Neighbourhood Warden

About the role

Are you ready to accept the challenge of helping to create an attractive, clean and safe environment for the residents and visitors to West Northamptonshire? 

We are looking for a hardworking, practical person with the ability to think and act on their own two feet to join our Neighbourhood Warden Team.  You will be the eyes and ears of the community for a specific area of West Northamptonshire, working closely with community groups and a range of partner agencies to make a real difference to the area.  

Using a range of education and enforcement tools you will take action to deal with issues including fly tipping, littering, dog fouling, accumulations of refuse.  Our Wardens have Accredited Person status under the Police Reform Act and training will be given to help you develop your skills to carry out the role. 

You must be prepared to work outside in all weathers patrolling your area on foot and to undertake some evening and weekend work.  

The role also requires a full DBS disclosure and you must have a full drivers licence. 

We have a permanent and a 2 year fixed term position available, please state which one is your preference on your application. 

What will you be doing?

You will provide a uniformed high profile presence by patrolling and act as point of contact for local businesses, local residents and the wider community and support their involvement in community ownership. 

You will gather evidence in respect of incidents of environmental defacement including fly tipping, littering and other environmental crime and where possible will take direct action. 

Liaise with local businesses and ensure compliance under current legislation.  

You will liaise with the Police and other agencies and internal services to inform of, or investigate offences and take enforcement action under appropriate legislation, including issuing fixed penalty notices and gather evidence for further legal action.  You will ensure that all such action is taken in accordance with the Council’s enforcement policy and procedures. 

About you

• Experience of working in a community environment and dealing with businesses and members of the public in difficult situations.   
• Knowledge of Environmental Crime 
• A valid current driving licence 
• Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication /interpersonal skills to forge relationships with the local community and businesses and encourage motivate and enthuse in order to facilitate positive change. 
• To be able to deal with difficult situations and resolve conflict. 
• Prioritising/organising heavy workload and use own initiative to set priorities, meet targets, monitor, evaluate and to review own workload. 

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme. 
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. 

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU  

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.