Job title: Asbestos Officer
Salary: SO2 £37,280 – £39,152
Hours: 37
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 Asbestos Officer to join the Asbestos 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 an Asbestos Officer you’ll ensure the safe management of asbestos-containing materials within Leeds City Council’s domestic housing stock in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations, 2012.
About you
As an Asbestos Officer you will:
- Manage asbestos projects from survey to removal stage ensuring compliance with relevant legislation
- Liaise and manage internal and external asbestos contractors who undertake work on Leeds City Council’s property portfolio.
- Work in the social housing sector with a number of different stakeholders
- Undertake asbestos re-inspections and site audits on asbestos removals and surveys
- Use IT and software programs to record information and manage day-to-day workloads
- Investigate and assist in resolving customer complaints
About the role
The team manage asbestos for Leeds City Council’s housing stock, which equates to approximately 54,000 properties. This involves co-ordinating and managing asbestos surveys and removals with internal and external contractors. The role also involves liaising with internal departments and partner agencies with the aim of safeguarding the health and safety of our tenants, staff, contractors, and the general public.
As our next Asbestos Officer, you’ll be a key team player who thrives on working in a fast paced dynamic environment. You will be supported by friendly, reliable and helpful colleagues within the Asbestos team and the Asset Management department.
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 guidancefor 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) or Amy Cranswick (Senior Asbestos Officer).
Richard Walker (Richard.Walker2@Leeds.gov.uk) - 07891272415
Amy Cranswick (Amy.cranswick@leeds.gov.uk) - 07712103963
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 visaroute 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
- To ensure the safe management of asbestos-containing materials within Leeds City Council’s domestic housing stock, in compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations, 2012
- Support the delivery of 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
- Work in a collaborative manner with Leeds City Council stakeholders to help resolve complex property challenges on Leeds City Council’s housing portfolio
- Working as part of the team, you will live and model values and behaviours to help Leeds City Council’s ambition to become the best city council in the country
Responsibilities
- Undertake contract administration and supervision of asbestos related contracts ensuring that contract conditions, specifications and statutory requirements are met
- Auditing of asbestos removal, surveying and air monitoring contractors to ensure works comply with statutory legislation
- Undertake asbestos re-inspections to Leeds City Council owned premises
- Operate relevant ICT packages e.g. word, excel, databases, spreadsheets, and the internet. This also includes Leeds City Council software packages such as Civica CX and Keystone
- Investigate and assist to resolve customer complaints
- Act as a project co-ordinator on capital and revenue work programmes to ensure Leeds City Council compliance to the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. This will involve working with construction contractors to assist them in meeting obligations for their planned construction projects
- Manage and answer any correspondence with respect to asbestos from a wide array of stakeholders. This may include the general public, tenants, councillors, internal staff, and external contractors
- Participate in developing new initiatives, detailed solutions, policies and processes for asbestos management
- Undertake investigations on non-compliant incidents and compile technical reports to prevent re-occurrences
- Continually drive a value for money, customer focused service
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
BOHS P402 Surveying and Sampling Strategies for Asbestos in Buildings (or equivalent).
BOHS P405 Management of Asbestos in Buildings.
A minimum of 2 years experience undertaking asbestos surveys and re-inspections or as an asbestos analyst.
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
- Ability to plan, manage, deliver, and evaluate asbestos related projects
- 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
- A comprehensive knowledge of legislation pertaining to Asbestos works, in particular the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012
- A comprehensive knowledge of HSG 264, 247, and 248
- Have a strong understanding of health and safety related legislation such as the CDM Regulations 2015 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
- A knowledge and understanding of the social housing sector
- A thorough understanding of the construction industry
- Good understanding of and commitment to equality issues in both employment and service delivery
Experience Required
- To have extensive experience of the UK asbestos industry
- Experience of undertaking live and post-inspection audits of asbestos removal, air monitoring and surveying contractors
- Appropriate experience in asbestos surveying protocols
- Managing asbestos disturbances and decontamination processes
- Experience of working alongside construction contractors to enable them to complete projects
- A minimum of 2 years experience undertaking asbestos surveys and re-inspections
- Experience in reading and understanding bulk analysis, asbestos surveys and analytical paperwork
- Project Management of asbestos related work schemes
- Communicating and training various stakeholders in regard to asbestos information and processes
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
- Have further qualifications related to the asbestos sector e.g. P401, P403, P404, P406, CoC in asbestos
- Health and Safety related qualifications (e.g. NEBOSH, IOSH Managing Safely)
- An understanding of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 and how this affects the social housing sector
- Knowledge of procurement exercises
- A knowledge of construction contracts such as NEC or JCT
- Evidence of relevant continuing professional development
- A knowledge of traditional and non-traditional housing archetypes
