District Licensing Officer - Berkshire

How to apply: Send your CV and a covering letter to careers@naturespaceuk.com by 9:00am on Monday 27th May 2024. Please include the job title that you are applying for in the subject line in the email and let us know if you require any assistance in the application process, so that we can make any reasonable adjustments.

Duration: Full time (32hrs, 4-day week*).

*We are conducting a gold standard 4-day week trial until 31st December 2024, with possibility to become a permanent change. Full time hours outside of the trial are 40hrs per week, Monday to Friday.

Location: Berkshire, home based with regular attendance at council offices.

It is important for the District Licensing Officer to establish an excellent local knowledge of great crested newts in the county, foster good working relationships with the individual planning authorities and visit development sites for compliance checks. The candidate for this job will therefore need to be based either within or close to Berkshire to enable direct access to council offices, developments, and compensation sites.

The Role

As a District Licensing Officer – Berkshire, you would be employed by NatureSpace to support the planning authorities in Berkshire that hold a District Licence for great crested newts. The NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme has been operating in Berkshire since June 2022.

In each of the counties covered by the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme for great crested newts, there is a District Licensing Officer, who plays a critical role in the successful implementation of the scheme with the planning authority partners. This is an important role in making sure that the District Licensing Scheme is operating smoothly for the planning authority planning officers and ecologists, planning applicants and developers; and in raising awareness of the scheme in that region. The District Licensing Officer will need to understand the extent, scope and detail of the scheme, raise awareness of the scheme internally within the planning authorities, understand planning and licensing requirements, ensure the required processes are followed internally, and monitor and advise on compliance and enforcement measures.

The post is home-based with most of the day-to-day work being from a desk. However, there will be a requirement to conduct site visits across the county as necessary on a case-case basis; and the District Licensing Officer will also be expected to travel to attend meetings, undertake training and visit council offices to work alongside and support planning and ecology teams. The role requires high standards of self-management but is perfect for an independent and self-reliant home-worker.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a critical role in a ground-breaking project, delivering a step-change in the conservation of great crested newts. The job would suit a mid-career ecologist, conservationist or planner looking to join a small, friendly company that is working with planning authorities and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to deliver better conservation outcomes for a protected species.

Key responsibilities:

• Advise and support planning authorities with regard to the Great Crested Newt District Licensing Scheme to ensure compliance with statutory and policy requirements during the development management process, and to secure positive species conservation outcomes.
• Support planning authorities with the implementation of their great crested newt district licence and work in partnership to ensure the smooth running of the process.
• Raise awareness of the District Licensing Scheme and the Great Crested Newt Conservation Strategy to all relevant planning authority staff, councillors, Cabinet members and contractors; and support other teams within the company to raise awareness with developers, planning agents, ecological consultants.
• Support planning authorities with the use of their District Licence by ensuring that planning officers are familiar with the scheme and its processes and provide training as required.
• Provide clear, timely, accurate and specific advice to planning officers on planning applications where impacts on great crested newts are likely, and the options and requirements for licensing, including the District Licensing Scheme to ensure compliance with Natural England’s Standing Advice.
• Monitor developer compliance and advise planning and enforcement teams, NatureSpace colleagues and Natural England of any potential breaches of the licence or planning conditions.
• Ensure that potential breaches are thoroughly investigated and reported to the relevant bodies.
• Undertake site visits and meetings as required, to provide advice and guidance on licensing requirements, investigate breaches and carry out compliance checks.
• Collate annual report forms from developers.
• Ensure a high standard of data quality and management.
• Work in partnership with other key stakeholders, including the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Local Nature Partnership
• Ensure effective communication at all levels, including:
• • Within the Operations Team to ensure consistency and high standards;
  • With the Newt Conservation Partnership Project Officer for Berkshire
  • Acting as a point of contact for planning authorities, Newt Conservation Partnership and Natural England as required;
  • Responding to partner planning authorities quickly and effectively;
  • Staying in regular contact with developers and ecological consultants working under the district licence to ensure compliance on high-impact sites; and
  • Liaising with members of the public, planning consultants, and other interested parties, including Wildlife Trusts and Local Environmental Records Centres, as necessary.

