Arboricultural Officer

Job Description

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) is passionate about providing high quality services to our communities, residents and businesses and this means we need to employ and retain the most talented and dedicated people. Situated within the heart of the Cambridge-PeterboroughGrowth Area, Huntingdonshire is a beautiful district that boasts thriving market towns and many attractive villages, each with its own identity. We are an innovative and forward-thinking Local Authority whose residents are at the heart of our decision making.With demonstrable knowledge of and experience in providing advice on tree matters, the Arboricultural Officer will help to create, protect and enhance the Districts environment through the provision of specialist technical advice.We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate with good interpersonal skills who will have a degree or similar in Arboriculture or a related subject and have a passion for protecting and enhancing the tree populations.You will have relevant experience of providing specialist arboricultural advice in relation to all scales of development proposals and will work alongside a range of planning professionals and other specialists as part of a busy and supportive team. Theability to effectively negotiate with applicants is key and you will have experience of working with a range of external stakeholders.This role will require you to have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation surrounding protected trees, planning and associated environmental matters and be able to effectively apply this to a range of situations.You will be confident at interpretating and explaining complex arboricultural matters and using your experience to effectively represent the organisation at formal hearings, inquiries and provide support to the Councils Enforcement Team during investigations.We are looking for an individual with experience of tree assessment and surveying, who can review technical arboricultural information and make accurate judgements in relation to tree management in a range of situations. Managing arboricultural projects will form a key part of the role and you will be lead on a range of actions agreed under the Councils Tree Strategy, along with providing updates on the progress of tasks and explaining any proposed changes to Authority Membersand senior officers. An in depth understanding of the making and management of protected trees is essential and you will have experience of assessing applications and notifications for tree works, as well as ensuring replanting is undertaken.As a customer facing service, you will need to have the confidence, skills and expertise to liaise with a range of parties, groups and individuals. You must be able to communicate effectively and clearly, both verbally and in writing with applicants, colleagues,Authority Members and local communities on tree related matters.The ability to organise your workload and work independently in the face of competing priorities is an essential requirement, together with well developed IT and record-keeping skills.This role will require you to be present at site visits and you must be comfortable working in various locations as well as being partly officed based. You must possess a valid UK driving licence. Currently we are working 1 day a week in the office withthe remainder of the work split between site visits and remote working.Should you have any additional questions regarding submitting an application, please contact our Recruitment team.Closing date for completed applications is 28th July 2022 but we are interviewing candidates on a rolling basis and therefore reserve the right to close the role earlier than the date listed should this role be appointed to. Candidates are therefore requestedto apply at their earliest convenience.Please note that the official closing date is as above and will be the correct date. Some third party websites may have different dates so please always refer to the HDC website for the official closing date to ensure you do not miss out on applying.For many of our roles (and where it is possible) we are currently working remotely and anticipate in the future returning to a hybrid office model on a flexible basis. This will still include work from home and flexi-time opportunities in order to providea good work life balance whilst still ensuring that teams benefit from in person interaction. Candidates should therefore be within commutable distance of our offices in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire or able to attend meetings as required if further afield.As an employer who values diversity of thought, we seek to employ candidates from a range of backgrounds in order to make our organisation more innovative. We are seeking candidates who are looking for their next career opportunity on a full-time, part-timeor condensed hours basis. We will consider any flexible arrangements and are a supportive employer, enabling our staff to work in an environment that produces high standards of work in an employee-led environment.Our benefits include: A highly competitive Local Government Pension Scheme Pension An array of services, networks and training to support your health and wellbeing such as Mental Health First Aiders and access to our Employee Assistance Programme which includes financial guidance, wellbeing support and family counselling, amongst otherservices. Generous holiday entitlement dependent upon length of service Heavily discounted gym membership at our One Leisure Centres and Training Shed One Leisure Tailored learning and development on an individual basis including access to Bookboon which has over 1500 resources dedicated to development Career progression opportunities including apprenticeships of all levels Enhanced policies in many areas Flexi time & hybrid working (role permitting) Cycle to work scheme Occupational Health Programme Digital Parking Permit Long Service Award

Keyskills :
ArboricultureTree Planting