About the Borough
This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.
Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.
Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.
Kingston’s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.
We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston’s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.
Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.
About the Role and our Ideal Candidate
This role sits within the Residents and Communities directorate, within the Green Spaces team.
It is responsible for effectively managing, developing and promoting activities relating to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) conservation and ecology in parks, open spaces, conservation areas and trees. However, the role will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, particularly in our Neighbourhoods, Strategy, Climate, Planning, Public Health and Regeneration teams.
In order to successfully deliver the responsibilities of the role, you will need to:
Question and challenge ways of working, with an understanding of the bigger picture in terms of the corporate context and external environment
Demonstrate agility and adaptability in mindset and ways of working
Work successfully with key stakeholders within and outside of the Council
Demonstrate commitment to own personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the role
Demonstrate innovation and creativity
Actively engage in positive cross organisational communications and team working
Communicate clearly, confidently and appropriately with colleagues using the best methods of communication for the task.
Role specific skills:
Qualification in an ecological based discipline.
Membership of CIWEM or equivalent.
Experience of developing and maintaining productive and collaborative working relationships with a wide range of community groups and volunteers
Considerable experience of working in a nature conservation/ ecology position
Ability to produce work schedules, contract specifications and management plans for conservation sites
Stakeholder management skills and a focus on customer satisfaction
Experience in securing external funding and managing budgets
Knowledge and understanding of UK legislation and planning policies with regard to biodiversity, habitats and species
About Us
The Green spaces team manages the operational delivery of the Council's grounds maintenance and arboriculture contracts, as well as the continued development and improvement of parks, open spaces and sites important for nature conservation.
The post holder will primarily be responsible for delivering the aims and objectives of the Council’s Biodiversity action plan, along with associated projects which will include projects to enhance access and inclusivity, community participation, nature recovery and health and wellbeing.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident .