Environmental Health Officer

Opportunity Overview

Auckland Council's Food & Health Licensing team is seeking an Environmental Health Officer to join one of our teams located in South, Central, or Northwest Auckland. This position is essential in safeguarding public health by enforcing safe food handling practices, licensing health and hygiene operators, and ensuring the community’s confidence in places where they eat, visit, and work. You will play a critical role in helping businesses comprehend their legal responsibilities, promoting voluntary compliance, and contributing to a safer, healthier Tāmaki Makaurau.

As a member of a collaborative and professional team that emphasizes continuous development, your contributions will directly support the Council's mission to enhance the wellbeing of Auckland residents.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct inspections and verifications of registered food businesses to ensure adherence to relevant legislation, bylaws, and regulations.
• Manage registration of food premises and issue licenses for health and hygiene operators.
• Complete scheduled inspections while effectively managing workload to achieve key performance indicators and service standards.
• Establish and maintain positive relationships with business owners, law enforcement agencies, public health officials, and other industry stakeholders.
• Escalate compliance and enforcement concerns as necessary.
• Maintain thorough and accurate records of inspections, verifications, and time, while actively contributing to improvements in the Quality Management System.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will possess proven experience in environmental health roles, strong knowledge of food safety, public health legislation, and regulatory compliance. A calm, solution-oriented demeanor combined with excellent communication skills will enable you to foster trust across diverse groups. You work well independently and collaborate effectively within a team environment. You are motivated by assisting businesses to achieve success while prioritizing public safety.

In this demanding role, you will demonstrate exceptional organizational skills, resilience, and professionalism under pressure. A commitment to outstanding customer service, with a proactive ownership attitude, is essential.

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Application of health and food laws, regulations, bylaws, and codes of practice through inspections, verifications, and compliance assessments.
• Expert problem-solving abilities and experience managing complex or escalated issues.
• Strong relationship management and clear communication skills across varied audiences.
• Experience working within an IANZ-accredited or comparable quality management system.
• Possession of a recognized tertiary qualification in environmental health compliant with the Environmental Health Officers Qualifications Regulations 1993.
• Minimum of three years’ experience in environmental health or related inspection/verification capacities.
• Maintaining Approved Verifier accreditation (ISO or MPI approved) while working under a recognized quality management system.

A valid, clear New Zealand driver’s license is mandatory due to the travel requirements of the role.

What We Offer

Auckland Council is the largest local government authority in Oceania, serving more than 1.7 million residents and committed to making Tāmaki Makaurau a world-class city. We offer a variety of employee benefits and support flexible working arrangements where possible.

The salary for this position ranges from $88,528 to $93,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience, with additional employer contributions to KiwiSaver.

Other Important Information

• This role is classified as safety-sensitive and will require successful completion of a pre-employment drug and alcohol test prior to employment offer.

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Applicants requiring support or accommodation during recruitment are encouraged to notify us to enable assistance.

Note: Employees who currently benefit from salary protection or previous Council terms and conditions, including relocation, will retain those benefits if remaining in their current role. Changing position (excluding temporary assignments) will result in a new employment agreement under the standard Auckland Council terms.