Essential skills, knowledge, and experience:

• A relevant degree and/or experience in nature/wildlife conservation, ecology, environmental management or planning.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the UK planning system, including ecological impact assessment and/or biodiversity requirements.
• Knowledge of protected species legislation, planning and licensing policies.
• An enthusiasm for ecology and wildlife conservation in the UK. Conservation is at the heart of what we do.
• A full driving licence with access to a car for business travel.
• Highly organised, methodical, conscientious, and self-reliant – able to juggle and prioritise multiple cases, enquiries and tasks, and work efficiently to meet tight deadlines.
• An excellent communicator with good inter-personal skills – able to liaise proactively and confidently, building good working relationships with a variety of different stakeholders.
• Highly literate, able to prepare documents quickly and diligently to a high standard, following defined processes, protocols, and guidance.
• Self-motivated and independent - able to work flexibly and with minimal supervision, as part of a nationally dispersed team.
• Willingness and ability to travel locally as necessary.

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience: 

• Practical experience in great crested newt survey, mitigation methods and licensing
• Competence in using GIS software, preferably ArcGIS or QGIS, Microsoft Office 365 and Miro Boards.
• Understanding of data entry and data management.

Company background

Great crested newts have declined dramatically in the UK over the last 50 years and although still widespread across lowland England they are no longer common. Despite protection under UK and European wildlife law, numbers are still declining, and habitat loss is their biggest threat.

In 2018 the NatureSpace District Licensing Scheme was launched – set up in partnership with national freshwater and amphibian Non-Governmental Organisations NGOs as well as seven local planning authorities across the South Midlands. Since then, the scheme has expanded nationally and now covers over 60 local planning authorities across Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Surrey and West Sussex.

The scheme allows planning authorities to authorise (under strictly defined terms) activities which affect great crested newts at the same time as they grant planning permission. The District Licensing Scheme has significant advantages for newt conservation and wider biodiversity benefits through a fully funded region-wide conservation strategy that creates high-quality habitat at a landscape scale and delivers long-term management and monitoring for newts, which is delivered via our partners at the Newt Conservation Partnership. The scheme benefits developers because the licensing process for great crested newts is simplified and streamlined.

NatureSpace also work with national infrastructure providers, such as Network Rail, to help them secure and deliver 'Organisational Licences' for protected species with the same conservation deliverables. The schemes are administered by NatureSpace, are regulated, and approved by Natural England and are supported by the country’s leading amphibian and freshwater NGOs – the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust and Freshwater Habitats Trust.

Company culture, employment benefits and location

NatureSpace Partnership is a small (c.50 staff) but busy and rapidly growing company. Being a small organisation, everyone has a big say in what we do and how we do it. Our agility and size mean that your voice will be heard, and you will have the opportunity to directly see the results of your work.

Work/life balance is important to us. We actively support flexible working arrangement so that our work fits in with our lives and we are open to exploring how this role could best work for you.

The successful candidate/s will be joining a friendly, close-working team of home-workers and will have responsibility for managing their workload and working independently as part of a dispersed national team. The post requires high levels of motivation and high standards of self-management.

NatureSpace embraces equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion and we welcome applications from all suitable qualified and experienced individuals. To build a team of the most talented employees, NatureSpace is committed to being a flexible employer and we place considerable emphasis on wellbeing and job satisfaction.

We offer a significant benefits package for all staff including flexible working with an extended 4-day working week trial during 2024, time off-in-lieu (TOIL) or overtime pay (in agreement with your line manager), 20 annual leave days (which equates to 5-weeks off per year in light of the 4-day working week, plus bank holidays, weekday birthdays and additional holiday over the Christmas period), an annual performance bonus of up to 20% of your pay, company pension contributions, company private health and life insurance, plus the option to join our electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.

Applicants must have the legal right to live and work in the UK.

Closing date for applications: 9:00am on Monday 27th May 2024

Interview dates: You will be notified by Wednesday 5th June 2024 if you have been selected for interview. Interviews are likely to be held virtually week commencing 10th June 2024.

Expected start date: 1st August 2024