The role
We have an exciting opportunity for a senior level ecology and biodiversity specialist to join our busy Planning and Growth department. You will be passionate about tackling the ecological and climate emergency within Southwark and have a thorough working knowledge of planning system and relevant legislation and policies to protect and enhance it.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) becomes mandatory for major developments from January 2024 and for small sites as of April 2024. You will need to understand the BNG requirement and have a high level of competency to assess the statutory metric and ensure that the requirement delivers genuine benefits for nature. Key responsibilities will include the assessment of the BNG metrics, Biodiversity Gain Plans and implementing management and monitoring requirements to ensure that BNG is delivered to best practice standards.
You will also provide specialist ecological input and advice at all stages of the development management process. This will include the assessment of the ecological aspects of development proposals, advising on the appropriateness of proposed mitigation and enhancement measures and the discharge of ecological planning conditions.
There will be an opportunity to work with colleagues to help develop local plans and other strategic planning documents, ensuring that consideration is given to conserving and enhancing biodiversity and contributing to the requirements of the strengthened Biodiversity Duty.
About Us
Southwark is a large, ambitious and progressive council with a ‘can do’ attitude and enviable reputation. As a Council, we are successful, passionate and forward thinking. Extending from the river Thames into South East London, Southwark encompasses some of the capital’s cultural hotspots, vibrant communities and acclaimed greenspaces. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. We are committed to our ‘Fairer Futures for All’ promise, which ensures that our residents and businesses are central to everything we do. If you want to make a difference at a local level, apply to Southwark Council today.
About You
You will require;
- A degree in an ecology or ecological management, be CIEEM qualified (or working towards).
- Knowledge of ecological principles such as the ‘mitigation hierarchy’ and familiarly with BS42020.
- Experience in dealing with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
- An excellent grasp of planning policy implementation as you will need to provide comments on the application of national legislation, Southwark Plan and London Plan policies relating to biodiversity when reviewing planning application documents.
Additional Information:
- This is a permanent full-time position
- Standard 36 hours, Monday to Friday
Please ensure that you show how you meet the requirements of the role when addressing the shortlisting criteria.
- The employment is subject to a probationary period of twenty-six weeks from your start date of employment with Southwark Council, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council’s satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you are employed
Please refer to the attached job description for more information
Additional salary details
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Recruitment timetable
- Advert Closing Date: 11:59 pm on 5th November 2023
- Assessments: week commencing 6th November 2023
- Interviews: week commencing 13th November 2023
We are an organisation that is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
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