Senior Environmental Health Officer

About Council

With 11% of the total land area of New Zealand, including Fiordland National Park and Stewart Island, The Southland District Council has the largest land area to manage of any territorial authority. Council not only encompasses the management and improvement of physical assets such as roads, bridges, water supply, cemeteries and parks but also the Southland communities' social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing. 

Our 200+ staff are diverse in their backgrounds, skillset and location, spread across three Invercargill offices (Forth Street, 20 and 42 Don Street) and seven area offices situated at Riverton, Otautau, Te Anau, Winton, Oban, Lumsden and Wyndham. 

Southland District Council offers scope for a rewarding and interesting career in local government under excellent working conditions, in a part of the country which is ideally suited to family life and the pursuit of a wide variety of activities.

About the role

The Senior Environmental Health Officer is a key role that ensures the health and wellbeing of the Southland community. This role encompasses provision of environmental services for customers, contributing to environmental policy development and upholding and enforcing legislative and regulatory requirements. The Senior Environmental Health Officer will also mentor and coach other team members.  

Responsibilities will include: 

· Processing applications for food and liquor licences

· Inspection of premises to ensure compliance and investigating complaints 

· Monitoring and reporting on health issues, for example; noise, infectious disease and water quality 

· Understanding, interpreting and enforcing legislation such as; Health Act, Resource Management Act, Sale of Liquor Act and Food Act. 

· Reviewing legislation and assisting with policy development 

Our ideal candidate will be: 

· Experienced in an environmental health role

· Experienced in auditing, investigating and submitting reports and evidence for use in environmental court 

· Able to be a positive and professional representative of the Council in our communities

· A natural communicator and conflict diffuser, with demonstrated ability to empathise and negotiate with others

· Able to manage competing demands, producing quality work against deadlines 

What’s in it for you? 

This is an excellent opportunity for someone passionate about environmental health who is keen to develop their mentoring and leadership capabilities. Reporting to the manager environmental health and working alongside a group of likeminded team players this role offers variety and opportunity for collaboration and professional development. 

We recognise that staff are our most valuable asset. We believe in supporting them in their training and development, having competitive remuneration packages which are benchmarked against market rates, and an environment which enables personal growth. 

While this is a fulltime permanent position, Southland District Council is able to offer flexibility to suit your lifestyle - chose your preferred working hours and work from home as required. 

If you’re up for the challenge then please follow the link to download a job description and apply online today.  We will be processing applications as we receive them so don’t miss out.