Street Markets Team Leader WCC619934

Job Details:

Salary range: £54,684 - £74,487 per annum
Work location: Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, Westminster, SW1E 6QP
Hours per week: 36  
Contract type: Permanent
Closing date: 21 February 2025 

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF KEITH’S TRANSFORMATIONAL WORK 

Public Protection & Licensing in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories. Where people like Keith and his team are passionate about keeping our borough clean, safe, healthy and free of pests.

Pest control might not sound like the most glamorous job, but to Keith it’s the best job in the world. As our Senior Pest Control Technician, it’s his task to see that Westminster is kept free of the sort of pests which can cause worry, fear, discomfort and – in the worst cases – illness. He and his dedicated team work tirelessly across the entire borough, from restaurants and cafés to parks and gardens, and from shops and offices to houses and flats.

Keith started his career in research and development for the private sector, before becoming a field biologist and then joining us here in Westminster. To begin with he was on a two year contract but when this was about to end he was asked to stay, and he’s been here ever since, working his way up the career ladder, and is now leading his team.

No two days are the same for him and the team, but the best ones are when they’re called out to help a family who are suffering from an infestation of – for example – mice, and this is not only making their lives a misery, but is creating unhealthy living conditions. But once the team have finished their work all of a sudden the family’s lives are transformed, they feel safer living in their own home, and can sleep peacefully at night without the worry discomfort and noise of tiny little feet scurrying around.

And on top of this, he believes that if you love your job, and are passionate about what you can achieve, you can build a fulfilling, rewarding and truly life-changing career at Westminster. 

The Role:

As a Street Markets Team Leader, you can make your own powerful contribution by helping our markets become the best they can be. 

For many years, Westminster’s markets have been left predominantly as they were, with many traders only having contact with council staff when enforcements have been taken against them or when problem have arose. We therefore have much work to do in better managing and nurturing the potential of these markets and our relationship with the traders, so this as an exciting opportunity to change things for the better. 

We want the traders to know they can rely on us to help them achieve even more in their activities, so you will become a trusted face in their community as you build relationships with them, and confidently manage their day-to-day operations. Not only that, but you will be a trusted ally to our local communities and businesses, ensuring their concerns and ideas are listened to, so that you can build a flourishing market environment in which everyone is benefitting. 

As this is a newly-created team, you will have plenty of autonomy to embrace new ways of working, and identify areas for improvement. Guiding the work of two Street Market Officers, you will oversee the operations of all markets in the area, seeing to it that they are operating successfully and safely. As the council’s go-to expert on all street market issues, you will handle everything from ensuring compliance and that enforcement action is taken by other council staff where relevant, through to managing resources and driving consistency across all sites. You will ensure the team are handling all trader, resident, shop owner and community group enquiries efficiently, balancing their needs so that we can deliver an optimal environment for everyone affected by the street markets. 

With the chance to get directly involved in market-life, you will also manage the daily operations of Strutton Ground and Tachbrook Markets, ensuring they are set-up and dismantled safely – so every day will present you with a unique array of challenges!

Please refer to the Job Description for more information. 

About You:

Whether forging contingency plans so that the markets can operating successfully in every situation, or exploring new cross-council strategies that will increase community engagement with the markets, this is a deeply fulfilling role with the scope to get involved in every aspect of our exceptional markets. To be equal to the role, we will therefore expect you to have a background in managing teams delivering street-based services, ideally in a street market setting. With a good knowledge of regulatory and compliance standards relating to food, beverage, market or public space operations, you will have a comprehensive understanding of the relevant legislation. 

This role requires an inspirational leader, who has a strong operational and strategic approach to getting things done – so you will also have strong communication skills, and you will be willing to work in every weather. With the physical ability to contribute to market set-up and takedown, you will bring an unwavering approach to maintaining safe standards, so we will also expect you to be adept at keeping records. Crucially, you will be an organised individual as you will need to manage competing priorities across multiple markets, so a calm, problem-solving demeanour will serve you well. 

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.

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.