Senior Food Safety Officer

Important Information for Current Barnet Council Employees Where possible, employees who have access to Oracle are encouraged to apply via the Opportunity Marketplace (Internal Career Site). This helps to ensure applications are correctly identified as internal and avoids potential delays during the recruitment process. Protect Public Health. Support Local Businesses. Make a Difference. Salary: Grade I £44,184 - £48,519 Are you an authorised Food Safety Officer looking for your next challenge? Barnet Council is seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Food Safety Officer to join our Environmental Health & Public Protection team. Working in one of London's largest and most diverse boroughs, you'll undertake a varied range of food hygiene and food standards work across independent businesses, national retailers, manufacturers and complex food operations. This is an excellent opportunity to develop your expertise, make a meaningful impact on public health, and be part of a supportive and ambitious service committed to delivering high-quality regulatory outcomes. Why Barnet? Barnet is a diverse and growing borough with thriving town centres, vibrant communities and a broad range of food businesses. We're committed to delivering excellent public services while supporting our employees to develop and succeed. Our values guide everything we do: Caring | Learning to Improve | Inclusive | Collaborate About The Service Environmental Health & Public Protection delivers a wide range of regulatory services that help create safer, healthier and more prosperous communities. Our Food Safety Team is highly regarded for its professional approach and delivers work across:

• Food hygiene and food standards interventions
• Imported food controls
• Health and safety enforcement in food premises
• Infectious disease investigations
• Outbreak response
• Business advice and compliance support Working within this team offers exposure to a diverse range of regulatory challenges and opportunities for professional growth. About The Role As a Senior Food Safety Officer, you will help safeguard public health and support compliance with food legislation across Barnet's diverse food sector. You will undertake inspections, investigations and enforcement activities, provide advice to businesses, and contribute to the delivery of a high-performing regulatory service. What You'll Be Doing
• Undertake food hygiene and food standards inspections in accordance with the Food Law Code of Practice.
• Investigate complaints relating to food safety and food standards.
• Take proportionate enforcement action where required.
• Provide advice and guidance to food businesses.
• Contribute to infectious disease investigations and outbreak control work.
• Prepare reports, witness statements and enforcement documentation.
• Maintain accurate records and case management systems.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues and partner agencies. What We're Looking For We're looking for a motivated and professional officer who is passionate about protecting public health and delivering excellent outcomes. You will have:
• A recognised Environmental Health qualification or qualification meeting Food Standards Agency competency requirements.
• Recent experience undertaking food hygiene inspections and other regulatory interventions.
• Sound knowledge of food safety legislation and the Food Law Code of Practice.
• Strong communication, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Excellent report-writing and investigative abilities.
• The ability to manage a varied workload and work both independently and as part of a team.
• A commitment to delivering excellent customer-focused services. Why You'll Love Working Here Make a Genuine Difference Your work directly protects residents, visitors and consumers whilst helping businesses operate safely and successfully. Diverse and Interesting Work Barnet's wide range of food businesses provides exposure to challenging and rewarding regulatory work across multiple sectors. Invest in Your Professional Development We actively support continuing professional development, specialist training and competency development, helping you maintain and enhance your expertise. Flexible Ways of Working We recognise the importance of work-life balance and support flexible and hybrid working arrangements wherever operationally possible. Be Part of a Supportive Team Join experienced colleagues who value collaboration, learning and professional excellence. What We Offer
• 31 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Professional training and continuing professional development
• Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Salary sacrifice and payroll benefit schemes
• Retail, travel, leisure and lifestyle discounts
• Two paid volunteering days per year Ready to Make a Difference? Join a professional and supportive team that is passionate about protecting public health and helping businesses thrive. For an informal discussion, please contact: Andrew Willis Service Manager - Environmental Health (Commercial) ✉ andrew.willis@barnet.gov.uk Closing Date: Sunday 11th October 2026 Working for Barnet Caring
• Learning to Improve
• Inclusive
• Collaborate System notice: Some dates shown on our online application system (such as “Apply Before”) appear in US date format (MM/DD/YYYY) due to Oracle system settings. Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool to support your application as a reasonable adjustment, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn, escalated to counter Fraud for further investigation and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and hybrid working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview. We can't promise to give you exactly what you want, but we do promise not to judge you for asking. All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed. Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible. Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as any further communication regarding your application will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.