Senior Environmental Health Officer

• East Suffolk Council
• Address: East Suffolk House, Melton, Woodbridge IP12 1RT and Riverside, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0EQ
• Salary: £49,282 - £53,460 per annum, Salary scale Band 9
• Hours: 37 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work, delivering essential local services and making a real difference to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.

We currently have an opportunity to join East Suffolk Council's Private Sector Housing team as a Senior Environmental Health Officer.

The role

We are seeking an experienced Environmental Health Officer to join our Private Sector Housing team, delivering a high-impact service that improves housing standards across the private rented sector.

You will lead on inspections, enforcement and licensing activity, particularly in relation to HMOs, ensuring compliance with key legislation including the Housing Act 2004, Public Health Act 1936, HHSRS, Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 and the Renters’ Rights Act 2025.

This is a varied role where you will directly influence the quality, safety and sustainability of homes across the district.

You will manage complex casework from inspection through to enforcement, including preparing notices, arranging works in default and representing the Council where required. In addition, you’ll contribute to strategic projects, advise senior stakeholders, work in partnership with external organisations and support continuous service improvement. You will also play a key role in leading and mentoring colleagues and shaping service delivery within a forward-thinking and collaborative team.

What you will need

You will be a qualified Environmental Health Practitioner with EHRB/CIEH registration and strong experience in housing enforcement within the private rented sector. A sound understanding of relevant legislation, including housing, landlord and tenant law, and enforcement processes is essential, along with experience of inspections and taking proportionate legal action to improve housing standards.

You will bring excellent communication, analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage a varied workload and lead or influence others effectively. We’re looking for someone who can work both independently and collaboratively, demonstrate professional integrity and make confident decisions under pressure, helping to deliver high-quality services that make a real difference to communities.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role, even if you don’t meet all of the essential requirements, please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Why work for us?

East Suffolk Council is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access. To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Council, take a look at our video and find out why our employees think it is such a great place to work (youtube).

Here are some of the main benefits:

• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays)
• Local government pension scheme
• Flexible working arrangements
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.
• Discounts on mobile phones, computers, holiday and travel, fashion and clothing, health and beauty and many other products and services.

Find more information about what we offer in our benefits brochure (pdf).

The majority of our teams are working in an agile way, with a mixture of home and office working, depending on individual preferences and service requirements. If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate, please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.

To find out more

For an informal discussion regarding this post, please contact Victoria Cotterill by calling 01502 523160 or emailing victoria.cotterill@eastsuffolk.gov.uk

Closing date: 1.00 pm, 19 June 2026.

Interview date: Week commencing 29 June 2026.

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job Description and Person Specification (Word).

Step 2 - Complete the Supporting Statement template (Word). Your statement needs to indicate how you meet each of the criteria contained within the Person Specification. Please use the template provided (other formats will not be accepted).

Step 3 - Complete the online application and upload your statement. Please note, CVs are not accepted.

For more information, check out the How to Apply section of our career site.