Salary: £34,434 - £38,220
Grade: I
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire
Selby and Harrogate Area
Are you passionate about protecting our environment and ensuring the well-being of our communities? North Yorkshire Council is seeking a dedicated and driven Environmental Protection Officer to join our team. As an Environmental Protection Officer, you will play a crucial role in safeguarding the natural environment and public health across North Yorkshire.
Our Service
The Environmental Protection Service is responsible for the investigation of noise and other statutory nuisances, public health duties including investigation of pest and drainage issues; the enforcement of private water supply legislation and the licencing and enforcement of standards at caravan sites.
The Role
Technical Officers play a vital role by investigating a wide range of complaints related to noise, pests, and pollution such as smoke, dust, vibration, and other environmental health concerns. This is a rewarding role in which you can make a real difference to people’s lives, wellbeing, and the environment they live in. It’s also very varied meaning no two days are ever the same!
An example day in the life…
Your day might begin with a phone call from a concerned resident reporting a noise disturbance. You will listen carefully, ask questions to understand the issue, explain our procedures, and provide advice. Depending on the situation, you might arrange a same day visit to witness the disturbance first-hand or you may decide it’s more appropriate to send out a noise diary for monitoring before taking further steps.
You may also decide it’s appropriate to collaborate with other departments or external agencies to gather more information or coordinate support. This could involve sharing concerns for a vulnerable resident (social care/community safety), enquiring about potential breaches of planning conditions (planning enforcement), or seeking expert advice (e.g., pest control). You will work closely with other teams to take a holistic approach to solving your cases and to achieve the best possible outcomes.
The rest of your morning may then be spent managing your caseload. This includes drafting letters, updating complainants, reviewing evidence, and deciding on the most appropriate course of action. In the afternoon, you may be out in the community conducting site visits to witness reported disturbances, installing noise monitoring equipment, or supporting Environmental Health Officers on more complex investigations.
Your work will be guided by a range of legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, and the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. When necessary, you may need to take enforcement action which could involve serving formal notices such as Abatement Notices or Community Protection Warnings or in more serious cases, you may be required to prepare evidence for legal proceedings.
Technical Officers licence and inspect holiday and residential caravan sites and they inspect and test private water supplies under relevant legislation, both areas may require enforcement. If you have previous experience in customer facing roles, have a passion for helping people and have a good ability to work from your own initiative then this might just be the job for you. If this sounds like something you might be interested in or would like to learn more before applying, we’d love to hear from you.
What you will bring
The key skills are:
1. Communication
2. Good observation skills, an eye for detail
3. Excellent & accurate record keeping
4. Problem solving
5. Building rapport
6. Willingness to act when needed
7. Knowledge of the legislative framework or a strong commitment to learning this.
8. Teamwork and working independently
9. Safeguarding knowledge or a strong commitment to learning this.
10. Skills to guide, educate, and impart advice
Working for us
When you join us, you are entitled to our outstanding benefits and wellbeing plan as part of your position. Our holiday entitlement starts at 28 days rising to 34 days (pro-rata) per year with continued service, plus public holidays. Pension: save for your retirement with our generous local government pension scheme. Fitness & Rewards: Fitness discounts with various Gyms across the county. Stay on top of your game and save £££. Lifestyle Savings: explore a huge range of discounts to help you save money across hundreds of the UK’s favourite high-street and online retailers. Plus lots more…
Contact and Apply If you are interested in learning more about our opportunity, please contact Ben Hymers on ben.hymers@northyorks.gov.uk for an informal conversation.
Key Documents
Key Dates
Closing date: 29 August 2025
Interview date: week commencing 08 September 2025
Venue for interview: to be confirmed
NYC is committed to directly recruiting staff and will not accept applications nor services from agency suppliers in respect of our vacancies.
We are committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and aim to have a workforce reflecting this diversity. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
North Yorkshire Council’s purpose is to deliver services and facilities to the diverse residents and visitors of North Yorkshire. To ensure we deliver inclusive services, we strive to have a diverse workforce where everybody can be themselves by respecting differences and embedding equality of opportunity. We celebrate diversity and recognise each other’s contributions; we therefore welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds.