Dangerous Goods Consultant
| Posting date: | 20 May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £35,663 to £38,844 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 17 June 2024 |
| Location: | Leatherhead |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 349264/1 |
Summary
Do you have a keen eye for detail and take pride in your level of accuracy?
Would you embrace the opportunity to enhance public safety through effective regulation of transporting dangerous goods?
If so, we have an opportunity available within the Dangerous Goods Office and would love to hear from you!
The primary responsibility of the Dangerous Goods (DG) Consultant is to assess applications for UN packaging approval and come to a decision. This involves liaising with customers and test stations and reviewing test reports to verify compliance with the regulations.
The DG consultant is responsible for responding to applications in a timely manner and meeting key performance indicators. To aid in this, the role includes line management responsibility over one EO (Executive Officer), who will provide administrative support.
A typical week will involve responding to customer enquiries, ensuring that all questions and concerns are addressed promptly and accurately. Another important task is to provide the Department for Transport (DfT) with expertise in relation to the dangerous goods regulations - for example the potential impact of a change to the packaging requirements.
This role also includes routine visits to drum reconditioner sites to assess operations and provide necessary guidance. In this role a keen attention to detail is essential. Excellent organisation skills are also necessary, as multiple tasks and projects will need to be managed simultaneously. The role demands a strong customer focus to ensure all customer requirements are addressed promptly and accurately.
The dangerous goods office is currently undergoing a digitalisation process as part of a VCA-wide digital transformation programme. The VCA has invested heavily to improve work processes and increase efficiency. The postholder will be expected to engage with this programme and will have the chance to influence the way in which the Dangerous Goods Office operates going forwards.
Where the job sits within the Agency
Dangerous goods are vital to many sectors, such as construction, energy supply, food production, defence, information technology, and the healthcare. Through effective regulation, the Department for Transport (DfT) seeks to minimise the risks in transporting dangerous goods by ensuring they are transported in a way that protects the population and the environment.
The VCA Dangerous Goods Office (DGO), an executive agency of DfT, is responsible for approving containment systems, ensuring they conform to regulations and are suitable for the safe carriage of dangerous goods. These can range in size from small packaging (boxes, jerrycans, drums etc.), aerosols and gas cylinders through to road tankers and globally used tank containers all come under this remit. Some of the approval streams are issued in-house and others by bodies deemed suitable to undertake test and inspection, for example, of larger tanks and pressure receptacles. Our work includes the assessment, appointment and supervision of suitable inspection and test bodies and providing a central database for the certification of packaging and tanks respectively.
Your duties will include but not limited to;
- Management of the Dangerous Goods Packaging Approval process.
- Managing the priority and issuing of Dangerous Goods Packaging Approval Certificates to target timescales.
- Managing and maintaining the dangerous goods packaging approval database and engaging with the team lead in planning for a replacement system.
- Leading on preparations for the annual certification invoicing run.
- Preparing documents for the Packaging Scheme Review Committee (PSRC), liaising with VCA’s Finance section on accounts matters.
- Arranging a programme of audit visits to packaging reconditioners in the UK and the annual Ministry of Defence (MoD) packaging audit.
- Collectively answering packaging and general queries, by telephone and email.
- Line management responsibilities (currently one member of staff), accountable for training, development, monitoring performance, prioritising and organising the distribution of workload.
- Answer dangerous goods enquiries from industry and the public in a concise, accurate and timely manner.
- Make considered contributions to improve the dangerous goods carriage regime, participating in meetings as appropriate, including overseas if necessary.
- Develop competency in other VCA DGO workstreams sufficient to cover for colleagues when required.
- Work within VCA Quality Management System to ensure high quality standards are maintained.
For more information, please see the role profile attached.