INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Senior Compliance Officer

Salary: SO2 £39,862 – £42,839

Hours: Full-time (37 hours)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds City Council Print Unit/Leeds Building Services Office/Remote working

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated, reliable, and hardworking Senior Compliance Officer to join the Compliance team within the housing Asset Management department.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

As a Senior Compliance Officer, you will be responsible for managing Health and Safety for the department. In particular, you will ensure that any construction activities undertaken by the service will be compliant with health and safety legislation.

About you

As a Senior Compliance Officer, you will bring to the role:

Extensive knowledge and experience of the UK construction industry and the housing sector.
Lead, advise and drive the Asset Management division on construction projects to ensure it complies with the relevant legislation
A thorough understanding of construction related legislation such as the CDM regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Be able to communicate effectively and have appropriate formal writing skills
Excellent written communication skills
Experience of undertaking site inspections and managing non-compliant issues
A confident delivery of training sessions to internal employees and workstreams

About the role

The housing section undertakes a vast amount of construction activities in a variety of different areas. The work ranges from general repairs to extensive technical works on high rise blocks.

The Senior Compliance Officer will liaise with project teams such as planned work, voids, responsive repairs, adaptations, disrepair and M&E to ensure that health and safety is managed in the pre-construction phase, construction phase and post-construction phase of a project. As well as undertaking site inspections and auditing paperwork, you will also be required to undertake risk assessments and prepare elements such as pre-construction information.

As well as forming working relationships with internal housing teams, you will also be required to work alongside other stakeholders such as tenants, contractors, external health and safety teams, partner agencies, and councillors.

Other responsibilities include delivering training (working at height, lone working, CDM, pre-construction information, etc), managing bespoke contracts, chairing meetings, writing policies and reports, communicating legislative change to colleagues, liaising and mentoring colleagues, undertaking inductions, and investigating accidents and near misses.

The role is primarily based at Leeds Building Services and the Print Unit in Seacroft, with opportunities for remote working also available. A driving license with business insurance is also essential as a large portion of the role is site based.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
opportunities to work remotely or from home
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Richard Walker (Compliance Manager).

Richard Walker (Richard.Walker2@Leeds.gov.uk) - 07891272415

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.
This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

Lead, advise and drive the Asset Management division on construction projects to ensure it complies with the relevant health & safety legislation for the entirety of its activities.
Undertake site inspections and close out non-compliance issues. This involves working in a range of environments such as construction sites, tenanted properties and high-rise blocks.
Develop and implement strategic and operational plans and policies for the housing section.
Undertake audits of on-site activities and also office-based documentation, with recommendations for actions of both the client, and internal and external contractors.
Support the delivery of service plans and operational projects in collaboration with stakeholders to ensure the continuous and on-going innovation and improvement of the service in-line with council objectives in-order to achieve excellence.
To accurately record correspondence within council systems and to work with external and internal partners in-order to develop appropriate solutions/responses to service-related issues.
Provide training and mentoring solutions to internal Leeds City Council teams
Work with organisations such as HSE and external partners to safeguard LCC’s position

Responsibilities

Ensure all construction activities undertaken are done so in compliance with legal, regulatory, contractual and internal requirements.
Present training sessions and toolbox talks to internal departments on subjects such as working at height, asbestos awareness, lone working and the CDM regulations. Training sessions on bespoke matters may also be required.
Provide guidance and support on construction projects for internal workstreams such as responsive repairs, disrepair, voids, adaptations, planned work, the damp & mould team and planned work.
Compose paperwork on health and safety matters. For example, report-writing, developing pre-construction information, LCC policies and risk assessments and method statements.
Investigate accident and near miss incidents with both internal and external stakeholders.
Chair meetings in relation to any H&S matters.
Project manage specific projects in line with the organisation’s contract management requirements.
Take ownership for and manage relationships with all external stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
Keep up to date with legislation influencing the construction industry and housing sector.
Undertake technical duties for the service in-line with all council and departmental performance standards, policies and priorities.
Provision of specialist technical advice and leadership to colleagues.
Assess construction and health and safety related paperwork from internal and external stakeholders.
Continually drive a value for money and customer focussed service through all operations.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

NEBOSH construction certificate.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills Required

Able to work flexibly across different work locations and areas as appropriate
Current full driving license with business insurance cover and access to a motor vehicle
Be able to communicate effectively and have appropriate formal writing skills
Able to use a range of Microsoft office applications as well as internal ICT systems
Ability to resolve areas of potential conflict and to gain co-operation and trust
Effective time management and prioritisation skills. Ability to plan and organise workloads to align with service targets and deadlines along with reactive responses within specified timeframes
Ability to diagnose and develop solutions to complex issues
Excellent interpersonal skills for challenging situations and scenarios
Ability to contribute to service developments relevant to the post
Able to communicate effectively with customers in a wide array of formats e.g. letter writing, telephone calls
Ability to monitor performance effectively and achieve personal objectives and outcomes
Able to understand and implement regulations, policy and legislation
Take ownership for operational issues and manage relationships with all stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
Ability to challenge and review systems to promote service improvement

Knowledge Required

To have extensive skills, knowledge and experience of the UK construction industry and the housing sector.
Have an excellent understanding of construction related legislation such as the CDM regulations and the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Have an awareness of the Building Safety Act 2022.
Be able to communicate effectively and have appropriate formal writing skills.
Able to use a range of Microsoft office applications as well as internal ICT systems.
A willingness to undertake training which may be required for the role.
Effective time management and prioritisation skills.
Ability to diagnose and develop solutions to complex issues.
An understanding of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and how this affects the social housing sector

Experience Required

A good knowledge of landlord and tenant responsibilities in relation to housing repairs and improvements.
A solid understanding of construction techniques.
An awareness of the repair and disrepair issues associated with the LCC housing stock.
An understanding of information governance procedures and the need to handle personal data securely.
Knowledge of construction contracts and the processes involved.
Experience of procurement exercises which are undertaken by the housing division.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Be aware of and support difference ensuring equality for all, working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol, and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS: It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role. Candidates are not required to meet all the Desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

Knowledge Required

Accredited qualification in education or training.
Membership of an appropriate professional body.
A knowledge of traditional and non-traditional housing archetypes

Method of Assessment will be an interview.

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