We are looking for an experienced, confident and collaborative senior leader to join Southampton City Council as our Head of Public Protection. This is a key leadership role with responsibility for Environmental Health, Port Health, Trading Standards and Licensing, ensuring that the Council delivers high-quality, lawful and proportionate regulatory services that protect public health, safety and consumer interests. You will develop the services to meet customer demands within available resources balancing various outcomes.
About the role:
Reporting to the Director of Customer, Leisure and Regulatory Services, you will provide strategic direction, professional leadership and operational oversight across a broad and high-profile portfolio. You will advise senior officers, elected members and partners on regulatory risk, enforcement policy and emerging issues, while leading service improvement, transformation and workforce development.
You will lead a range of statutory and discretionary services that have a direct impact on residents, businesses, visitors and the wider city. The role requires sound judgement, strong professional credibility and the ability to operate effectively in a complex, politically sensitive and partnership-based environment.
About you:
You will be responsible for ensuring services are well governed, financially sustainable, performance-focused and responsive to changing national guidance, legislation and local priorities. You will also play an important role in strengthening relationships with partners including the Police, NHS, Public Health colleagues, regional and national regulators, emergency services and other agencies.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing strategic leadership across Environmental Health, Port Health, Trading Standards and Licensing.
- Ensuring services comply with relevant legislation, codes of practice and national guidance.
- Leading service transformation, continuous improvement and operational effectiveness.
- Overseeing complex investigations, enforcement activity and regulatory decision-making.
- Managing service performance, budgets, income generation and risk
- Advising elected members, senior officers and partners on public protection matters.
- Building effective partnerships with public sector, regulatory and community safety partners.
- Leading, developing and supporting professional teams to deliver high-quality outcomes.
If you feel you have the necessary background, experience, and skills to undertake this role we would like to hear from you.
What we can offer you:
Salary: The salary band for this role is £78,723 to £84,412. The starting salary is £78,723 with annual progression through the salary bands.
Here at SCC we have a range of different benefits, a few examples can be found below.
- Excellent local government pension with 15.2% employer contribution
- Death in service benefit of x3 salary, and optional salary sacrifice shared cost AVC (additional voluntary contribution)
- Generous holiday 25–31 days, based on role and service
- Flexible working options (role-dependent)
- Family-friendly policies - Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Shared/Unpaid Parental Leave, Time off for Dependents
- Training and development, including coaching and mentoring
- Health and wellbeing support - Employee Assistance Programme, Menopause Pledge, Mental Health First Aiders and access to a variety of staff networks
- Veteran-friendly employer with the Armed Forces Covenant
- Retail discounts and savings through the Southampton City Council benefits platform
- Discounted memberships at local sports and fitness centres
- Sustainable travel benefits - low emission car scheme, cycle to work, season ticket loans
- Employee volunteering scheme with 2 paid days leave to volunteer
For further information on our benefits package please visit: Employee benefits (southampton.gov.uk)
Contact details for informal discussion:
For further information and details regarding the role, please contact James Marshall [email protected]
Recruitment contact details:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 023 8083 4033
For more information about SCC please visit Southampton City Council
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