Service Manager

Full Vacancy Description

Job Title:      Service Manager (Environmental Health)

Service:         Regulatory and Enforcement Service 

Reports to:   Head of Regularity Service

Job Purpose

The post holder is responsible for delivering a range of regulatory enforcement services. This will include the strategic implementation and operational delivery of teams covering environmental health (commercial food safety, environmental protection including the noise service), health and safety, licensing including licensing and management of the town centre trading market and animal welfare.

The post holder will be the Council’s expert on regulatory and enforcement services, and will advise on relevant legal responsibilities, policy and strategy and changes in legislation. The post holder will support the development of the Council’s strategic direction with regard to enforcement and regulatory control functions.

They will work with a variety of partners and stakeholders to positively transform the customer experience, value for money and quality of the services managed.

The post holder will ensure services are able to maximise the use of available resources including opportunities presented by external agencies/government to attract inward investment for the Council.

Context

This role is highly placed within the Council in terms of its strategic accountability, operational profile, impact on a sizeable proportion of the community, targeted aims and objectives of the Council, and the strategic management of staff.

To work corporately across the departments setting the standard of performance required.  This includes leading on delivering targets, translating corporate objectives, the local priorities and the government definitions of excellence into practical VFM plans to deliver customer focused outcomes.

Support the Customer Services Strategy in the development of the Council’s approach to provide excellent, value for money, customer focussed services. Lead on work with partners, the community, front line services and staff across the Council to put customers at the heart of service delivery. 

Specific Accountabilities of the Role

Operational and strategic management of teams providing a diverse range of enforcement functions.

To ensure that resources are deployed in accordance with statutory and council priorities.

To ensure that the council fully complies with its statutory responsibilities for its regulatory functions across the area of discipline for this service.

To act as a lead officer for the statutory and non-statutory role of a Licensing Authority.

To act as a lead officer for enforcement policy and practice ensuring that shared responsibilities such as environmental health are coordinated.

To ensure statutory business plans and returns are compiled and completed in accordance with statutory codes and guidance.

To ensure that enforcement officers are properly delegated and authorised in accordance with the Council’s scheme of delegations and a competence management framework is maintained for all authorised officers.

To maintain arrangements for ensuring proper use of powers in accordance with statutory guidance, best practice and the council’s enforcement policy and procedures.

To develop and deliver a compliance strategy that promotes and supports complaint and responsible trading across the service framework.

On a rotational basis to be available on call to deal with urgent regulatory matters.

Ensuring that suitable equipment is available for staff and allocated on a daily basis.

Ensuring the operational and evidential integrity of software systems and data held and used by the service.

General Accountabilities and Responsibilities

Ensure compliance with appropriate legislation, Council Policies, Standing Orders, Financial Regulations and other requirements of the Council.

Undertakes a proactive, committed approach towards the Councils Best Value ethos and ensure all performance information is collected in an ordered and efficient manner that stands up to external scrutiny.  

Ensure compliance with and actively promote the Council’s Equalities and Diversity policies and strategies.

Ensure compliance with and actively promote Health and Safety at work legislation, Council and Departmental H&S policies and procedures; this will include supporting the Head of Service in their duty holder responsibilities for locations where the post holder operates services.

Comply with the competencies and standard requisites agreed by the Council as relevant to your post. 

Promote the development of a high quality individual need led service, to comply at all times with the Council’s policies and procedures, particularly those regarding Data Protection, Equalities and Diversity and Health and Safety.

Comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 (all employees of the Council will not disclose or make use of, for their private advantage, any information held on manual or computer records, which are not available to the public, however acquired. 

Take responsibility for continuing self-development and participate in training and development activities.

Attend meeting as required some of which may be outside normal working hours.

Prepare and present regular reports to relevant strategic bodies, and any other appropriate agencies, partnerships, public or private bodies.

Project management

Uphold the principles of the One Barking and Dagenham programme and values.

Manage assigned projects, ensuring that agreed outcomes are delivered on time, within budget and to the expected standard.

Carry out Customer Services improvements and customer process redesign, engage staff and produce efficiency savings.

Finance management

Accountable and responsible for major revenue and capital financial resources up to £1m

Manage assigned budgets, ensuring appropriate usage within the Council’s financial regulations. Prepare bids for service expansion within the budget areas over which the post holder has control.

Maximise income opportunities from paid for services, ensuring that fees and charges are set in accordance with council policy and income targets are achieved.

People management

Manage up to 20 staff, these may also include specialist contractors, consultants and agency staff used on an interim basis.

Make sure that all staff have an annual appraisal, six-month review, a personal or team work plan and a personal development plan.

Responsible for the management of sickness to ensure departmental and corporate targets are achieved.

Ensure your behaviour and the people that report to you support the Council programme and values.

Day to day operational and/or strategic management of staff within the section and project teams undertaking diverse, yet major activities in various locations across the Council

Ensure that staff assigned, understand the priorities, objectives and policies of the Council, Department, and Division. Can successfully implement decisions, monitor their performance, and take corrective action as necessary, and support the drive for continuous improvement. 

Foster teamwork involvement with staff to increase performance. Create an environment for ideas and innovations to be explored and work practices challenged. Coach, train, develop and instruct staff to encourage better performance and to meet the Council’s objectives as well as to involve staff in the way the job is done.  Encourage staff to meet their full potential

Make sure that all staff respects full confidentiality.

Customer Care

Promote One the Council by ensuring the needs of the customer are reflected in the service delivery.

Provide services that are fair and accessible to all and promote the Council

Ensure service requests and complaints are dealt with effectively and efficiently at the first point of contact and within the corporate standards.  Making sure responses are clear, concise and resolve the customers concerns.

Ensure all correspondence and complaints are responded.

The above-mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and the postholder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as may be required by the Line Manager within the grading level of the post and the competence of the post holder.