Job Description

Job details

Salary range: £51,515 to £54,702 per annum

Work location: County Hall, Oxford

Hours per week: 37 – we are open to discussions about flexible working

Contract type: Permanent.

Closing date: 20th October.

Interview date: Week Commencing 11th November.

Are you an experienced ecologist who loves to share your knowledge and experiences to promote data driven decision making? Do you enjoy working with clients to scope, win and deliver ecological project work?

Have you the skills to ensure your team complete all aspects of both field and data-based project delivery successfully?

Would you like to join us in a senior position, leading the projects team, growing this side of our work, and ensuring Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) delivers a wide variety of interesting and valuable projects for our clients, community and the natural environments of Berkshire and Oxfordshire?

About Us

Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) is the environmental records centre for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. TVERC is a partnership organisation between all twelve Local Authorities across Berkshire and Oxfordshire and the Environment Agency.

TVERC collects, manages, analyses and shares environmental data with a wide range of customers to enable evidence-based decision-making about the natural environment. People use our services to make sound decisions about how to develop and manage land sustainably, where to direct wildlife conservation work and for scientific education and research. See www.tverc.org.

About the Role

The Ecology Manager is a senior role within TVERC and works closely with the Director to help TVERC deliver its’ goals. This includes providing a high level of technical expertise to our organisation and stakeholders.

We need an experienced ecologist who can take charge of all TVERC’s project functions and successfully grow these activities in the coming years. You will build strong relationships with clients and stakeholders to conceive and secure agreements for ecological project work. Then make sure these are satisfactorily delivered within scope, budget, and time.

The Ecology Manager is responsible for managing the Biodiversity Projects team. This includes our Ecological Surveyors who run the Local Wildlife Sites projects and other field work alongside Projects Officers who focus more on data analysis project work. With your team you will manage all aspects of delivering a broad and varied programme of projects throughout their whole lifecycle.

The Environment Bill is one of various initiatives that are driving a growing use of information about our natural world to shape plans and policy. Opportunity Mapping, Biodiversity Net Gain and Natural Capital Accounting are important additional growth areas of work for TVERC. These are adding to our existing functions of monitoring and reporting the status of Biodiversity and Geodiversity in the two counties. You will be critical to help TVERC adapt to these opportunities extending our products and services to support the changing needs of our customers and communities.

Immediately, the Ecology Manager is key for TVERC to support Oxfordshire and Berkshire implement their Nature Recovery Strategies and handle Biodiversity Net Gain policy coming into effect. You have an important role to influence the delivery phases of both to ensure they are successful, well monitored and have a positive impact on the natural world.

About you

We are seeking a senior ecologist who understands the planning system and can demonstrate success in winning, planning and delivering a variety of environmental field and data projects. This includes experience of agreeing and managing the project budgets effectively.

Experience of working with a variety of partners and customers from the public, private and academic sectors would be helpful.

You can manage and develop a small multi-functional team; demonstrate a high level of professionalism and enjoy sharing your ecological and analytical expertise.

You identify and respond effectively to new opportunities to obtain and use data in the natural environment sector. Experience of Biodiversity Net Gain in development and Natural Capital Assessments would be useful.

Data and helping people use it successfully is our world. You are a competent and confident advanced user of GIS and Data Analysis software tools for analysing and presenting environmental data.

Finally, it is essential you can communicate effectively, within the team, with our stakeholders and community to deliver an excellent service to our customers.

Rewards and benefits

It really is true that every single job role here contributes to bettering the lives of the people in our counties - we want to do this for our employees too.

Culture of flexible working
Technology to support agile working where role permits
Up to 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays
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
Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development

Would you like to know more?

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Steve Wilkes (Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre Director) on Steve.Wilkes@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Application Procedure

If you are shortlisted, you will be required to complete an exercise and prepare a presentation in your own time. Then deliver the presentation during the interview.

The details of the exercise and presentation will be shared with candidates if they have been shortlisted.

Initial interviews will be with a panel from TVERC’s stakeholders, held by in person at County Hall, