Tree & Landscape Officer Wanted - Kingston Upon Thames

About the job

• To provide a professional Arboricultural service to Council Officers, advising on all matters relating to the protection of trees and hedgerows within the Borough, including trees covered by tree preservation orders, those growing in conservation areas and protected hedgerows within the Greenbelt.
• To regularly monitor and update the register of Tree Preservation Orders and to maintain a GIS based database and mapping for Tree Preservation Orders.
• To exercise the Council’s statutory duties, inspecting, creating, serving, confirming & defending all new Tree Preservation Orders under agreement with the relevant delegated authority.
• To carry out detailed appraisals of applications & notifications made under protected tree legislation providing recommendation on decisions to your line manager.
• To provide technical advice in relation to Tree related insurance claims in conjunction with the legal department, and to adjudicate in high hedge complaints in accordance with the relevant legislation.
• To monitor compliance with arboricultural and landscape related conditions attached to planning permissions / legal agreements and manage the resolution of non-compliance.
• To hold a working knowledge of landscape structural design and implementation, the ability to correctly interpret and assess complex drawings in order to provide an input into landscaping both as the subject of planning applications and in providing advice on improvements within the public realm in cooperation with the Council's Urban Design function. 

In this role you will ensure all development management decisions relating to tree and landscape issues comply with relevant legislation, the Development Plan, and other Council plans, policies and guidelines. You will also be responsible for investigating unauthorised works to trees and providing formal advice on planning applications / discharge of condition applications and other associated applications, and for regularly monitoring and updating the Council’s Register of Tree Preservation Orders. 

The role reports directly to the Lead Officer Development Management Specialisms.

Preferred Skills

• Possess a relevant Landscape related qualification or equivalent experience.
• Possess the following minimum Arboricultural qualifications & experience:
  Arboriculture and Forestry Advanced Diploma Level 3 or equivalent, Certificated Lantra Professional Tree Inspection, Experience in Tree Risk Assessment using a recognised methodology such as QTRA (Quantified Tree Risk Assessment).
• Hold a full clean driving licence and own a vehicle insured for business use.
• Membership or eligibility for membership of recognised related professional bodies (e.g. Landscape Institute / Arboricultural Association).
• To have excellent timekeeping and the ability to prioritise tasks effectively.
• To be happy working on your own and managing your own workload but equally happy working with the team and to be able to travel around the Borough to carry out job requirements, within the required time frames.
• To hold a working knowledge of landscape structural design and implementation, the ability to correctly interpret and assess complex drawings in order to provide an input into landscaping both as the subject of planning applications and in providing advice on improvements within the public realm in cooperation with the Council's Urban Design function. 
• Able to cope with the physical demands of the job.

Benefits Offered

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Flexible and agile working arrangements
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

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About the Company

Royal Borough Of Kingston

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.