Trading Standards Officer

Job Purpose

Service Leadership and Management

• Provide operational leadership, supervision, and guidance to Trading Standards officers and support staff.
• Allocate, monitor, and review workloads, performance, quality standards, resources, and statutory compliance.
• Lead, motivate, coach, and support staff, and deputise for the service manager when required.

Trading Standards Enforcement

• Lead and undertake complex investigations across a range of Trading Standards regulatory areas.
• Exercise delegated enforcement powers and investigate complaints, referrals, and consumer protection intelligence.
• Prepare evidence for enforcement action, cautions, prosecutions, and legal proceedings, including interviews under caution.

Weights and Measures

• Act as the Council’s Lead Officer for Weights and Measures.
• Undertake inspections, testing, verification, and enforcement activities.
• Provide technical advice on metrology and measurement legislation and maintain related competency and accreditation.

Consumer Protection and Casework

• Promote compliance through education, advice, and engagement with businesses and residents.
• Investigate unfair trading, rogue traders, counterfeit goods, product safety concerns, and consumer protection breaches.
• Triage, prioritise, allocate, and monitor complaints, referrals, intelligence, and complex investigations.

Partnership Working

• Work with elected Members, police, Trading Standards groups, regulatory bodies, government agencies, businesses, consumer organisations, and partner authorities.
• Represent the Council at meetings, networks, working groups, partnerships, and external forums.
• Keep councillors informed about significant enforcement activity and ward issues.

Governance and Reporting

• Ensure investigations and enforcement comply with legislation, policies, and procedures.
• Maintain accurate case management records and produce case reviews, performance reports, and management information.
• Contribute to policy development, service improvement, and strategic planning initiatives.

Requirements

• Provide operational leadership, supervision, and guidance to Trading Standards officers and support staff.
• Lead and undertake complex Trading Standards investigations and enforcement activities.
• Exercise delegated enforcement powers in accordance with legislation, statutory codes, and Council policies.
• Act as the Council’s Lead Officer for Weights and Measures.
• Maintain professional competency and accreditation requirements associated with weights and measures functions.
• Prepare and present evidence for cautions, prosecutions, formal enforcement action, and legal proceedings.
• Ensure investigations and enforcement activities comply with relevant legislation, policies, and procedures.