Landscape and Forestry Officer

Are you passionate about protecting and enhancing the landscape within West
Oxfordshire?

An exciting opportunity to join our West Oxfordshire District Council as a Landscape and
Forestry Officer. You will be pivotal, on providing high quality and robust landscape and green
infrastructure advice, in order to conserve and enhance our landscape, whilst delivering
positive environmental outcomes, aligned with our climate change and sustainability priorities,
across the area.

This permanent role offers the flexibility of working within the offices at Witney and agile
working, allowing you that extra freedom and work life balance.

Are you interested in taking the next stage in your career through landscape
conservation and enhancement? Or are you already a Landscape Officer, who is experienced in
providing sound landscape and green infrastructure guidance? If so we would love to hear from
you.

Our environmental service is fundamental to the success of the council’s ambition for a
sustainable future. We are passionate about leading on our climate and ecological emergencies
in the area. From the Salt Cross Garden Village strategic development area to the development
of a new world class car museum at Enstone, our focus is to enable our communities in the
Oxfordshire district and beyond to thrive, creating great places for people to live, work,
learn and enjoy in our ever-evolving communities.

We want our future generations to be able to enjoy and benefit from the beautiful landscape of
the district. Now is a fantastic time to be joining us. We are looking to deliver upon our
council priorities and shape our environment for the benefit of the local area and beyond.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Landscape and Forestry Officer to join the team, to provide
high quality landscape and green infrastructure advice on planning proposals and on allocations
and policies in the Local Plan, ensuring that we protect and enhance our valuable landscapes
and that new accessible and multi-functional green infrastructure is created and maintained.

You will work with a variety of different stakeholders or partnerships, including the Cotswold
National Landscape Board, developers, planning agents and applicants, landscape consultants,
local communities, and other customers. You will be vital in creating sustainable, positive
outcomes, across the area, through a forward thinking and practical solutions based approach.

Ultimately we are looking for a proficient Landscape Officer. Fundamentally, we want to give
you the tools to support you, harness your potential and grow within your role long term.

You will need

• Postgraduate qualification in your area of expertise, or equivalent to a degree or relevant
  experience of 2 years in a related Landscape role.
• High level of knowledge, understanding and experience of all aspects of landscape and green
  infrastructure.
• Experience of being involved in continuously improving services and developing products to
  meet customer need
• Good communication and negotiation skills.

If you wish to have an informal discussion about this role, please contact Abby Fettes via
[email protected] 

For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification.

What can we do for you

• Agile working allowing a mix of home and office working
• Flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)
• 27 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays, which
  increases to 30 days after five years’ service and 33 days following 10 years’ continuous
  service
• In addition you will have an extra two volunteering days a year for you to support a
  charity of your choice
• Renewed again for another year there is a Health cash plan giving you cash back on health,
  dental and eye care 
• Generous contributory local government pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice
  and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with significant tax and NI savings to be made on
  electric cars
• Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements

To apply for this position please click on “apply now” within this page to complete an
application form and supporting statement together with your CV. Please tell us about your
skills, knowledge, qualifications, experience and how they meet the criteria listed above and
in the job description/person specification. It’s important that we’re a good fit for each
other, so let us know what’s important to you and why you want to work for West Oxfordshire
District Council. Your CV will not be available to the hiring manager unless you are
shortlisted for interview to assist with our non-biased screening process so please ensure you
complete the application form in full.

It is important that our staff reflect the diversity of our community, and we therefore welcome
and encourage applications from people of all genders and sexual orientation, those from Black,
Asian, and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and those with disabilities.

Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled
applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies – Please state this within your
covering statement or in a separate email.

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable adults, young people
and children. Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies.

Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical
questionnaire; provide references; proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three
years’ employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of
criminal record.