Market Officer
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham
About this job
<p>An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Council’s Markets team for the role of Markets Officer. You would be based at Barking Market in east London.</p> <p>Barking Market is more than just a place to shop. Running five days a week, it is right at the heart of the town’s culture, economy and identity. It plays important roles in local business and with our communities. Many of the market stalls are home to family-run businesses, we have young traders and new start-ups. We are keen to explore new ideas to keep this market fresh and a great place to be.</p> <p>As a Market Officer you will be on the frontline, ensuring our vibrant street market runs smoothly, safely, and efficiently. This is your chance to make a real difference in one of the most diverse places in the country. You will be helping to shape the future of Barking’s market, support many small businesses, and play a key role in the borough’s economic and cultural success.</p> <p>The role is based in our Regulatory Services, and you will work closely with environmental health and trading standards officers, community safety and enforcement officers.</p>
Special requirements for this post
<p>You will work 35 hours per week over four days, including Saturdays. Occasionally if the market is open on an evening, a Sunday or Bank Holiday you may also be required to work.</p> <p>This dynamic role involves being a first point of contact out on the market for 80% of your trading day, monitoring activities, checking licenses, and ensuring adherence to regulations and licensing conditions.</p> <p>You will play a vital part in:</p> <ul> <li>Supporting Traders: Assisting with stall setup and breakdown, and building positive relationships with licence holders.</li> <li>Ensuring Compliance: Carrying out regular checks on stalls, what they are selling, on licences, and advising traders on their responsibilities. You’ll also identify and report any breaches, supporting enforcement action.</li> <li>Promoting Growth: Supporting income-generating activities and identifying new trading opportunities for businesses.</li> <li>Maintaining Standards: Reporting any defects, monitoring market cleanliness, and managing public highway obstructions.</li> <li>Community Engagement: Being visible and accessible to the public, dealing with enquiries and complaints, and fostering strong community relations.</li> <li>Making the Market work: Handling daily administrative tasks, processing payments and supporting debt recovery.</li> <li>This role involves a varied shift pattern, including mandatory weekend working (every Saturday) and occasional public holidays.</li> </ul>
About you
<p>To thrive in this role you will be:</p> <ul> <li>A confident, customer-focused individual with excellent communication and interpersonal skills.</li> <li>Able to thrive in a diverse environment and be committed to fairness and sustainability.</li> <li>Enjoy working directly with the public and market traders every day.</li> <li>Quick thinking and able to follow up and resolve situations in a fast moving environment, providing high-quality service and resolving issues with a calm and confident approach.</li> <li>Proactive and resourceful: able to work independently, anticipate and identify problems, and take quick and effective action.</li> <li>Physically capable, comfortable with outdoor working in all weather conditions, and able to walk or stand for most of the day. The role also involves some manual handling.</li> <li>Your background in a customer-facing market authority or public service environment will provide you with a good working knowledge of effective communication, both in person and in writing, and you will be able to manage difficult situations.</li> </ul>
About us
<p><strong>Barking & Dagenham is changing. It Starts Here.</strong></p> <p>Think you know Barking and Dagenham? Think again. While this small corner of east London might have a reputation for needing development, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find active communities and a place that consistently punches above its weight. The borough is changing – and changing for the better. And It Starts Here.</p> <p>Yes, the borough has its challenges. But it’s on the cusp of something exciting. With one of the youngest populations in the country, ambitions are high and rightly so. 98% of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding and every year more of our talented teenagers get into Russell Group Universities and hotly sought after apprenticeship schemes.</p> <p>We have award winning parks, centuries old manor houses full of relics and artifacts you can go and see, and the ruins of one of Anglo-Saxon England's most powerful and wealthiest religious sites. We’re even bringing beavers and white storks to the borough to help rewild the local landscape and boost biodiversity.</p> <p>Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard to improve how we deliver services and support our community. From tackling inequality to making sure our services are the best they can be, we’re focused on what matters most to local people. </p> <p>We’re creating the conditions for people to thrive - so everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, feel proud to call this place home, and be part of something bigger. </p> <p>#ItStartsHere - with our streets, our schools, our neighbourhoods. And with your application to join our determined team who are passionate about doing what’s best for the future of Barking and Dagenham. </p> <p>As an Investors in People Gold Award employer, we’re serious about supporting our staff. From flexible working, professional training and career development to wellbeing initiatives, we want our people to feel valued and supported in everything they do.</p> <p>Our values, known as</p> <ul> <li>DRIVE, shape how we work: Deliver our best every day – and do what we promise</li> <li>Respond in a prompt, positive way to our community’s needs</li> <li>Inspire others with our attitudes and actions</li> <li>Value people for who they are and what they can do</li> <li>Engage with others to improve our resilience and flexibility We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.</li> </ul> <p>We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences.</p>