Environmental Health Officer

**About the role**:
The London Borough of Hillingdon is home to London Heathrow, the UK’s busiest Airport for passenger and cargo movements. Based at the Cargo Terminal, you will play an essential role in ensuring that all statutory controls of food and feed are carried out to protect the health of the UK.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Food Safety Officer or Environmental Health Officer to join our Imported Food Team at London Heathrow Airport. You will be working alongside Official Veterinarians and Technical Officers, ensuring that the highest standards are maintained in relation to the importation of food and feed.

Your role will be to protect public and animal health at the border. On a day to day basis you will be examining consignments containing a variety of foodstuffs to verify that they comply with import controls, in order to keep our borders safe.

**About You**

You will have one of the following qualifications:

- Higher Certificate in Food Control issued by the CIEH (previously the Environmental Health Registration Board)
- Environmental Health Officer with a Certificate of Registration issued by the CIEH (previously the Environmental Health Registration Board)

Experience of providing good customer care will be essential, as you will be expected to provide advice and information to service users, other local authorities and government departments such as the Food Standards Agency. We are looking for an individual that can hit the ground running, so a background in food law enforcement, and knowledge of imported food controls would be advantageous.

Whilst you complete your training period (approximately 3 months) you will work 36 hours each week Monday - Friday. Once training is completed you will move onto one of the shifts and receive the associated shift allowance (14%). There are 2 shift teams and they work the following shift pattern over a 2 week period:
**Week 1**:
Monday and Tuesday = 08:00 - 19:00 (10.5 hours with 30 minute break)
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday = OFF
Saturday = 08:00 - 18:30 (10 hours)
Sunday = 08:00 - 18:00 (9.5 hours)

**Week 2**:
Monday and Tuesday = OFF
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday = 08:00 - 19:00 (10.5 hours)
Saturday and Sunday = OFF

Every third or fourth time that you are on shift you will be required to work the evening period instead:
**Week 1**:
Monday and Tuesday = 11:30 - 22:30 (10.5 hours)
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday = OFF
Saturday = 12:00 - 22:30 (10 hours)
Sunday = 12:30 - 22:30 (9 hours)

**Week 2**:
Monday and Tuesday = OFF
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday = 11:30 - 22:30 (10.5 hours)
Saturday and Sunday = OFF

**About us**:
We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. That is why we offer a wide range of employee benefits to enhance your work-life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development.

Here’s a comprehensive overview of the fantastic benefits we provide:

- **Flexible Working Hours**- We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
- **36 Hour Week** - Enjoy a standard 36-hour workweek for all full time staff.
- **Generous Holiday Entitlement** - increasing with length of service (for non-casual roles).
- **Hillingdon Sports & Leisure** - Stay active and healthy with discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
- **Cycle to Work** - Eco-friendly commuting with our cycle purchase scheme. We also provide bicycle parking, lockers, and showers at the Civic Centre.
- **Local Government Pension Scheme** - access to Local Government Pension Scheme and membership to the Credit Union.
- **Vivup Benefit**s - Access a variety of offers and discounts through our Vivup Benefits.
- **Mental Health Support and Counselling Services** - Our mental health first aiders are trained to identify, understand, and help employees experiencing mental health issues. Access free 24-hour confidential advice and counselling as well as a legal advice service for you and your immediate family.
- **Travel Support** - Make your daily commute easier with our season ticket loans and free car parking.

**Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement**

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly.

The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.

Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themsel