Why Southwark?

Southwark is a large, ambitious and progressive council with a ‘can do’ attitude and enviable reputation. As a Council, we are successful, passionate and forward-thinking. We are committed to our ‘Fairer Futures for All’ promise which ensures that our residents and businesses are central to everything we do. If you want to make a difference at a local level, apply to Southwark Council today.

What You'll Be Doing

Key Responsibilities:

Lead and manage the Food Safety Team, ensuring the effective delivery of food law regulation and infectious disease control services.
Oversee the council’s statutory duties to protect public health and ensure compliance with food safety legislation.
Direct and support the regulation of food businesses across the borough, promoting high standards of food hygiene and safety.
Lead investigations and responses relating to infectious disease prevention and control.
Ensure the service delivers excellent customer care while meeting regulatory and performance standards.
Contribute to the achievement of the council’s local priorities and public health objectives.
Manage service delivery, resources, and performance to ensure a high-quality and efficient service.
Maintain compliance with Food Standards Agency requirements and best practice guidance.

Key Benefits:

- Competitive Salary & Pension: Rewarding your hard work with a great package.

- Growth Opportunities: Access extensive training and development, both internally and externally.

https://www.jobsatsouthwark.co.uk/why-us/

In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.

JNC benefits package B to the value of £2,724 per annum (pro rata April - March) which can use be towards: gym membership, health insurance, season ticket purchase, bicycle purchase, additional voluntary contribution to pension, subscriptions and professional fees.

What We're Looking For

You will be required to manage a complex caseload and provide expert advice and specialist knowledge to a regulatory service that is responsible for protecting the community, using relevant legislation to control and enforce in the team that is responsible for food safety and infectious disease control. You will ensure the team contributes to the maintenance and improvement of the borough’s environment and well-being through the following:
Provide leadership and management of the officers in the team, providing direction and professional guidance.
Effectively manage direct reports through sound performance management and monitoring regimes.
Create and lead effective partnerships with other key agencies including the Police, HMRC, UK Border Force, London Fire Brigade, OPSS, Food Standards Agency, PCT, UK Health Security Agency to deliver a multi-partnership response to the effective delivery of environmental health and trading standards services.
Review and monitor performance and quality of services in accordance with the requirements of the Food Law Code of Practice other relevant guidance and the council’s visions and values.
Assist the unit manager in the strategic development and long term business planning of the business unit, division and department in line with council priorities.
Ensure the team provides and delivers a high quality service and achieves performance against national indicators.
Contribute positively to the strategic management of the business unit, division and department and the development of policy through individual contribution and membership of management teams.

One the following essential qualifications is required : A Food Standards Agency (FSA) recognised qualification in Food Hygiene, Food Control, or Environmental Health, such as a Degree/Diploma in Environmental Health, Environmental Health Practitioner registration, Higher Certificate in Food Control/Official Control, APC in Food Hygiene & Standards Control, or an equivalent recognised qualification.

Contact Information:

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Earl Legister , earl.legister@southwark.gov.uk

IMPORTANT: If you choose to apply, please complete your Supporting Statement in the ‘Relevant Knowledge, Experience & Skills’ section of the application form focusing on the criteria contained within the Job Description’s Person Specification that is marked as ‘S’ for ‘Shortlisting. 

Additional Information

Recruitment Timetable

Closing Date: 01/11/2026

Shortlisting Date: 07/11/2026

Interview Date: 16/11/2026

Hours of Work: Monday to Friday (36hrs per week) Flexible working pattern

Location:160 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2QH

Type of Contract: Permanent

DBS: A Standard DBS is Required for this role

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Southwark Council will only contact candidates through official Council recruitment channels. We will not ask you to provide passport details, proof of address, National Insurance number, bank details or payment at application stage. These checks are only requested at the onboarding process – once an offer of employment has been made. If you’re unsure whether a communication you’ve received is genuine, please contact the Resourcing team directly on recruitment@southwark.gov.uk before sharing any personal information.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

Be a part of something bigger and more rewarding! apply now to transform lives in your community. Click the 'apply now' button to start your journey with Southwark Council.

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Attachments

Click here for person specification and JD