INTERNAL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY VIA OPPORTUNITY MARKETPLACE AND COMPLETE THEIR SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS EITHER VIA THE ME TAB ON FUSION PRIOR TO STARTING THE APPLICATION FORM OR BY CLICKING ON THE LINK AS PART OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS IN THE SECTION OF THE FORM TITLED “REVIEW SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS”
Job Title: Technical Assistant (Food Sampling Officer), Regulatory Services
Location: Brandon Gate, 1 Leechlee Road, Hamilton, ML3 0XB
Hours: 35 per week
Work Pattern: Monday – Thursday 8.45am – 4.45pm and Friday 8.45am – 4.15pm
Salary: £28, - £30,
We are seeking to appoint an enthusiastic, self motivated Technical Assistant (Food Sampling Officer) who can accept and tackle demanding goals to ensure service delivery targets are achieved. You will be able to demonstrate excellent computer skills and have the ability to organise your workload in an effective and productive way. Ideally you will have experience in carrying out environmental health duties or sampling activities relating to food or the environment.
Duties will predominately involve implementing food and environmental sampling programmes and may also include conducting non-official control visits and implementing alternative interventions strategies in food businesses, assisting with infectious disease notifications, dealing with a range of complaints, including food complaints, preparing reports and providing professional advice on a range of issues.
This post will involve meeting strict time deadlines and will require the post holder to adjust their starting time to meet sample collection times.
The successful applicant must have the ability to travel throughout South Lanarkshire.
Applicants require to hold an appropriate Environmental Health Degree (BSc or MSc in Environmental Health) and are looking to obtain training to achieve the professional qualification. Alternatively, applicants must be willing to undertake the MSc in Environmental Health with Professional Practice with a view to becoming an Environmental Health Officer. In order to be considered for the MSc candidates require at least a lower second class (2:2) honours degree or equivalent qualifications in areas related to environmental sciences or food sciences or biological sciences or chemical sciences. Applicants with non-standard qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, determined by prior study, work experience, professional qualifications, and references where appropriate. Applicants with non-standard qualifications are advised to contact Abertay University directly at
For additional information please contact Karen Wardrope, Divisional Environmental Health Officer on .
Please answer the screening and application questions below on separate sheets of paper and attach to your application:
Screening Questions
1. Do you hold a BSc or MSc in Environmental health; or alternatively do you hold a qualification that would enable you to undertake the MSc in Environmental Health with Professional Practice?
2. Do you have the ability to travel throughout South Lanarkshire?
Application Questions
3. What skills and/or experience do you have that make you a suitable candidate for the post of Technical Assistant/Sampling Officer within Food & Business Regulation?
4. Managing and prioritising your workload is essential for this post. You will be provided with a Council pool car to allow you to pick up samples and return them to the office, which may on some occasions require you meet certain deadlines. How would you manage your workload to ensure work is always completed on time, and can you provide any practical examples that would demonstrate these skills?
5. What do you think could potentially contaminate a food sample, and how would you prevent the contamination of any food samples you were taking?
6. The job of Technical Assistant/Sampling Officer will require the successful candidate to have excellent communication skills, as at times you may be required to give advice to consumers and food businesses operators alike. Can you give an example of a situation where you have had to deal with an unhappy customer, and how did you resolve the situation?
7. The job of Technical Assistant/Sampling Officer involves a lot of administration, including the use of IT systems. What experience of using IT to deliver work or study related tasks do you have?
Please Apply online - All correspondence will be via your email address.
Preferred candidates identified after the selection event process will be required to assist the recruitment team, if need be, to ensure timely completion of recruitment checks. If recruitment checks are not completed within a reasonable timescale you may automatically be withdrawn from this position.
Canvassing of Elected Members or employees of South Lanarkshire's Council directly or indirectly in connection with any appointment within the Council shall disqualify the applicant.
Foreign Police Check
Candidates should be able to detail any gaps in employment and provide a foreign police check where applicable for any periods living or working abroad.
Equal Opportunities and Armed Forces Community Covenant
South Lanarkshire Council is an Equal Opportunities employer and encourages applications from all members of the community. As a user of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum competency/behaviour requirements for the position.
South Lanarkshire Council is committed to providing support to members of the armed forces, veterans and their families which is set out in the Armed Forces Community Covenant. Veterans are guaranteed an interview who meet the minimum requirements for the position.
Please note we do not accept CVs, any submitted will be disregarded. If you require to submit additional information to support your application, please upload this under supporting documents.