Compliance and Monitoring Officer – Braintree District Council
Braintree, Essex
Full-Time, Temporary
37 Hours per Week
6 Months Contract
£20.00 PAYE / £25.61 Umbrella per hour
Closing Date: Monday 24th August 2026
Essex County Council are delighted to be advertising the role of Compliance and Monitoring Officer on behalf of Braintree District Council.
Due to the nature of this role, the successful candidate will be required to work on-site, 5 days per week.
The Opportunity:
- To support the Operations Manager in ensuring compliance with all relevant Health & Safety legislation, regulations, policies, procedures and industry best practice across Operational Services.
- To undertake compliance monitoring, workplace inspections, audits and on-the-job assessments to ensure employees, contractors and service areas operate safely and in accordance with statutory and Council requirements.
- To identify areas of non-compliance and service improvement, providing advice, guidance and practical recommendations to managers and employees.
- To develop, deliver and coordinate operational health and safety training, toolbox talks and competency assessments.
- To investigate incidents, accidents, near misses, complaints and breaches of procedure, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions.
- To provide assurance that Council operations meet the requirements of regulatory bodies including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), DVSA, Environment Agency and other relevant statutory bodies.
- To promote a positive health and safety culture through proactive engagement, monitoring, coaching and continuous improvement.
Role Accountabilities:
Compliance and Monitoring
- Conduct planned and unannounced audits, inspections and site visits across all Operational Services including Waste, Street Cleansing, Horts and associated activities.
- Undertake regular monitoring of operational activities to ensure compliance with legislation, safe systems of work, risk assessments and Council procedures.
- Carry out route safety assessments and observations to ensure work activities can be completed safely and efficiently.
- Monitor compliance with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) requirements and take appropriate action where standards are not met.
- Ensure vehicle, equipment and workplace safety inspections are completed and recorded in accordance with Council requirements.
- Maintain accurate records of inspections, observations, audits, assessments and corrective actions.
- Monitor compliance with operator licence requirements, driver safety procedures and fleet-related health and safety standards where applicable.
- Support managers in the implementation and review of risk assessments, method statements and safe systems of work.
Training and Development
- Deliver operational health and safety training, induction programmes, refresher training and toolbox talks.
- Undertake competency assessments for operational employees and maintain associated training records.
- Identify training needs through audits, observations, performance reviews and incident investigations.
- Develop and implement, in collaboration with the relevant managers, training programmes that address legislative requirements and operational risks.
- Promote employee understanding of health and safety responsibilities, safe working practices and behavioural safety principles.
- Support managers in developing competent, compliant and safety-conscious teams.
Investigations and Assurance
- Investigate accidents, incidents, near misses, damage claims and safety concerns.
- Conduct investigations and prepare reports identifying contributory factors and recommendations.
- In collaboration with relevant manager, monitor implementation of corrective and preventative actions arising from investigations.
- Support managers during disciplinary, capability or performance processes relating to health and safety compliance where required.
- Prepare reports and performance information for management, committees and regulatory inspections.
- Assist in responding to enquiries from enforcing authorities, insurers and external auditors.
Continuous Improvement
- Support the relevant managers to analyse compliance trends, audit findings and incident data to identify emerging risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Recommend changes to procedures, equipment, training and working practices to enhance safety and operational efficiency.
- Support the development, implementation and review of policies, procedures and compliance frameworks.
- Support work to benchmark against industry standards and best practice to drive continuous service improvement.
- Promote a culture of personal responsibility, accountability and continuous improvement throughout Operations.
Operational Support
- Provide professional advice and guidance to managers, supervisors and employees on health and safety matters.
- Maintain effective working relationships with trade union representatives, contractors, external bodies and regulatory agencies.
- Support the delivery of departmental and corporate projects where compliance expertise is required.
- Participate in emergency response arrangements and provide support during operational incidents as required.
- Attend meetings, inspections and site visits both during and outside normal working hours where operational needs dictate.
The Experience You Will Bring:
- Experience within local government, waste management, street cleansing, transport or operational services.
- Experience of undertaking health and safety inspections, audits and compliance monitoring.
- Experience of delivering workplace training and competency assessments.
- Working knowledge of Health and Safety legislation and associated regulations.
- Experience of conducting workplace accident and incident investigations.
- Experience of producing detailed reports and recommendations.
- Ability to build a rapport with and provide clear guidance and direction.
- Excellent understanding of health and safety legislation, guidance and best practice.
- Strong auditing, inspection and compliance monitoring skills.
- Ability to identify hazards, assess risks and recommend proportionate control measures.
- Excellent investigative, analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Strong report writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to influence and challenge constructively at all levels of the organisation.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Good organisational and time management skills.
- Competent IT skills including Microsoft Office and compliance management systems.
- Ability to analyse data and identify performance trends.
- Ability to work independently and prioritise workloads effectively.
What you should do next
If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website. If you have any queries relating to this post, please email Ashleigh.Drake@essex.gov.uk
