Assistant Arboricultural Consultant

Assistant Arboricultural Consultant

Permanent, Full Time

Up to £30,706 per annum

Location: Essex

This position has been classed as an anywhere worker role but has an expectation that the successful candidate will attend the office, in Chelmsford, 1 or 2 days per week, with the remaining time allowing for remote working if desired.

The Opportunity

Place Services is a multi-disciplinary consultancy within Essex County Council (ECC) providing planning and environmental services to support the Council, local authorities and other public bodies to deliver its role in sustainable development.

We are seeking an Assistant Arboricultural Consultant with a Level 4 qualification or equivalent, or someone willing and able to achieve this. You will have good knowledge of tree species and arboricultural principles and either some experience of undertaking tree surveys for a variety of purposes, or experience of practical tree management operations. You will have good written and verbal communication skills to enable you to deal effectively with clients.

You will contribute to the delivery of a range of high quality, professional, client-focused arboricultural services to support the commercial viability of Place Services, including tree risk surveys, BS5837 surveys (both client side and on behalf of Local Planning Authorities), tree inventories, and the delivery of sustainable development. The role combines ECC Tree Officer functions and project work, together with external consultancy.

Our people are integral to our success, and we are proud to invest in staff training and development. For the right individuals, we offer a competitive salary, a generous benefit and training package, and a truly varied workload. Based in our offices in Chelmsford, you will work as part of a committed team of professionals, delivering an exciting array of projects across the south-east.

Accountabilities

• Contributing, under supervision, to effective delivery of a range of arboriculture services including: assisting with enquiries in relation to trees/vegetation affecting the Public Highway and specifying associated works; assisting with the evaluation and completion of Arboricultural assessments and surveys (e.g. tree inventories, tree risk, pests and diseases) of limited scope and complexity; assisting with small-scale and simple tree management and planting projects; and completing supervised tasks as part of multi-disciplinary projects.
• Helping collect, analyse, present and preserve information, evidence (including for insurance claims and TPO enforcement) and advice to recognised standards, reviewing outcomes, and assessing third party compliance.
• Assisting bids for low-value opportunities and helping to monitor contractors and volunteers against specifications, indicators and budgets on low value contracts and minor projects.
• Assisting the development and delivery of promotional and learning material, training activities and events, and engaging with networks, to enhance the recognition and reputation of Place Services.
• Supporting the maintenance of a professional, client-focused culture and improved client relationships, helping secure feedback for continuous improvement.
• Supporting improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.
• Developing own commercial awareness of our business.
• Helping to maintain a collaborative, high-performance culture and improve personal competency, continually seeking to enhance personal performance and practice, securing feedback, and building knowledge and skills.

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential:

• Educated to level 4 in arboriculture, or equivalent by experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development with membership of, or working towards membership of, relevant professional body (e.g.TechArbor.A) and working towards qualification as a Professional Tree Inspector.
• Technical practitioner with arboricultural knowledge, including species identification and awareness of tree pests and diseases; standards and guidance; visual tree inspection/arboricultural assessment methodologies; practical tree management operations; tree risk identification and survey techniques; and related office and site-based practices and procedures.
• Able to work at pace, with supervision, and as part of a multi-disciplinary team, meeting deadlines and successfully delivering outcomes.

Desirable:

• Awareness of wellbeing and H&S, with ability to undertake simple risk assessments under supervision and implement safe working practices.
• Understands how to communicate with different audiences, including through the preparation, with supervision, of clear and concise technical advice, documents and reports for straightforward casework and projects.
• Able to establish positive working relationships, with awareness of good client service.
• Able to use common software packages and, under supervision, relevant specialist software (e.g. GIS, AutoCAD, Confirm, Eztreev) to record and present a range of data, and to carry out straightforward analysis and interpretation.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.