Planning Ecologist

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
WorkLocation: County Hall Leicester
WorkerCategory: Hybrid worker
Salary: Grade 9-11 (£29,784 - £40,083)
WorkingHours: 37
ContractType: Permanent
Closing Date: 5pm Friday 8th March 2024
Interview Date(s): week commencing 11th March 2024

Would you like a career-graded post as an ecologist? Would you like to take part in the new requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain?

About the Role

We are seeking a Planning Ecologist to deliver expert advice on ecology and biodiversity matters, in relation to Biodiversity Net Gain and protected species.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual, preferably with some senior ecology experience, to advise planning officers throughout the county of Leicestershire on ecology and biodiversity matters, in relation to Biodiversity Net Gain and protected species. This role will include the new, additional requirements as a result of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain. As such, the post holder would provide specialist planning casework advice from pre-application stages through to discharge of conditions. This will also include monitoring and review of both onsite and offsite BNG on sites throughout the county. This post will require an understanding of, and contribution to, the link between our strategic planning role, planning casework and the process of preparing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy. 

This is a newly created post to support the increased requirements of mandated Biodiversity Net Gain. It would be a great opportunity for an experienced ecologist to move into planning ecology and to be part of our expanding Ecology and Biodiversity Team. We can make more of a difference than ever before, both to the quality of our natural environment and to its increasing connectivity throughout the county of Leicestershire! 

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to demonstrate:

• a degree or equivalent in a relevant environmental or biological subject;
• OR working towards a degree or equivalent in an environmental or biological subject and be able to demonstrate experience in carrying out ecological field survey work
• an ability to produce professional work relating to the natural environment, working as part of a team and meeting performance deadlines.
• having experience of working within or with the public sector.
• Being able to offer expert advice to stakeholders or clients in relation to complex ecological or planning ecological matters.
• Knowledge of ecological survey methods and requirements for species and habitats appropriate to the planning system.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles and application of Biodiversity Net Gain legislation, policy and practice.

You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equal opportunities, and the ability to apply this to all situations.

In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual’s personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in the Our Working Styles page on our career site.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Vanessa Evans Team Manager Ecology and Biodiversity

Telephone: 0116 3057859

Email: vanessa.evans@leics.gov.uk

Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services, we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.