Ecology Officer

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council has an exciting opportunity for an Ecology Officer to join our busy Ecology Team within the Planning and Environment department. This is a full-time, permanent position, with one of the country’s leading Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain teams.

About us

The Ecology Team is a busy, professional and friendly team made up of qualified Ecology Officers and Biodiversity Net Gain Officers. Together we work to protect, promote and manage the unique natural environment of Buckinghamshire. The Ecology Team is part of the Council’s wider Environment and Climate Change team, within the Planning and Environment directorate. The Ecologists work alongside other specialist teams, including heritage, archaeology, urban design and landscape, arboriculture and the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Record Centre (BMERC).

This is an exciting time to join Buckinghamshire Council. The ecology team have been leading the way nationally on Biodiversity Net Gain, setting up two of the first habitat banks in the region and providing templates and guidance to other authorities through the Planning Advisory Service. Working with us will give you the chance to work on a range of large and small-scale developments, as well as some of our existing projects. Partnership work is key to the success of this project and successful applicants will work with some of the key environmental stakeholders in the region, especially the Bucks and Milton Keynes Natural Environment Partnership. Come and join our fantastic, expanding team while developing your professional career at the same time.

Buckinghamshire is a beautiful place to live and work. We pride ourselves on our great working ethos, our professionalism, our adaptability and our flexible working. We recognise that training is an essential part of any technical role and pride ourselves on offering excellent training opportunities and Continuing Professional Development.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

As an Ecology Officer you will provide authoritative ecological advice, guidance and support to colleagues, customers and stakeholders. You will provide pre application advice on ecology issues, undertake ecology screening visits and respond to planning consultations from the planning teams. You will at times need to represent the authority at planning appeals through written representations, informal hearings and public inquiries. You will also have a strategic role in helping in the development of our Buckinghamshire Local Plan, our Local Nature Recovery Strategy, and advising on Neighbourhood Plans, green infrastructure, tree planting projects and other County-wide policies.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

The successful candidate will have:

• Demonstrable experience of ecological planning advice or consultancy
• Experience of working with biodiversity net gain calculations
• Demonstrable knowledge of the terrestrial ecology, habitats and species of lowland England
• Knowledge of legislation and policy and guidance relating to habitats and species
• Qualifications to degree level in natural or environmental science or equivalent
• Ideally be working towards holding protected species licences (e.g. bat and GCN)
• Good Project Management experience and the ability to implement change

Other information

Closing date 16th June 2024. Interviews will be in person.

Please see the job summary for further details about our role.

Please contact Eliza Alqassar if you have any questions: [email protected]

For an informal chat about this role in more detail, please contact Eliza Alqassar on 01296 383798.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the  Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Planning, Growth and Sustainability directorate works with partners to help shape the future of Buckinghamshire. We deliver services on planning, economic growth, regeneration, strategic infrastructure, transport and property.

Our key priorities include developing the economic narrative for Bucks, creating more jobs and delivering the right infrastructure to help businesses and residents thrive. We also aim to provide a proactive planning service that is responsive, whilst making the best use of the Council’s land and property portfolio. This will in turn support community services and create housing, jobs, regeneration and income to support public services.

It’s a great time to join one of our teams. As part of the Planning, Growth and Sustainability function you will not only get to help shape the economic future of Buckinghamshire; you’ll also be involved in delivering high-profile development projects and work on some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the UK. You will support us to deliver the results that our local residents and businesses deserve.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.