Principal Officer – Private Sector Housing Regulation and Fire Safety

Cradlefin Consultants are recruiting for an for an experienced and skilled Principal Officer to join our Private Housing and Environmental Health Standards team. This key role focuses on ensuring fire safety compliance in high-rise and mid-rise residential buildings within the private sector. Salary: £50,574.00 – £53,607.00.

The successful candidate will lead a dedicated fire safety team, providing expert guidance, shaping policy development, and working closely with developers, leaseholders, landlords, managing agents, and key external partners, including the London Fire Brigade, Greater London Authority, Building Safety Regulator, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.

Job responsibilities:

• A key aspect of this role will be enforcement outputs and the post holder will be an exemplar of professional best practice and high productivity within the remit of Private Sector Housing
• To manage, supervise and take a lead role in the training and development of up to six front-line Officers and one support officer
• To contribute to an effective, efficient and timely private sector property regulation service that meets statutory requirements and accord with the Council’s policies, practices and procedures
• To ensure that the Council’s statutory duties, obligations, policy commitments and targets are met efficiently, effectively and in accordance with best practice in respect of private sector housing regulation and enforcement
• To support the Operations Managers and Senior Management Team, as directed, in the provision of modern, outward facing and accessible front line enforcement services, which are engaged with local communities and fit for purpose
• To provide briefings, including presentations to Members, in particular the portfolio holder for Enforcement. The post holder will also brief the Operations Manager
• Head of Service and Members on the subject of Fire Safety and service priorities for Environmental Health, making recommendations for appropriate enforcement action where appropriate
• To be aware of best practice developments, statutory requirements, Council policy, practice and procedures, best practice and developments relevant to the post holder’s areas of responsibility and to use this knowledge to improve the lives of people in the Borough

Main duties:

• To monitor the performance of staff within the team, review the allocation of staff in order to optimise the use of staff resources and improve service delivery
• To lead on, keep under review and develop the council’s Enforcement of Licensing Scheme(s), Fire Safety, PSH Projects and overall improvements in Private Sector Housing (PSH) standards which may be supported through external grant funding  where available
• To support the intelligence led approach to housing enforcement, working collaboratively to improve the quality and safety of private sector housing through a range of interventions, including enforcement under the Housing Act and other legislation, and education and advice
• To manage and supervise a team of up to seven officers in the provision of private sector property regulation and enforcement
• To train and arrange training and development for Officers and other staff, as required assisting in equipping them to work effectively across the range of duties undertaken by the team
• To deputise for the Operations Manager, and represent the Private Sector Housing Regulation Services, as required
• To organise, plan, deliver and maintain effective team working to achieve the Council’s objectives with regard to Fire Safety, and enforcement of the private sector property licensing scheme(s) and proactive enforcement of Housing Act and other associated legislation
• To be responsible for the safeguarding of physical council assets in relation to personal protective equipment, equipment necessary for inspections of buildings, and officer safety support equipment. Examples include items of protective clothing, photographic equipment, body worn video, communications radios linked to the CCTV room, and mobile working devices
• To be an authorised officer of the Council, personally undertake and ensure that staff in the team undertake effective enforcement and other regulatory duties under legislation relevant to the team’s areas of responsibility. This work will include providing advice, information and statistics and reports, undertaking inspections; the investigation of complaints; sampling, researching, surveying, monitoring and the resolution of problems
• To maximise the capacity and impact of services; to set, in liaison with the Operations Manager, work programmes, local service indicators, targets, work practices and procedures and standards of customer care for the team
• To risk assess work and work priorities, working practices and ensure that safe working practices, based on best practice are followed, and are clearly understood by all team members
• To quality check the work of the team including the standard of enforcement and other regulatory duties, letters, reports, Improvement and Prohibition notices, prosecution cases, court and other legal documentation to achieve compliance with relevant legislation
• To attend Council and other meetings, criminal and other courts, tribunals and enquiries and other forums as required to present reports, training, information and evidence
• To research, benchmark and adopt best practice methods of working, and a communications strategy, as directed by the Operations Manager
• To respond as required, commensurate with the post holder’s levels of responsibility at times of civil emergency or to meet exigencies of the service
• These duties and responsibilities may be varied to meet changing circumstances of the Council, in particular where project based work arises through available funding or priority areas such as Fire Safety of Private residential blocks
• In discharging the duties of the post to have due regard to the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Regulations, the Council’s Customer Care, Environmental and Equal opportunities and other policies
• Comply with the General Data Protection Regulations and Data Protection Act 2018 as per the Council’s Code of Conduct and specifically to safeguard all personal data held by the Council or collected by the post holder
• To perform all duties in line with Council’s staff values showing commitment to improving residents lives and opportunities, demonstrating respect and fairness, taking ownership, working towards doing things better and working together across the council
• This post is eligible for a DBS check under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 or as prescribed in the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) regulations. A DBS standard check is an essential requirement for this role

Person specifications:

• This is a unique opportunity for a fire safety professional passionate about regulatory enforcement to make a tangible impact on residents’ safety
• By joining the team, you will contribute to shaping a safer housing landscape while advancing your career in a dynamic and influential environment

The successful candidate will be appointed at Grade PO5, depending on their knowledge, skills, and qualifications. You will receive support from Senior Officers and a Team Manager and have access to continuous professional development opportunities, including internal and external training, CPD activities, and professional fee reimbursement.

Alternatively, for quick registration and application, we offer a user-friendly app designed to simplify your recruitment experience:

Apple Users: https://apps.apple.com/tr/app/cradlefin-consultants/id1604312685?l=en-GB

Android Users: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.logezy.cradlefinconsultants&hl=en_GB

If you’re ready to take on a challenging and rewarding role where you can truly make a difference, we’d love to hear from you! Apply today and let’s start the conversation