Overview
Travel Safe Team Leader – PO121EB, United Kingdom
Job Category: Community Safety
Region / Division: UK Region
Location: Across Gosport Town Hall, Portsmouth Civic Offices and in the community
Working Hours: 37
About Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth City Council is a unique organisation, committed to making a difference, and is guided by core values that set who we are as people, what we stand for, and how we act.
We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.
Job introduction
We are looking for a Travel Safe Team Leader to join our new Travel Safe team. This is a full-time role based across Gosport Town Hall, Portsmouth Civic Offices and in the community. It is a Fixed Term Contract/Secondment until 31st March 2028.
Your new role
The Travel Safe Team is made up of one Supervisor and 6 officers. The service runs from 14:00 – 00:00 Friday and 07:00 – 00:00 Saturday and Sundays. The team will work varying 10 hour shifts. The team is a proactive, community‑focused service designed to improve safety, confidence and public experience across local transport networks. Operating on key bus routes, transport hubs and areas affected by antisocial behaviour (ASB), the service provides a visible and reassuring presence for passengers, transport staff and the wider community. Officers use a balanced approach of engagement, education and enforcement, supporting those who travel while addressing behaviours that undermine safety or cause nuisance. By working in a uniformed, accredited capacity, the service helps create cleaner, safer and more welcoming journeys for everyone.
The service works closely with a wide range of partners including Hampshire County Council, Gosport Borough Council, Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire & IOW Constabulary and local transport operators. Using intelligence, data and community feedback, officers are deployed to ASB hotspots, emerging concerns and areas needing additional reassurance. Their work includes tackling environmental ASB such as fly‑tipping and graffiti, responding to incidents in real time, and enforcing relevant legislation through Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS) powers. Through strong partnership working and a problem‑solving approach, the service supports both immediate safety needs and long‑term improvements across the local transport network.
Who is the person summary:
The ideal person for this role is a confident, proactive leader who thrives in a dynamic, public‑facing environment. They bring experience in supervision, enforcement, or community safety, and can balance operational oversight with direct engagement on the ground. They naturally foster professionalism and accountability within their team, offering coaching, guidance, and constructive feedback to ensure high standards across all shifts.
They are skilled in handling antisocial behaviour using a proportionate and balanced approach—combining engagement, education, and enforcement. Comfortable exercising powers, they can issue Fixed Penalty Notices, gather evidence, and make sound decisions under pressure. They respond quickly to incidents, apply dynamic risk assessments, and manage conflicting priorities with calm judgement and resilience.
This person is an effective communicator who builds strong relationships with passengers, transport staff, local authorities, police, and transport providers. They understand how intelligence, data, and community feedback shape effective deployment, and they embrace collaborative, problem‑solving approaches. Knowledge of ASB legislation, transport networks, or local communities such as Gosport is an advantage, alongside a willingness to undertake further training.
They are comfortable working autonomously, often during evenings, weekends, or public holidays, and can maintain a visible, uniformed presence across a wide geographical area. The right person is reliable, adaptable, and self‑motivated, with the ability to work independently without direct supervision. Above all, they care about improving public safety, enhancing the travel experience, and creating cleaner, safer and more welcoming journeys for everyone.
For full details, please review ‘who is the person’ on the job profile below attached.
Our recruitment process
Full information about our recruitment process can be found on our support for applicants’ page: Support for applicants – Careers portal
You must demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points described in the ‘Who is the Person’ points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. If you apply without a detailed personal statement, it is unlikely that you will be successful.
We are a disability confident employer and Armed Forces Covenant gold standard. More information can be found at Equality, diversity and inclusion – Careers portal
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk or call the recruitment team on 023 92 616 800.
If applying as a secondment you will need permission from your current line manager releasing you for this secondment. Please state you have this on your personal statement on the application.
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
Read more about working at Portsmouth City Council and our benefits on our career’s portal homepage: Careers Portal – Find jobs with Portsmouth City Council
Interview date: 6th March 2026.
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
