy and policy to ensure the most effective deployment of resources within the team to achieve relevant targets for proactive and reactive caseloads.

• Plan for a resilient service developing structure, processes roles and responsibilities that enhance and deliver excellent services and enhance the reputation of the Council.

• Keep up to date on, and meet the requirements of current data protection legislation, ensuing that self and staff closely follow service, corporate and legal guidelines with regard to the confidentiality of sensitive or personal data and information.

• Through regular monitoring of work outputs, ensure concise, accurate, effective, and appropriate communication with stakeholders, elected members, Council staff and partner agencies, providing regular and frequent updates on progress and outcomes in all areas.

• Develop and implement complex joint problem-solving approaches through engagement    with partner agencies, businesses, stakeholders, other council departments and residents.

• Have a high level of familiarity with and competence in all relevant corporate procedures ensuring that relevant staff are trained and compliant with these council processes.

• Represent the council positively, proactively and in a professional manner at all times.
• Review proposed legal proceedings and other enforcements in line with established Code of practice and provide advice to service management concerning the risks as well as merits of commissioning of Legal Services.

• Ensure high quality case files and evidence are produced for prosecutions that are in line with the Council’s Prosecution Policy.

• Liaise with relevant Government departments and other agencies as required to deliver the service in line with all existing government advice, codes of practice and practice guidance.

• Ensure all statutory returns are completed and sent to government departments and other agencies.

• Develop ICT systems that support the planning management and delivery of the service

4.0        Service Planning & Development

• Contribute to the production of an annual Service Plan and to communicate this to team members in a timely manner.

• Assist with the development of any new Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) in consultation with service users.

• Review new ways of working that deliver better regulatory outcomes.

5.0        Financial & Resource Management

• Manage the allocated service budgets, monitoring income and looking for variations.

• Ensure all purchasing and procurement is conducted in line with the corporate guidelines with appropriate use of the Council’s financial systems.

• Ensure that workforce expenditure is compliant with corporate guidance and that any temporary resource has full approval from SMT and is purchased through the Council’s agency contracts following the appropriate approvals.

• Demonstrate cost-consciousness and identify any cost-effective changes to own way of working and that of the team.

6.0        Service Improvement

• Implement continuous monitoring of team and individual performance and productivity to ensure the delivery of Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and/or Memorandums is maximised.

• Manage the implementation of improvement initiatives and change programmes using the Council’s Project Management and Service Improvement methodologies.

• Update and develop, publish, and maintain standard operational procedures for all key activities across the various functions.

• Develop a culture of performance monitoring and management, based around management information or workflow software. Ensure rigorous application of protocols and procedures in the use of the software.

7.0        Contacts

• Primary contact will be with businesses,         central government departments and agencies, service users and residents.

• Internal: All council departments relevant to the business of the service; senior managers, elected members as appropriate.

• External: Central government departments and agencies. EU regulators, other local authorities, contractors, Businesses and Residents

 8.0        Additional Responsibilities

• Complete other reasonable tasks to fulfil role purpose or as required by management.

• Deputise for service manager as required.

• Participate in out of hours working arrangements and standby rotas as requested.

9.0        Key Performance Indicators - examples

• Compliance with agreed service standards.

• Completion of targeted activities to demonstrate a continued commitment to regulation of local authority statutory functions.

• Completion of statutory returns.

• Delivery of agreed performance and development appraisal (PADA) objectives.

Diploma/Degree in Environmental Health or relevant area

Postgraduate qualification or similar in a relevant technical area,

or equivalent experience.

Evidence of Continuing Professional Development and

membership of a professional body.

Recognised management qualification or equivalent experience

Project management qualification

1. STATUTORY or ROLE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE

Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the business

including working outside core business hours as required.

Valid UK driving licence or equivalent. Valid UK driving licence

or equivalent, and the use of a suitable vehicle at all times.

Ability to undertake visits and inspections at various locations

throughout the borough and the airport.

Ability to participate in the team's working arrangements to

provide full-service coverage.

1. EXPERIENCE ESSENTIAL DESIRABLE

Experience of delivering a service in a highly regulated

environment.

Experience in a team management role where inspections,

investigation-based enforcement activity, compliance based

enforcement, technical case work and the provision of advice

are all undertaken.

Significant experience at a practice level in Environmental

Protection

Experience of acting as a witness on behalf of an employer and /

or appearing in court or at an inquiry to give evidence and be

questioned as a witness.

Experience of managing external contracts for services relevant

to the work of the team.

Experience of managing projects involving the implementation of

a new work stream or similar.

Experience of working with elected members

Experience of working with Government departments and

Government and EU agencies at a high level.