Environmental Action Chargehand - REQ002766

Job title: Chargehand

Salary: £28,598 - £31,022 pro rata

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Shift pattern (known as a 4x3 shift)

Week 1 – Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday

Week 2 – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Hours of work will average 35 hours per week on the above shift pattern which will be agreed locally dependant on service needs. Your working day will be 10.5 hours between 06.00 and 17.30 (inclusive of a 30-minute unpaid lunch break)

Location: These positions are currently based from our depot in Cross Green however, our service covers the whole city and therefore your area of work may change depending on the needs of the service.

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference on the front-line supporting residents and visitors and helping keep our neighbourhoods clean and tidy. The Cleaner Neighbourhoods Teams provide a litter picking service, fly-tip removal and some basic grounds maintenance. The Team is also required to help empty litter bins and assist with the collection of unwanted bulky items from households.

As our next Chargehand you’ll work in a team where every day is different. You will be a key member of a local Cleaner Neighbourhoods Team working together across an area of the city. As part of that team, you will be expected to carry out a variety of functions including driving Council vehicles and utilising our mechanical fleet - the job description and specification will provide you with more detail about the role, but we want people who are able to carry out the types of physical work described above and enjoy the challenge of working outside and in all weathers!

About you (some key responsibilities):

As a Chargehand you will bring to the role:

An ability to supervise, support and coordinate a team of staff including the day-to-day allocation of tasks and ensuring all work is being carried out in a safe and effective manner.
An ability to keep accurate electronic and written records.
A friendly and customer focused approach.
Able and willing to quickly learn new tasks and follow instructions/route sheets whilst working outdoors for long periods and in all weather conditions.

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.
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.

We've built an inclusive place to work, where everyone is welcomed, feels valued and can truly be their authentic self at work. We want our people to be the best they can be, no matter who they are and where they come from. It is important we have a workforce representative of the communities we serve. We have made significant improvements within our management/supervisory posts, however our operational part remains largely unrepresentative. We are therefore particularly keen to receive applications from women and ethnically diverse groups.

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. We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an age-friendly employer, a Mindful Employer and a Disability Confident Leader. We've built an inclusive place to work, where everyone is welcomed, feels valued and can truly be their authentic self at work. We want our people to be the best they can be, no matter who they are and where they come from. It is important we have a workforce representative of the communities we serve. We have made significant improvements within our management/supervisory posts, however our operational part remains largely unrepresentative. We are therefore particularly keen to receive applications from women and ethnically diverse groups.

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Stuart Brown, Area Manager by email stuart.brown@leeds.gov.uk

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. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose:

To work as part of a team which contributes towards achieving the outcome of clean Streets neighbourhoods in localities, by identifying and investigating environmental issues and crimes, and taking the appropriate action to resolve and prevent such issues / crimes.

Responsibilities:

To carry out a range of preventative interventions, such as educational campaigns or activities, and enforcement activities, to tackle the root causes of environmental issues.
To issue appropriate fixed penalty notices and other legal notices within the context of environmental enforcement.
To investigate environmental offences from the identification of an offence through to court action, where required.
To oversee and direct the work of Business Support Staff assigned to the team on key locality projects e.g. local educational campaigns, neighbourhood target areas etc.’
To support witnesses to offences in being able to take action against the perpetrators of environmental crimes.
To provide evidence for court and attend court as a witness.
To attend meetings such as community meetings / forums, ward member meetings, environmental sub groups and Area Committee meetings as required.
To ensure that the highest standards of customer service are provided and that customers are kept promptly and fully informed.
To ensure that relevant databases and information systems are kept accurately updated and reflect current work activities.
To contribute to the development of the service and adopt a One Council approach.
To contribute to gathering intelligence and statistical information which helps to measure the success of interventions.
To work with partners, in particular the Police and ALMOs, in order to maximise their contributions towards achieving the outcome of clean streets/neighbourhoods.
To work as part of the Locality Team, including instances where assistance may be required with street cleansing functions.
To build effective working relationships with street cleansing staff to resolve issues.
To work with local elected Members to achieve the outcome of cleaner streets/neighbourhoods within the framework agreed in the Service Level Agreements.
To undertake any other duties commensurate to the grade, as required.

