Arboriculturist (Statutory)
Job introduction
Are you passionate about trees and their protection?
Do you hold a Level 3 or equivalent arboricultural qualification?
Have you excellent communication skills?
If so, then this could be the job for you. The Arboricultural Service at Brighton & Hove City council is looking for an arboriculturist to join their busy team.
We require a qualified arboriculturist to provide a consultancy service for the Planning Department in the review, updating and enforcement of existing and new Tree Preservation Orders, and also enforcement of Conservation Area legislation relating to trees. Accurate information gathering and recording skills and site visits will form an essential part of this role.
You will be responsible for providing expert advice and guidance to other council officers, elected members, architects, contractors and the public to ensure statutory compliance with all arboricultural related matters while safeguarding the Council’s position.
About the role
The City of Brighton & Hove has a vast and diverse treescape comprising parkland, woodland and over 16,000 street trees. The city is also home to the National Elm Collection. The Arboricultural Service is responsible for maintaining all those aspects to a highly professional and safe standard.
This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified arboriculturist with a minimum Level 3 qualification to work with the existing Statutory Tree Officer in reviewing, amending and enforcing the Tree Preservation Orders in place whilst making new orders where appropriate. The aim of the job role is primarily to provide an effective response to unauthorised tree works within the city whilst ensuring existing TPOs are robust and make amendments where necessary. In addition the role requires assessing the arboricultural impact implications of proposed development, to recognise specialist engineering opportunities and effectively instigate and sustain protection measures to ensure successful planting and retention of existing trees and their health into the future.
There is a requirement to determining works to trees protected with TPOs and notifications of works to trees in Conservation Areas.
Accurate report writing skills and ability to visit sites to inspect and survey trees, often in remote and difficult locations, is a requirement of this post. In addition, there will be some tree survey work for the department and other Council sectors. Investigative work in support of the planning and enforcement team with regard to TPO contraventions and appeals will be required. The Arboriculturalist (Statutory) will provide key expert and professional advice to Council departments’ responsible for their tree stock. These areas include including the following sectors; City Parks, Housing, Cemeteries, Estates and Regeneration.
The post requires good organisation and time management skills and an in-depth understanding of BS5837 and BS3998. An understanding of effective implementation, and long-term retention and safeguarding of trees and newly planted landscaped areas within development sites is required with a good working knowledge of Arboriculture and Planning Law and TPO legislation.
The majority of the work will be reviewing existing TPOs and amending to accurately represent the changes in many of the land holdings, tree stock and development of these areas since the orders were first made. Alongside this will be the requirement to respond quickly to reports of breaches of the legislation resulting in evidence gathering, taking formal statements, conducting PACE interviews with involved parties and working with the legal department, where appropriate, to provide effective enforcement of tree protection working alongside the existing Statutory Tree Officer.
We are seeking keen, dedicated and responsible arboriculturist who can demonstrate the following qualities:
- Excellent communications skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to liaise effectively and work closely with external organisations
- Experience reviewing tree amenity value and confirming/revoking TPO status
- Awareness of Health and Safety practices in the workplace
- Experience providing Expert Witness evidence and reports
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory guidance relating to tree protection and works
- Ability to accurately record tree stock data using an IT database
- Experience costing and project managing tree work contracts
- An expert knowledge of tree diseases, particularly Elm Disease
- Availability to attend occasional out-of-hours meetings
As a minimum, candidates are required to hold Level 3 or equivalent Arboricultural Association’s Technician’s Certificate or a professional equivalent.
Candidates must hold a valid UK car driving licence.
Contracted working hours are 37 per week, Monday to Friday, occasionally, candidates may be required to attend out-of-hours meetings.
Shortlisting and interviews happen on a frequent basis, please submit applications as soon as possible. This advert will be withdrawn if the vacancy is filled with a successful applicant during the process.
For an informal discussion, please contact Peter Small - Arboriculture Manager at peter.small@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and upload a supporting statement. Your supporting statement is the most important part of your application as it will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Supporting statement guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk)) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.
Additional information
Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.
Work Permits: We may be able to obtain a Work Permit for this post but this is subject to meeting the requirements of the UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Please see Gov.uk for more information on the Skilled Worker Visa.
For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)
Company information
Encouraging a diverse workforce
Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.
Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).
We welcome applications from all sections of the community but particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, LGB, female or trans as these groups are currently under-represented in our Directorate workforce.