About the job

Key information

• This role offers hybrid working, allowing you to work either from home or from our office in Shepton Mallet.
• 30 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays).
• Permanent contract, 37 hours per week.
• The post will primarily cover the Planning East area that includes the towns of Street, Glastonbury, Wells, Frome and Shepton Mallet and will be based at the Council’s offices at Shepton Mallet.

What will I be doing?

Acting as Tree Officer, within the Placemaking & Projects Team comprising; Landscape, Trees, Design & Heritage and working closely with colleagues in the Development Management, Forward Plans and Enforcement teams, as well as other environmental specialists, your main duties are:

• To provide arboricultural advice to the Development Management team and other internal and external customers working within appropriate timescales
• To review, interpret and advise on specialist arboricultural reports, guidance, planning policy and legislation
• To maintain and seek to advance knowledge, competency and best practice across a range of arboricultural matters

The post will primarily cover the Planning East area that includes the towns of Street, Glastonbury, Wells, Frome and Shepton Mallett and will be based at the Council’s offices at Shepton Mallet.

You will also work with other teams across the council to address the council’s recently declared Climate and Ecological Emergency.

The team currently has a busy workload dealing with an area benefiting from a rich pool of landscape assets including in excess of 2,000 Tree Preservation Orders and 181 conservation areas.

Somerset is rich and varied in character and stretches from the Exmoor National Park and the Bristol Channel to the borders of Devon, Wiltshire and Dorset. It includes the Quantock, Mendip and Blackdown National Landscapes as well as the internationally protected Somerset Levels and Moors.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But to be successful in this role, it will really help if you:

• Comprehensive working knowledge of arboricultural theory and practice including tree identification, tree biology, pathology, biomechanics, physiology and trees in relation to the law
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in order to provide expert advice to colleagues, stakeholders, other agencies and members of the public on all arboricultural matters.
• The skills to work individually, with others and as part of a wider team.
• Experience developing tree survey techniques and inspection methodology, and monitoring outcomes.
• Experience managing tree stocks and the assessment of trees and prescribing appropriate arboriculture management.
• Understanding of the current issues and biological threats facing trees.
• Experience of serving and assessing requests for Tree Preservation Orders, dealing with Notifications for dead and dangerous trees and hedgerow removal, as well as planning consultations for trees on development sites.
• Good working knowledge of local and national guidance including industry best practice publications and current relevant British Standards.

You’ll need to be enthusiastic, knowledgeable, collaborative and customer focused, in line with our high standards within the section and the Council.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Supporting documents and information

The Salary for the role is Grade 10, ranging from £36,124 to £40,476 per annum.

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Fiona Webb via email at Fiona.webb@Somerset.gov.uk

When completing your application/ CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now