Location:

The appointment is to the Council; therefore an employee can be required to work at any Environment and Neighbourhoods office to fulfil the duties. The majority of our buildings have wheelchair access.

The postholder will work as part of a team and will be expected to work with team members. You will also be required to work alone whilst fulfilling field or office based tasks.

General:

The post holder will be required to work flexible hours occasionally to meet service requirements which will usually be within the provisions of the Councils flexitime scheme (between 7am and 7pm). There may however be an occasional requirement for additional hours to be worked which will be recompensed in accordance with NJC for Local Government Service Terms and Conditions as adopted or amended by the Council or local agreement. In all circumstances a reasonable period of notice will be provided.

There may also be occasions where you could be called upon at short notice and in exceptional circumstances to provide a proportionate response to an emergency situation out of office hours, if you are able to do so. In these situations the Council has the discretion to pay an allowance in accordance with the time worked, or apply an inclusive rate of pay to take into account all features of the job.

In certain circumstances, in the interests of operational efficiency, rota cycles can be varied subject to appropriate consultation and with reasonable notice.

Car Use Allowances - if this postholder meets the criteria for essential car user status the corresponding allowance plus mileage will be paid whilst the postholder provides and maintains a vehicle for business use. Casual car user mileage is payable in accordance with local conditions of service.

Other conditions in accordance with the provisions of the scheme of Conditions of Service of the National Joint Council for the Local Government Services as adopted or amended by the Council.

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.

Method Of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview or Certificate.

Delivering excellent public services.

Ability to contribute to service developments relevant to the post.
Ability to monitor performance effectively and achieve personal objectives and outcomes.
Experience of working within a service area relevant to the post.
Ability to understand and implement regulations, policy, and legislation.
Ability to prepare accurate information / statistics for case files / activity reports.
Ability to prepare letters and e-mails for communication with customers.
Ability to investigate and assess the most appropriate course of action to resolve issues and prevent reoccurrences.
Ability to prepare case files for formal enforcement action
Experience in preparing case files for formal enforcement action

Innovation and delivering change

Ability to put the corporate vision and values into practice.
Ability to plan, manage and evaluate projects and workloads.
Ability to implement systems and processes which deliver service excellence and agreed service outcomes.
An ability to work on own initiative, embracing change and new ways of working.
Working in a local government environment
Understanding of the local government context.
Understanding of the role of Elected members within the council and the community.

Influencing and personal effectiveness

Good communication skills, both verbal and written
Experience of presenting information on your work.
Ability to resolve potential conflict and to gain co-operation and trust.
Ability to make an effective contribution to internal/external working groups and meetings, as required.
Excellent interpersonal abilities, showing due regard for colleagues and customers alike.
An ability to work independently and within a team, contributing to team goals through good personal performance.

Working with others

Ability to develop productive working relationships that command respect, trust and confidence.
Experience of working effectively with others to deliver projects and work streams.
Ability to manage competing priorities and adapting to changing circumstances and priorities.

Customer focus and responsiveness to local communities

Good understanding of the diverse needs of customers and of involving them effectively in identifying areas for service improvement.
A commitment to the public service ethos, with a genuine interest in serving the public.
Recognition and acceptance of the importance of the customer perspective in determining how services are best delivered.
Experience in providing excellent services to the public.

Equality

Good understanding of and commitment to equality issues in both employment and service delivery

Health and safety

Understanding of responsibilities in terms of health and safety.
An ability and commitment to work in a safe manner, regarding self and others.

Ability to use I.T. systems e.g. case management systems/ databases and e-mail.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION 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 duties and responsibilities: Candidates are not required to meet all the Desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

Working in a local government environment

Experience of reporting to and working effectively with a range of colleagues and partners

Influencing and personal effectiveness

Experience of problem solving, individually and in a group setting
Training, qualification or accreditation requirements
Professional or technical qualification relevant to the work of the post

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