The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Job title:
Trading Standards Officer
Company
The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Job description
Trading Standards Officer
Employer 1
Kingston Council
Location(s) 1
Kingston, Sutton
Contract Type 1
Permanent
Working Hours 1
Full Time
Grade 1
F/G/H/I
Hours Per Week 1
36
Salary Range 1
£31,440 – £49,083
Salary Basis 1
Per annum
Leave Entitlement 1
27/30 days
Application Deadline
17/03/2024, 23:55
Anticipated Interview Date(s) 1
Week Commencing 25th March 2024
About the Borough 1
Joining us, you get to work for not just one high performing London Borough, but two.
Kingston and Sutton councils have a number of shared services serving both authorities, with some teams and roles more focussed on one council than the other, but the majority are shared across both, meaning you get multiple opportunities to learn from a wider pool of activities and two different political bodies.
We work flexibly in both Kingston and Sutton offices, and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly, and in return ask you to use that flexibility to be creative and ambitious in the services we deliver.
There are some really exciting things happening in both boroughs. In Sutton, we are developing the London Cancer Hub, a world leading cancer research and treatment hub that will bring together professionals from across different sectors to identify and test new treatments and therapies. Over in Kingston, we are undertaking the largest housing regeneration programme ever delivered in the borough, building new energy efficient housing that will transform some of our oldest Council owned housing. Both boroughs have publicly committed to doing what they can to tackle the climate emergency and are investing in new technologies and societal change that will help bring carbon emissions down and improve our climate impact.
You should choose Kingston and Sutton if you are looking for an opportunity that will challenge you to deliver more, support you to achieve personal ambitions, and expect you to put borough residents at the heart of what you do.
Kingston is a beautiful Royal borough with a historic setting on the banks of the Thames with excellent schools and a bustling retail centre, all surrounded by open green spaces such as Richmond Park and Bushey Park, former recreation grounds for Tudor Kings and Queens. The Council is controlled by a Liberal Democrat Administration and has a council plan “Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together”, that sets out a vision to be a vibrant, diverse and inclusive borough where residents are active, empowered, engaged and able to remain independent and resilient. The Council engages with residents through a number of forums and events through the year, and like Sutton plays a leading role in developing the South West Region of London.
Sutton is a well connected attractive part of London that has a reputation for excellent schools, green and leafy open spaces, and a history that drives a thriving heritage and culture offer through our museums and libraries. The Council is controlled by a long established Liberal Democrat Administration and has high ambitions set out in its corporate plan “Ambitious for Sutton”, that will ensure Sutton remains a great place to live, work and raise a family. The Council plays a leading role in a number of local partnerships and places great emphasis on engaging effectively with its residents, listening to local voices and making their message heard across London Government.
About the Role 1
We’re hiring a Trading Standards Officer to join our team!
As a Trading Standards Officer, you will be responding to service requests and undertaking investigations into breaches and alleged offences under Trading Standards law. Being an operational officer, you will be able to undertake inspections of premises and take part in team projects and events as required as well as providing witness statements and attending court as required.
Our team supports local businesses and protects consumers by tackling unfair and unsafe trading practices through enforcement, advice, and education. It ensures that businesses operating across the SES comply with trading standards legislation.
When joining us you will be engaging with partners to prevent crime and keep consumers safe and you will be involved in projects such as:
- Cost of Living
- Vape projects
- Age Related Sales operations
- Rogue trading
We operate a hybrid working pattern that is especially suitable to those that have caring responsibilities and this position would also be suitable to those deciding to return to work after a break away from the profession. You will be joining a supportive and flexible team of professionals and you will be encouraged to develop your skills and maintain your professional CPD.
For more information about this role, please contact Kim Stephens on [email protected] | 07952342341 or Brian Cox on [email protected] | 07515137842.
About Us 1
Although we are a small team that operate across the borough of Kingston & Sutton, we punch above our weight and do not shy away from taking formal enforcement action where necessary. We have good working relationships with our local Police services and also partners in third sector agencies such as NHW and Age UK. We work hard to engage with our communities and benefit from the work we do, to up-skill businesses and our consumers. We are problem solvers not afraid to use alternative legislation to resolve long standing consumer issues!
About You 1
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- Experience in a similar role
- An appropriate Trading Standards qualification such as DCATS /DTS or CTSI
- Good knowledge of safety and fair trading legislation
- A thorough understanding of PACE RIPA and consumer legislation
- The ability to use current legislation to investigate consumer breaches with formal prosecutions and use of civil legislation
- It is desirable that you also hold a weights and measures qualification
If you have the skills and experience we’re looking for and would like to join a dynamic team, then we’d like to hear from you!
For more information about the role, please refer to the job description.
Our Offer To You 1
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to be even more flexible in how we work and manage staff workloads, ensuring they have the correct equipment and resources to be able to maximise their talents and looking after their wellbeing.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:
- Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
- Three volunteering days per year
- Flexible and agile working arrangements
- Comprehensive learning and development programme
- Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
- Interest free season ticket loans
- Local Government Pension Scheme
- Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
- Zip car scheme
- Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
- Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
- Subsidised gym membership
Application Process 1
Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.
The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the ‘Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme’ at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we’re incredibly proud of.
Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.
Additional Information 1
We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.
As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.
We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.
We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.
The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Important Information – Criminal Records
This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).
Expected salary
£31440 – 49083 per year
Location
England – England
Job date
Sun, 11 Feb 2024 00:48:46 GMT
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