Principal Officer WCC622821

Job Details:

Salary range: £56,436 - £66,084 per annum. Salary negotiable depending upon experience 
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QP 
Hours per week: 36 
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: 2 March 2026

About Us:

The extraordinary story of the power of empowerment.

Environmental Health at Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where passionate and expert professionals go above and beyond for their communities every day.

Natasha started her career in the NHS. She came to Westminster to do more for vulnerable people. When a family in her community reached out to her after their heating was cut off, Natasha took their situation seriously. Living in terrible conditions, and reaching desperation, they had nowhere else to turn. Natasha stepped in, holding the landlord to account and getting them to improve conditions for the family. These are the moments that make her the proudest. Now, she uses her expertise and experience to empower others.

The Role:

As Principal Officer, you too can make a powerful contribution. Delivering a selective licensing scheme in one of the largest private rented sectors in the UK.

First, a little history. In 2021, Westminster launched a borough‑wide additional HMO licensing scheme that improved housing conditions across houses in multiple occupation. Building on that success, the Council is now exploring selective licensing to tackle poor housing standards and anti‑social behaviour in the wider private rented sector. We’re introducing selective licensing across 15 of 18 wards, going live on 24 November. You’ll be joining us at the start of this journey, helping to improve management standards in the city's private rented sector.

You’ll be dealing with some of the UK’s most complex, high-profile housing matters. To tackle them, your experienced colleagues will share their expertise and assist with your professional growth. We’re at the forefront of using data and intelligence-led approaches to housing, so you’ll enjoy access to cutting-edge tools and strategies that empower you to make real change happen.

We’ll look to you to guide a team, shape policy and drive strategy. Playing a key role in ensuring private sector accommodation meets high standards, you’ll tackle rogue landlords and enforce property licensing. You’ll support members of your team to handle complex cases that call for excellent problem-solving skills and strategic thinking.

In this role, you’ll carefully balance the expectations of residents, landlords, Council members and external agencies. You’ll work with a range of teams, legal professionals, and organisations including the police and fire service.  Taking a firm yet diplomatic approach, you’ll enforce housing regulations while engaging directly with landlords and tenants to ensure compliance. Variety is guaranteed. And whether your ambitions are in housing enforcement, policy development or leadership, this role can set you up to progress. Ultimately, you’ll improve living conditions for people and help us create a safer, fairer housing market across the borough. 

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

An experienced Environmental Health Officer, you have a background in housing. Experience working on licensing schemes, mandatory, additional or selective would be beneficial.

With a strong understanding of applying relevant legislation and regulations, you’re comfortable explaining and applying both. In particular, you have expertise in the Housing Act 2004, Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS), Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018.

An exceptional communicator, you’re able to build productive partnerships and working relationships. You’re adept at providing high level, professional/technical advice to colleagues, partners and stakeholders to contribute to the delivery of selective and additional licensing. This is paired with strong customer service skills and experience of delivering for residents at a high level.

Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.

The Council is committed to achieving diverse shortlists to support our desire to increase the number of staff from underrepresented groups in our workforce. We especially encourage applications from a Global Majority (GM), people who are Black, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or have been racialised as 'ethnic minorities' (formally known as B.A.M.E , Black, Asian and multiple ethnic) background and, while the role is open to all applicants,  we will utilise the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 to appoint a candidate from a global majority background where there is a choice between two candidates of equal merit. If you are from a Global Majority background you can self-declare this to the hiring manager as part of our positive action commitments.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city's future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit  https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application , we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.