Trading Standards Practitioner

Full Vacancy Description

We are looking for a Trading Standards Practitioner to join our east London Trading Standards department on a temporary basis

Responsible for:    

To act as the training lead for Trainee Trading Standards Practitioners and Regulatory Compliance Apprentices, including those employed by the Council and on work placement, by devising & coordinating work placements, liaising with training and accreditation bodies and providing practical training, support & assistance.

Role and Context

Overall Role Purpose:     

To undertake trading standards enforcement activities to discharge the Council’s statutory duties and other enforcement to regulate and deliver a compliant and successful trading economy within the borough.

To ensure compliance with all trading standards related legislation within the borough through the application of technical and legal knowledge, investigation techniques and enforcement skills.

To give expert professional advice and support to consumers and to businesses promoting compliance through education, enforcement and investigation of complaints.

To specialise and maintain an expert knowledge in an identified area of enforcement, either product safety, age restricted products, fair trading, intellectual property, or doorstep crime, or other allocated priority.

To lead project or operational teams of multi-disciplinary officers in high level investigations

To ensure that trading standards compliance is fundamental to the micro economy of the Council and aggressively eliminate unfair trading practices.

To enhance the reputation of the borough through robust enforcement and achievement of results to promote the Council as a service leader and innovator.

Fundamental to fulfilling the responsibilities of this post is the ability to embrace change, respond creatively, flexibly and positively to the Council’s developing priorities.

Role Context:         

The Council has a small Trading Standards team facing an unprecedented range of challenges.  There are many significant operations under way investigating IP frauds, product safety, fair trading and letting agents.  We work closely and rely heavily upon partnership working with the enforcement agencies, TRIT and our neighbouring authorities in the NETTSA group.

Key Accountabilities and Result Areas

Strategy and Planning

1.         To use incoming intelligence and databases to develop short and medium-term strategies that enable service planning or statutory enforcement service provision.

2.         To develop enforcement strategies to address any emerging issues, rogue business practices, or consumer requests including development or responses including leading a project team where necessary.

3.         To pro-actively respond to daily incoming intelligence, coordinating with team members and other enforcement agencies to ensure immediate field responses undertaken where intelligence/incidents require.

4.         To utilise intelligence sources such as police, IDB, MEMEX and LTS data, to review, analyse and plan and implement services that effectively address fraudulent and unfair trading practices

5.         Analyse sources of detrimental trade practices and problems and recommend actions to resolve, including where necessary, changes in Council services and policies

6.         To lead and be responsible for carrying out allocated projects including their identity, recommendation and development. Where required determine resources needed for performance of any project.  To set time limits and ensure project tasks are carried out to time and to report any cause of delay or difficulty as necessary.

7.         To produce reports with findings and recommendations for change on completion of projects.  To consult and maintain liaison with stakeholders in the project.

8.         To contribute to the development of targets and priorities in the Service Area Plan through discussion with Team Manager and colleagues e.g. understanding and awareness of local needs and service priorities, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness and active involvement with stakeholders.

9.         To contribute to the review and development of the Council’s Enforcement Policy for Trading Standards & Licensing issues.

Operations and Support 

10.       To exercise the full range of statutory powers under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other legislation and undertake enforcement action dealing with breaches of legislation, consumer frauds, fraudulent business activity, scams and other non-compliance.

11.       To be the lead officer and specialise in the identified Service priority to deal with doorstep, bogus callers and protection of vulnerable residents.

12.       To robustly provide enforcement services to deal with issues identified from source intelligence, operations, service requests, programmed or reactive inspections, proactive work, projects, customer interaction and service development.

13.       To carry out enforcement audits and inspections of commercial and business practices, to examine processes, products and services, carry out investigations, procure samples and conduct test purchases.

14.       Where required to fulfil either the statutory role of Officer in Charge of an Investigation, Investigating Officer or Disclosure Officer for investigations for purposes of Criminal Procedures and Investigations Act 1996.

15.       To ensure timely and robust enforcement action in keeping with Council policies, dealing effectively with non-compliance and offences. To be completed within statutory timescales and within the statutory framework for gathering and disclosure of evidence.

16.       To identify criminality and assets unlawfully obtained for the purposes of any confiscation actions under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

17.       To give professional information and advice to business and the public in the complete range of trading standards and licensing regulatory controls.

18.       On behalf of the Council to exercise enforcement powers and delegated authority including seizure of evidence, documents, goods and property and be accountable for enforcement decisions taken.

19.       To prepare complex enforcement reports, exhibits and evidence and recommend appropriate enforcement actions including prosecutions, fixed penalties and confiscations.

20.       To serve legal notices and interpret and apply the law where necessary.  Attend investigations and meetings, prepare and give evidence in Magistrates or Crown courts, committee hearings, tribunals, public enquiries or other formal hearings.

21.       To lead and develop the activities and Service and priorities of the Council, Police and other statutory partners in addressing the control of unsolicited doorstep sales and crimes, bogus callers and the borough’s ‘No Cold Calling’ zones.

22.       To assist with the work of other teams as and when required and to be interchangeable with comparable posts, as dictated by current service priorities.

