Senior Landscape Officer

Are you passionate about protecting and enhancing the landscape within West
Oxfordshire?

An exciting opportunity to join our West Oxfordshire District Council as a Senior Landscape Officer.
You will be pivotal, on providing high quality and robust landscape and green infrastructure
advice, in order to conserve and enhance our landscape, whilst delivering positive
environmental outcomes, aligned with our climate change and sustainability priorities, across
the area.

This permanent role offers the flexibility of working within the offices at Witney and agile
working, allowing you that extra freedom and work life balance.

Our environmental service is fundamental to the success of the council’s ambition for a
sustainable future. We are passionate about leading on our climate and ecological emergencies
in the area. From the Salt Cross Garden Village strategic development area to the development
of a new world class car museum at Enstone, our focus is to enable our communities in the
Oxfordshire district and beyond to thrive, creating great places for people to live, work,
learn and enjoy in our ever-evolving communities.

We want our future generations to be able to enjoy and benefit from the beautiful landscape of
the district. Now is a fantastic time to be joining us. We are looking to deliver upon our
council priorities and shape our environment for the benefit of the local area and beyond.

We are looking for an enthusiastic Senior Landscape Officer to join the team, to provide high quality
landscape and green infrastructure advice on planning proposals and on allocations and policies
in the Local Plan, ensuring that we protect and enhance our valuable landscapes and that new
accessible and multi-functional green infrastructure is created and maintained.

You will work with a variety of different stakeholders or partnerships, including the Cotswold
National Landscape Board, developers, planning agents and applicants, landscape consultants,
local communities, and other customers. You will be vital in creating sustainable, positive
outcomes, across the area, through a forward thinking and practical solutions based approach.

Ultimately we are looking for a proficient Senior Landscape Officer. Fundamentally, we want to give
you the tools to support you, harness your potential and grow within your role long term.

You will need

• Honours degree or equivalent in relevant subject
• A postgraduate qualification in your area of expertise and/or relevant experience of at
  least five years
• High level of knowledge, understanding and experience of all aspects of landscape and green
  infrastructure, particularly those relevant to the planning system; for example landscape
  design; landscape character assessment; historic landscapes; protected landscapes; GI
  strategies, policies/legislation and landscape management.
• GCSE Maths and English or equivalent to grade C/4 or higher
• Experience of working flexibly as part of a team and collaborating with colleagues and
  stakeholders

For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification on our website.

What can we do for you…

• Agile working allowing a mix of home and office working
• Flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)
• 26 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays, which
  increases to 29 days after five years’ service and 32 days following 10 years’ continuous
  service
• In addition you will have an extra two volunteering days a year for you to support a
  charity of your choice
• Renewed again for another year there is a Health cash plan giving you cash back on health,
  dental and eye care
• Generous contributory local government pension scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice
  and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with significant tax and NI savings to be made on
  electric cars
• Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements

Terms and conditions apply.

These are just a handful of the benefits that you can enjoy when you join us!

If you feel this is the role for you please email your CV and supporting statement detailing
how you meet the criteria above by clicking on the ‘Apply for this Position’ icon on our website. Alternatively, please email us at [email protected] or contact the recruitment team on
01285 623319.

Your application will not be considered if you have not provided a supporting statement, in
addition to your CV.

Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled
applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy – Please state this within your
covering statement or in a separate email.

Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates
will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references; proof
of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years’ employment or education history
(if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.