Job Description

Overview

We are seeking someone who shares our vision for the future of Buckinghamshire and is committed to making a positive difference for our residents, businesses, and communities.

Buckinghamshire Council was created on the 1st April 2020 following the merger of five predecessor organisations. As one of the largest single unitary authorities in the UK, this is an exciting time to join us as we continue our mission to plant over half a million trees across Bucks!

By working with us, you will be an integral part of our Bucks Tree Mission.

The Junior Woodland Creation Officer s primary focus is to provide effective administrative and project support, and assist with the management of key stakeholders, to ensure the success of critical tree planting projects. This role provides a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and help us to tackle climate change. If you are excited by this position and feel like you could play a key role in bringing our ambitions to fruition, then we would love to hear from you.

About us

The Climate Response team sits within Planning & Environment and works across the whole range of climate mitigation and adaptation activity. We are a team of 6, focussed upon delivering the Council s Climate Change & Air Quality Strategy. We offer a collaborative, supportive culture in which everyone is given the opportunity to develop, take ownership of their area of work and make a tangible difference to the residents we serve.

We think this is a great opportunity, but don t take our word for it! Here are some comments made by existing members from the Climate Response Team:

I ve worked in many different jobs across the private, public and Third Sectors and the CR team is the first place I ve ever truly felt like I was part of making a genuine difference to peoples lives.
This is your opportunity to join a diverse and supportive team of committed professionals.

About the role

The Council s Climate Change and Air Quality Strategy was adopted in 2021 and includes ambitious targets for woodland creation and tree planting to mitigate and adapt to climate change in Buckinghamshire. A motion passed on 16th February 2021 to plant 543,000 trees on Council land has resulted in approximately 6,500 trees being planted in the first year of the Council Land Tree Planting Programme (CLTPP) ( 21/ 22). The Council has secured funding from the Woodland Creation Accelerator Grant for a Senior Woodland Creation Officer and a Junior Woodland Creation Officer to help deliver the 23/ 24 and 24/ 25 tree planting and woodland creation.

Meeting our challenging objectives involves a greater number of sites from our estate being evaluated regarding their potential for tree planting and an increasing amount of project management tasks related to creating and maintaining new woodland.

The programme to deliver our ambitious plans can only succeed with excellent support from our project team. The Junior Woodland Creation Officer will work closely with the Principal Climate Change Officer and Senior Woodland Creation Officer across all of the tasks related to woodland creation and maintenance. They will assist with project planning & organisation; project documentation; arranging and recording meetings with internal and external stakeholders; and assist in working with the many community based groups participating in tree planting across Buckinghamshire.

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

Experience of working on climate change projects.
Basic knowledge and understanding of forestry/woodland management.
Basic project management skills and experience, ideally in the area of climate change and/or woodland creation and maintenance.
Knowledge of relevant regulations, best practice, policies and procedures, including health and safety.
Experience of contributing to the development of service policies and practices.
Good interpersonal skills.
Ability to communicate in a professional manner with customers, partners and stakeholders.
Good planning and organisational skills, to manage a range of activities under supervision of line managemer and/or senior colleagues.
Proven research and analysis skills demonstrating evidence of the ability to identify and diagnose complex problems / issues and develop innovative solutions.
Good communication and presentation skills. Able to explain basic technical/professional issues clearly and influence others based on specialist knowledge.
Good literacy, numeracy and report writing skills. Ability to take accurate minutes of meetings and create/maintain action logs.
Good ICT skills - including use of standard Microsoft applications. Ability to create and use spreadsheets and presentations. tems.

Other information

For further information on this role please see the attached job summary.

We typically work two days in the office and the remainder of the week from home.

Number of positions available: 1

Closing date: 28th July 2023

Shortlisting date: 2nd August 2023

Interview date: w/c 7th August 2023

Interview-type / process: TBC

If you would like to have an informal conversation with the recruiting manager, please contact David Johnson using climatechange(at)buckinghamshire.gov.uk and use JWCO in the subject header.

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

Unspent convictions and/or unspent conditional cautions only

For further information on how long it takes for convictions and conditional cautions to be spent, please refer to Nacro s guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

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 Caf s, 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.

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Buckinghamshire Council