Role Responsibility
Salary: £47,990 £53,446 | Contract: Fixed-term (3 years)
Location: Ashford, Kent (flexible home working with regional travel)
Kent County Council is seeking an experienced enforcement professional to lead regional efforts tackling the illegal tobacco trade across Trading Standards Authorities in the South East. This pivotal role supports the Governments 2024 strategy, Stubbing Out the Problem, and builds on Operation CeCe, a joint initiative between National Trading Standards, Trading Standards South East Limited and HMRC.
You will coordinate multi-agency enforcement activity, develop intelligence-led strategies, and act as the regional point of contact for 16 local authorities in the South East, HMRC, and other enforcement partners. The role also involves mentoring apprentices, managing budgets for enforcement resources, and delivering training across the region.
We are looking for candidates with:
1. A professional qualification in regulatory enforcement (e.g. DCATS, DTS)
2. Significant experience in criminal or regulatory enforcement
3. Strong knowledge of enforcement legislation and intelligence-led operations
4. Excellent communication, analytical, and organisational skills
5. Ability to deliver effective training and develop new Officers
6. Ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner is essential
Police vetting to NPPV Level 2 is required.
Kent County Council offers flexible working, generous leave, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, and a wide range of staff benefits.
This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.
This post is subject to a Basic Disclosure Application to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.
Closing date: 20th April 2026