Biodiversity Officer

About Us

Oxfordshire has a complex landscape influenced by diverse geology and crossed by 8 river
systems, as a result it supports an interesting variety of habitats and is home to 7 Special
Areas of Conservation, 113 Sites of Special Scientific Interest, and 399 Local Wildlife Sites.
26% of the County lies within 3 National Landscapes (The Chilterns, The Cotswolds and the North
Wessex Downs)

Oxfordshire’s natural environment faces many challenges; the Council have acknowledged the
county is facing a climate and ecological emergency, and the importance of the natural
environment has been recognised in the Future Oxfordshire Partnership’s strategic vision.

That’s why we are looking to expand our team, providing a supportive environment in which staff
can successfully apply, and increase, their knowledge and experience to help nature’s recovery
throughout Oxfordshire.

About the Role

The Biodiversity Officer will play a key role in delivery of positive ecological outcomes
through supporting teams working on development of schools and other Council buildings,
highways maintenance and improvement, and land management through training and
awareness-raising as well as on-the-ground support. There will be opportunities to be involved
in a variety of related work as we adopt and implement our emerging Biodiversity Action
Framework and Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

About you

We are looking for someone with experience of providing advice to engineers and land managers
in relation to protection and enhancement of biodiversity, As such, we would expect the
successful candidate to have knowledge in relation to protection and enhancement of UK habitats
and species, and experience of the practical application of UK wildlife legislation. Good
communication and problem-solving skills will be essential in this role.

Rewards and benefits

In addition to your salary of £33366 – £36124 there are a host of other benefits including;

• Culture of flexible and agile working,
• Cycle to Work scheme,
• Technology to support agile working, where role permits,
• 30 days’ holiday p.a. plus bank holidays (Increasing to 31 days after 10 years’ service),
• Offer access to a Relocation Scheme, depending on circumstances and conditions, should you
  need to consider moving closer to or into the County from where you currently live. Further
  details are available on request,
• Option to ‘buy’ additional holiday,
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support,
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer’s
  contribution of up to 19.9%,
• Enhanced family friendly policies,
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel,
• Learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development,

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for
who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or
belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have
a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet
the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have
completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving
care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are
also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian
life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role,
within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children,
young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share
this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these
commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time
working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements
of the role and the service.

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