Biodiversity Lead Officer - Interims
Swindon
Contract
£44.45 per hour PAYE or £55 per hour limited paid via Umbrella company inside IR35
Our client is looking for an experienced Biodiversity Lead Officer - Interims. To provide senior level ecological and arboricultural expertise to support the delivery of the council's planning functions in a customer-focused and solutions-led way, creating the right conditions for accelerating high-quality development and supporting sustainable growth in Swindon.
To ensure the Council's responsibilities and powers under the Planning Acts in relation to all matters of ecology and trees are discharged. This includes but is not limited to providing solutions-based advice on major development proposals and contributing to relevant policy creation which promotes ecology, biodiversity, and habitat creation across the Borough.
Through your Manager, support the Chief Planning Officer to unlock planning barriers and provide the appropriate policy context to support key regeneration projects, transform the town centre, and support the council's emerging new ways of localities working.
Key Accountabilities
1. Interpret relevant legislation to provide ecological and arboricultural advice on major development proposals.
2. Contribute to the formulation and monitoring of Development Plan policies and supplementary planning documents relating to ecology and trees.
3. Work closely with the Strategic Lead for Sustainability & Climate Change to engage with Natural England and other national, regional, and local bodies on matters of ecology and trees including biodiversity, habitats, and related aspects of environmental laws.
4. Lead on ecology projects and initiatives including (but not limited to) the District Level Licensing (DLL) scheme and Nature Recovery Networks (NRN).
5. Provide consultee advice as necessary on applications for significant works to protected trees (Tree Preservation Orders & Trees in a Conservation Area) and work to ensure the Borough's tree stock is actively reviewed and appropriately recorded through GIS platforms.
6. Provide expert advice on quantified tree risk assessment, including dangerous trees, and particularly tree-related subsidence claims should these emerge.
7. Provide training and updates to colleagues on any aspects of Ecology, and keep planning teams informed of key changes to or initiatives around Environmental legislation, systems, or processes.
8. Ensure that the culture, behaviours, and shared values that make the Council successful are embedded across the service and create an effective and efficient working environment to deliver Council priorities and pledges.
Supplementary Accountabilities
1. Where necessary, support elected members to see solutions to complex ecological and arboricultural issues and take strategic planning decisions in line with relevant legislation and the direction of the Local Plan.
2. To be commercially aware and recognise the impacts of your day-to-day work in unlocking and supporting development.
3. Embedding and maintaining rigour of key service performance indicators and planning outputs which exceed national and local targets.
4. Through your visibility as a senior lead on ecological and arboricultural matters, provide motivational support for teams and individuals to take complex decisions.
5. To respond to queries from internal or external sources regarding ecological and arboricultural issues relating to local and/or neighbourhood policies about individual sites, including an assessment of development potential.
6. To promote the Council's policies and procedures for good records management; ensure that all information related to the post and functional responsibilities is created, maintained, stored, and retrieved in accordance with the Council's procedures and policies and legislative requirements.
Knowledge & Experience
Candidates must have substantial knowledge and experience in the following areas of business and will be required to provide evidence of this:
1. A working knowledge of relevant environmental law including (but not limited to):
1. the latest EIA Regulations (The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020),
2. Environment Act, 2021
3. Habitats Regulations (The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017),
4. the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981)
5. The Town & Country Planning Act 1990 as amended
6. All relevant advice notes, action plans, and British Standards
2. Demonstrable and relevant professional experience post-qualification in a similar work environment providing ecological and/or tree-related advice to a local planning authority as well as the ability to prepare, shape, and implement relevant planning policy and policy documents.
3. Excellent interpersonal skills and proven ability to interact with persons from a wide range of backgrounds, to engage and influence customers, partners, and stakeholders, in complex situations.
4. Excellent ICT skills including use of Microsoft applications and specialist systems.
5. Strong personal management and organisational skills, to manage a range of complex activities, to achieve given targets and objectives and flexibility to adapt to change.
6. Experience of working with existing, new and emerging statute and using statutory processes innovatively to deliver proactive and good growth outcomes for our residents.
Qualifications
1. Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification with relevant post-qualification experience. (Postgraduate MA of ecological/arboricultural nature is desirable but not essential)
2. Membership (or eligibility for membership) of CIEEM is desirable but not essential.
Decision Making
1. The postholder must take effective decisions quickly and act on their own initiative in order to resolve problems.
2. The postholder must be able to quickly get to the heart of ecological and arboricultural issues and accurately assess and manage risk.
3. Organise, plan, and deliver work to support the delivery of ecological and arboricultural matters ensuring effective prioritisation of workload.
4. Be the main point of contact for consultation advice on Arboricultural matters relating to works to TPOs, Conservation Area notifications, and Hedgerow Notices.
5. Make informed decisions on tree risk, diagnosing ill health or potential danger of structural anomalies in trees and decision-making responsibility for public safety relating to potential risks, including recommending remedial or preventative action.
Creativity and Innovation
1. The post-holder is expected to contribute to the continual review of the planning function and promote innovative methods of solving existing problems and creating new opportunities to improve the service.
2. Supports creative solutions to Council-wide issues and takes action to implement them.
3. Shows creativity in using resources to deliver cost-effective services, engaging external experts where relevant, and looking beyond the boundary of current service delivery.
PLEASE ONLY apply if you have the necessary skills, experience, and expertise. The first part of our recruitment process is to send your CV. Should you be shortlisted, Colbern Limited will contact you within 5 days or we may contact you about other job opportunities. Colbern Limited along with our clients are an equal opportunities employer.
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