Inspector (Contracts)
About the job
Salary: £30,024 - £32,597 a year plus £963 essential car user allowance pro rata
Hours per week: 14.8
Contract type: Permanent
Luton Council is seeking an Inspector (Contracts) to support the safe, compliant and effective delivery of passenger transport services across the borough. This role is central to ensuring that transport providers meet contractual requirements, relevant legislation and Council regulations, helping to deliver high-quality services for residents.
You will monitor all contract and agreement arrangements with transport providers, ensuring full compliance with Conditions of Contract. This includes checking that vehicles are legally compliant and that staff working on vehicles hold valid official contractor badges. You will deliver a programme of inspections across both contracted operators and the Council’s internal fleet, carrying out random checks and targeted inspections where issues or concerns have been identified.
You will manage the official contractor badge process, monitoring and processing applications, checking documentation such as enhanced DBS certificates and training records, issuing badges, and maintaining accurate staffing records. You will maintain regular communication with contractors to ensure compliance is sustained.
The role includes undertaking passenger risk assessments and providing advice on contract arrangements, including vehicle suitability, staff qualifications and service delivery. You will work closely with the Passenger Transport Unit and client departments to support safe and effective transport provision.
You will inspect contractor premises and review documentation as part of contract management activity, ensuring adherence to contract specifications. Accurate contract performance records will be maintained, including inspections, complaints, monitoring outcomes and defaults, using the Council’s transport management systems.
You will maintain regular contact with day centre managers, headteachers, clients, Council departments and external transport operators to address performance standards and service issues. Office cover will be provided as required to support service continuity.
Occasionally, you may be required to drive a Council bus to provide cover during sickness or emergency situations.
Please note this role does not attract sponsorship.
About you
You will have some experience of contracted and fleet passenger transport operations, with an understanding of how transport services are delivered and monitored. You will also have some knowledge of vehicle legislation, mechanics and vehicle components, and be confident in inspecting vehicles and checking licensing and compliance documentation.
You will be able to work effectively with minimal supervision, using your initiative to manage your workload and respond to issues as they arise. You will have the ability to prepare and present clear, accurate and well-structured reports for a range of audiences.
Good IT skills are essential. You will be competent in using the Microsoft Office Suite (or similar) and have experience of, or the ability to learn, transport scheduling and management software.
You will demonstrate a sound understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion issues and apply this knowledge in your work. You will also have a demonstrable understanding of passenger transport legislation and practices, along with some understanding of road traffic legislation and local government methods and procedures.
You will be willing to undertake relevant training as required, including safeguarding, first aid, designated safeguarding lead (DSL), autism awareness, dementia awareness, PATS training, contextual safeguarding (including FGM and radicalisation), GDPR and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The role requires you to carry out daily inspections outdoors at various sites across the borough, so you must be able to work in a mobile and practical environment. You will also be flexible in your approach to working hours, with the ability to undertake work outside normal office hours approximately once per week.
You must hold a full, current driving licence, including a D1 category.
This is a public facing role so you’ll need to show off your fluency in speaking and writing English.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision – that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty – is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.
The people of Luton depend heavily on this council – and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?
We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
Because of the nature of this job, it will be necessary for the appropriate level of criminal record disclosure to be undertaken. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare all unspent cautions and convictions; and also any adult cautions (simple or conditional), and spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020). A person’s criminal record will not in itself prevent a person from being appointed to this post. Applicants will not be refused posts because of offences which are not relevant to, and do not place them at or make them a risk in, the role for which they are applying. However in the event of the employment being taken up, any failure to disclose such offence, as detailed above, will result in dismissal or disciplinary action by the Authority.
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.
Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:
- From 25 to 32 days’ annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel
How to apply
We understand that job applications take time and effort, but a high-quality application shows that you are professional with a good attention to detail. The recruiting manager may receive a number of applications for each job advertised so you want yours to stand out!
Our ‘How to apply' page has more tips to help with your application: How to apply
Available documents
Attached documents are available under links. Clicking a document link will initialize its download.Salary range
- £30,024 - £32,597 per year