23.       Any other duties as appropriate to this area of work and consistent with the level of the post, as from time to time may be required.

Systems and Process Development and Improvement     

24.       To provide advice to Trading Standards Team and Community Safety Management Team, Members, commerce and other internal and external agencies in respect of changes in legislation, national and local trends.

Communication and Partnership         

25.       To maintain good liaison and develop good communication e.g. meeting interested groups, statutory bodies, trade organisations, making presentations and co-operation with the local community, community groups, other Council services, local businesses and other agencies in relation to the range of Trading Standards functions.

26.       To work with the facilitator to support and ensure the active operation of the borough’s multi-agency Bogus Caller Partnership

27.       To work in partnership with internal/external enforcement agencies and seek out and participate in partnership provision of enforcement activities.

28.       To actively represent the service at internal and external meetings and report back to team manager and team members.

29.       To be a full member and constructively participate in team meetings and service reviews to help develop new key priorities to deliver Service Plan and Council objectives.

30.       To actively identify key performance and achievement and to prepare related press briefings for approval and dissemination through the borough’s press offices.

31.       To produce Cabinet Member briefing papers for approval on the work of the Service

Performance and Standards      

32.       To ensure the Council’s statutory obligations are met in accordance with Council policy, having regard to cultural differences, diversity and interests of all the sectors of the community.  To recommend further action where necessary, in a range of situations for which no appropriate Council Policy, strategy or procedure exists.

33.       To use computerised and other information systems within the group ensuring compliance with procedures to protect data integrity and to comply with IT security policy.

34.       To maintain a comprehensive knowledge of trading standards legislation, local and national and government policies and guidance and to apply these to the role of Trading Standards Practitioner.

35.       To undertake out of hours work as required in the reasonable performance of Trading Standards enforcement duties.

36.       To undertake continuous professional development and maintain own professional competencies and abilities.

37.       To disseminate expert knowledge and contribute to the training and development of other team members.

38.       To maintain personal safety and contribute to Health and Safety within the team and service and to ensure the safety of staff, public and others in accordance with statutory requirements.

39.       To be responsible for self-development, including identification of appropriate training needs and matters identified through the performance management process.

40.       To comply in all respects with the General Data Protection Regulation, ensuring the safety and confidentiality of all information, evidence, commercial and personal data that is the responsibility of the Service to hold and protect.

41.       As an officer with extensive enforcement powers, to comply at all times with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000

Key Performance Outcomes      

To deliver all elements identified for performance and achievement in an annual performance appraisal process.

Resource Management   

42.       To ensure the safe keeping, maintenance and use of all equipment, vehicles, materials and facilities allocated

Corporate Accountabilities

All employees of the Council should undertake and conduct their work with due regard to the corporate accountabilities. These include responsibilities for outcomes regarding Equality, Conduct & Behaviour, Health & Safety, Data Protection, Safeguarding and Customer Care.

Flexibility    

The key responsibilities and duties of the role are neither exclusive nor exhaustive.  All workers are expected to operate flexibly to support delivery of services and from time to time will be required to undertake responsibilities outside the normal remit of role description as required by the line manager, which are broadly commensurate with the job level and scope of competence.

Person Specification

Statutory or Mandatory qualifications:           

Level 6 Trading Standards Practitioner awarded by the Chartered Institute of Trading Standards

Evidence of Continuous Professional Development including Chartered Membership of CTSI   

Educational Ability            

Educated to degree level, including TSP award

Key Subject or Content Areas   

Experience of Enforcement services within the public or private sectors

Experience of formal enforcement action including report preparation, evidence gathering, collation and assembly of disclosure files. 

Knowledge / Experience 

Knowledge of trading standards enforcement responsibilities and legislation

Experience of involvement in project led enforcement activity

Experience of achievement through partnership working       

Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to quickly form effective working relationships.

A well-developed understanding of a wide group of Council and external Agencies to deliver effective service solutions to a diverse group of service users.          

Supervision

Ability to coordinate the work of the team on a day-to-day basis to ensure team activities are completed effectively to required standards.

Ensure that the team maintain positive relationships with internal and external customers.

Support formal and informal learning and development opportunities to aid operational delivery and staff understanding and ability.

Skills / Abilities      

Able to evaluate and analyse information and make decisions in circumstances where issues are not clear cut.

Able to work to specific timetables and understanding the importance of delivering work to agreed timetables.    

Able to take responsibility for the development and implementation of projects and initiatives, which have implications across the service and involve partners from other agencies and external organisations.          

Able to communicate and effectively influence others at all levels and across a variety of professional groups and organisations.  

Able to write and present complex reports in a variety of settings including courts, tribunals, team and Committee meetings  

Corporate Behaviours     

The Council has a set of behaviours that all employees are expected to deliver in the performance of their role. The behaviour framework can be found on the Councils internet page, and these should be reflected in your application and the way you work.  As part of an individual’s personal development Redbridge expects employees of all levels to be continuously developing these core behaviours.  

Effective and Collaborative Team Working   

To take responsibility for personal development and actively participate in all learning and development.

To participate in the ongoing development, implementation and monitoring of service plans.

To support and contribute to value for money, change, service efficiency and improvement.