Empty Homes Network

Empty Homes Technical Officer/Environmental Health Practitioner (Career Graded)

Central Bedfordshire Council

Team: Housing Assistance Team

Job Family: Directing - CBG9/CBG10/CBG11 (Trainee/Intermediate/Full)
Salary: £30,516 - £33,182 (Trainee); £34,067 - £35,611 (Intermediate); £36,554 - £39,707 (Full) per annum pro rata
Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week.

Base Location: Working from home and any CBC offices, including Priory House, Shefford. You will be expected to attend a CBC office location on a monthly basis, and as needed to carry out your role.

Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent
Closing Date: 17th September 2023
Interview Date: Week commencing 25th September 2023

About Us

Central Bedfordshire is an ambitious authority, determined to be an exemplary one. Our strategic location and high quality of life mean we are one of the fastest growing areas in the country.

As a council we face the same challenges every business does - investing in the right places and delivering great results. Except for us, it’s all about our 289,000 residents. We’re totally focussed on helping to improve their lives and making Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work.

We have set values and principles to represent the way we work and how we operate as an organisation. You can view a list of these in detail on our website.

This is a great time to join us on our journey.

More about the role:

Due to the promotion of a member of staff to another position within the Service we are looking to recruit to a vacancy within the Empty Homes Team. The Empty Homes Team, within the Housing Assistance Team, is a team of two, comprised of this vacant career-graded Empty Homes Technical Officer/Environmental Health Practitioner post reporting to a Senior Empty Homes Technical Officer. Empty Homes are not only an eyesore and waste of housing, but also lead to public health & nuisance issues that affect neighbours, along with attracting anti-social and criminal activity such as arson. The Empty Homes Team use a mixture of advice, financial assistance, and enforcement to deal with issues relating to empty properties and to ultimately bring them back into use, and therefore plays a key role in making Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work.

Given the specialist nature of the work, we understand that it may not be possible to recruit someone with experience in all aspects of empty homes work, which is why we are offering this position as a career-graded post. This will enable those without experience in the full range of work to be considered for the post at the trainee or intermediate grade to then develop the necessary expertise within the role, through a structured training programme, enabling them to advance through the grades. Therefore, if you are enthusiastic and keen to learn and develop within the role, and you meet at least the requirements of the trainee grade shown below then find your greatness by applying for this position.

As the postholder will be required to inspect properties throughout Central Bedfordshire you will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle.

For the Trainee Grade you should be educated to at least Level 3 or have equivalent relevant experience. You would need to demonstrate a basic knowledge of construction and legislation relevant to the role and demonstrate all the skills and competencies required for this role. This includes:

· Good numeracy skills.

· Accurate record keeping/data entry, checking to reduce errors or omissions.

· Good computer literacy.

· Good problem-solving skills.

· Ability to communicate clearly both verbally and in writing.

· Good customer care skills, demonstrating empathy and professionalism.

· Ability to negotiate and manage conflict to achieve desired results.

· Ability to plan and prioritise effectively and to make best use of time and resources.

· Self-motivated and using own initiative, but also able to work well within a team to deliver shared objectives, respecting procedure and regulation.

· Fluency in English.

Some enforcement experience would be beneficial.

In addition to the above, to be appointed at the Intermediate Grade you would need to demonstrate knowledge of construction and legislation relevant to the role to at least an intermediate level. You should also demonstrate experience of housing grants and aspects of housing and public health enforcement including the following:

· Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) inspections.

· Drafting enforcement notices.

· Specification writing/works in default.

· Evidence gathering and Court attendance.

· Preparing business cases.

· Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMOs).

In addition to the above, to be appointed at the Full Grade you would also need to demonstrate knowledge of construction and legislation relevant to the role at an advanced level. You should also demonstrate experience in the following:

· Writing complex specifications.

· Preparing cases for Court.

· Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs).

· Enforced Sale of properties to recover debts.

· Preparing and presenting reports.

· Provided training to colleagues or partners.

· Contributing to procedure/policy development.

Please view our recruitment video - We’re recruiting – join our housing team - YouTube

What we can offer you

As well as joining a friendly, dedicated, and hardworking team you will have access to numerous benefits, including:

· A hybrid working arrangement giving you the option to work from home and access any CBC office location. We recognise and value the importance of supporting our employees to balance their home and work life and to be able to work in the most efficient way.

· A £250 one-off hybrid worker payment to help you adapt your home for safe and suitable working conditions.

· A comprehensive IT package to support you to work safely and effectively.

The ability to work abroad for up to a month a year.

· Generous family friendly policies and practices.

· A welcoming and inclusive environment that empowers differences.

· Friendly and supportive staff networks.

· Annual leave allowance 25 days + statutory holidays rising to 32 days with length of service.

· Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). This is a valuable part of our rewards package for employees and includes Life Assurance. You can find out more on the Bedfordshire Pension Fund website

· An exceptional Employee Assistance Programme which helps support employees with workplace changes as well as other work, family and personal issues.

· A huge variety of courses and role-specific training and learning to help you succeed and develop.

· Access to discounts on top UK retailers and local retailers.

Central Bedfordshire Council has its own vision and values that are integral to everything we do. Our area vision is to make Central Bedfordshire 'A great place to live and work’.

Sustainability matters to us. We aim to lead by example in tackling climate change. Read more about the action we’re taking on our website: Climate change – tackling it and our strategy

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Empty Homes Technical Officer/Environmental Health Practitioner (Career Graded) Recruitment Pack.

For an informal discussion about this position, please contact: Terry Gilbey at Terry.Gilbey@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk or call 0300-300-4384.

For queries related to the recruitment of this vacancy, please contact: The Recruitment Team at recruitment@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment. This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.

Central Bedfordshire Council is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to improving the diversity of our workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. Therefore, we welcome applications from everyone. In addition, we are a Disability Confident employer, we are working to become a Disability Confident leader in our community.

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

If you require assistance to apply for our roles, help with writing your CV, interview techniques or careers advice please contact our team of careers advisors at ncs@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk Our service is confidential, impartial and free for all.