A job opportunity to deploy your people skills to benefit the community...
"Ensuring that parking restrictions are enforced correctly is important to the community in itself, but there is much more to the role than that. There's an awful lot of community-based assistance."
A recruitment campaign is underway to add more than a dozen people to Warwickshire County Council's Civil Enforcement Officer (CEO) team dedicated to keeping traffic flowing and town centres accessible.
NSL, the parking enforcement contractor for the county council, is searching for 13 recruits - 12 CEOs and a supervisor - to join their team across the county.
With roles to be filled in Stratford-upon-Avon and Leamington Spa in particular, the vacancies present career opportunities which far exceed the handing out of enforcement notices.
These days, the job has evolved a million miles from the cliched, predatory 'traffic warden' so beloved of bad sitcoms.
In 2022, the role requires considerable people skills and a passion for helping the community. The perfect CEO enforces parking regulations with strength and diligence, but is also an ambassador for the council and the town in which they work.
Yvette Widdowfield, Client Account Manager at NSL explained that CEOs offer valuable support to their communities in many ways.
"These days the role is very much service-driven and community-driven," said Yvette. "CEOs patrol out on the streets ensuring that traffic is flowing and there is a turnover of parking spaces. In essence, the role is to help businesses, residents and visitors get where they want to go as quickly as possible and park where is most convenient in the time they have to do it.
"Our aim at NSL is to make sure we offer the best service we can to Warwickshire County Council while prioritising the vitality of the high streets. Ensuring that parking restrictions are enforced correctly is important to the community in itself, but there is much more to the role than that. There's an awful lot of community-based assistance in terms of giving directions and sharing local knowledge, whether that's directions to local tourist attractions or advice on where the shops and cafes are."
After a initial chat on the phone and a successful interview, prospective recruits will undertake a four-day training course before heading out on to the streets to shadow an experienced officer.
For people with adroit communication skills, the job is ideal, says NSL Operation Support Manager, Tom Ferris.
"If you are good with people, then any situation you encounter will be very easily dealt with," he said. "You meet people from all walks of life and if you are an easy going person who can communicate well then the rest comes naturally.
"I started off as a CEO and the best thing about it was that you are your own boss. You are given a beat and it's up to you how you manage that beat. There is no pressure. You don't have anybody breathing down your neck. We don't have targets so there is no pressure to issue tickets. We don't get commission because we work on behalf of a local authority.
"It is a job with career potential. There will be additional roles and progression available to new members of staff."
The recruitment project has been supported by Warwickshire Skills Hub who promoted the campaign to their network of employability groups and highlighted the opportunities by making a Future Careers film showcasing the jobs and pathways to progression that NSL offers.
The Hub also introduced the business to the Department of Work and Pensions who created and shaped a Sector Work Academy Programme (SWAP) to support people into learning more about the opportunities and what the job will entail, with a guaranteed interview with NSL at the end.
More information about the application process can be found in this video.
"The role particularly suits anybody who likes fitness and walking," added Yvette. "One member of our team said the other day, 'Effectively, I just walk 18 miles a day and do my job in the way.'
"The CEO role has a lot of freedom. They work the required hours but, within that, very much manage themselves once they're out there. They know what areas are prone to congestion or people ignoring restrictions, so focus on those areas. We concentrate on areas where there is high non-compliance and where we can try to educate the members of the public and say 'this is what this sign means if you don't understand it,' so it's very much educational."