Trading Standards Practitioner

Full Vacancy Description

We are looking for a Trading Standards Practitioner to join our South West Scotland local authority client on a temporary basis Ideally the successful candidate would work for 18 hours per week, but this is negotiable 

The Ideal Candidate will be required to undertake work in identification enforcement, investigation and resolution of consumer problems and other issues relating to legislation enforced by the Licensing and Trading Standards service. The postholder will be expected to address complex and / or more specialist areas of work including project work as assigned and will carry out the necessary research and investigation with a view to developing appropriate solutions.

The postholder will provide advice and guidance to members of the business community, partnership agencies, consumers and all other interested parties. The post holder will be a professional officer within his/her field and as such will be required to represent the Council and provide professional expertise Job Activities - Support as required the various improvement initiatives including Customer Service Excellence, The Council’s Improvement Model and Investors in People, - Contribute to the successful delivery of the Council’s Community Safety priorities and outcomes e.g. ASB, Violence Reduction. - Contribute to ensure compliance with statutory responsibilities, regulation and inspection regimes and audit requirements. Liaise with external agencies as required in respect of Customer Service Excellence and Quality Management Systems to ISO 9001 -

Undertake the inspection of trade premises including the examination, sampling and verification of goods and services. Assess facilities and selling claims for the purpose of ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. - Carry out an assessment of weighing processes and goods, through the use of reference tests or similar. Carry out audits on production records in order to ascertain compliance with statutory metrological obligations including labelling.

Qualifications and Skills - The Diploma in Trading Standards (DTS), Diploma in Consumer Affairs and Trading Standards (DCATS) or recognised equivalent is essential. - Specialist knowledge in a range of disciplines: The range enforced by the postholder, combined with the detailed technical requirements, demands a wide breadth and depth of knowledge. - applicants must be conversant with all trading standards disciplines, and possess a good working knowledge in relation to these. Must have specialist knowledge in metrology, and specialist knowledge in a range of other disciplines which they will be required to enforce. 

Good technical knowledge of the equipment which you will be expected to encounter on a routine basis, as well as the ability to interpret legislative requirements for equipment which is presented less often. - applicants must have excellent interpretive and problem solving skills, in order to assess complex legal terms/judgements/arguments and apply them to the situation in hand, arriving at solutions.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to negotiate where necessary. This should also include the ability to pass on knowledge and experience to other officers in order to further their own development and prepare reports for possible prosecution and for project summaries.