Job Description

Biodiversity Net Gain Officer

Employer

Kingston Council

Location(s)

Kingston

Contract Type

Fixed Term

Length of Employment / Contract End Date

12 months

Working Hours

Full Time

Grade

I

Hours Per Week

36

Salary Range

\xc2\xa341,793 - \xc2\xa346,857

Salary Basis

Per annum

Leave Entitlement

30 days

Application Deadline

24/09/2023, 23:55

Anticipated Interview Date(s)

1/2/3 October 2023

About the Borough

This special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.

Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston\'s riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.

Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London - with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.

Kingston\'s people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.

We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston\'s key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.

Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.

About the Role

Responsible for effectively preparing, developing and managing activities relating to the preparation of an effective Biodiversity Net Gain strategy and then for its ongoing delivery consistent.

• Responsibility for the preparation stages of BNG and then the ongoing delivery of BNG as it evolves within the Council and any further requirements from DEFRA which needs a changed approach.

• Provide ecological advice and comment on all planning applications reviewing submitted Environmental Impact Statements as required.

• Work closely with the Council\'s Biodiversity Officer to ensure consistency of approach and joined up working as far as practical.
• Develop policy, site criteria and delivery arrangements to underpin offsite BNG
• Delivery, working with other service areas of the Council as appropriate.
• Survey and monitor identified locations for habitat creation and calculate baseline and enhancement / creation values.
• Liaise with leaseholders of Council owned land and private landowners to identify potential offsite options, including preparation of a provisional project list.

About Us

We are recruiting for a highly motivated and experienced individual to develop effective biodiversity net gain (BNG) processes and systems for the Council, and to ensure that all new development within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames secures successful biodiversity net gain delivery either on site or through off site delivery in accordance with our policies and the requirements of the Environment Act 2021

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is an ambitious, forward thinking London Borough with a substantial growth and regeneration agenda. Our ambition is matched by our strong desire to work with our communities to deliver these improvements whilst continuing to preserve and enhance our historical buildings and natural environment, parks and gardens and remain one of the best shopping destinations to visit in the UK.

We are looking for a Biodiversity Net Gain Officer to work in the Development Management Team within the wider Planning Service. The successful candidate will lead on discharging our obligation to secure Biodiversity Net Gains across the Borough.

About You

The successful candidate will be required to have a professional qualification to degree level, in ecology or equivalent subject including Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental (CIEEM) or directly equivalent organisation. You will need to have practical experience or detailed knowledge and understanding in the use of the current DEFRA BNG Metric and the small sites metric.

Experience of the undertaking and/or use of ecological assessments and surveys, ideally within either the local authority planning or related sector is essential, including experience of working with the planning policy, development management and control processes.

Ability to demonstrate experience of effectively managing multiple projects and initiatives to promote biodiversity and related nature based solutions or have the aptitude and ability to do so in a local authority environment. Experience of developing and maintaining productive and collaborative working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, statutory agencies, partnerships and community groups would be a beneficial attribute.

Naturally this position requires good levels of numerical, literacy and analytical skills and knowledge and understanding of UK legislation, national and regional planning policies with regard to biodiversity, habitats and species.

Our Offer To You

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. The COVID-19 pandemic has required us to be even more flexible in how we work and manage staff workloads, ensuring they have the correct equipment and resources to be able to maximise their talents and looking after their wellbeing.

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
• 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

Application Process

Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Additional Information

We pride ourselves on being a diverse, tolerant and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.

We are proud to be recognised as a Disability Confident employer, and 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 the 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.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.

Important Information - Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames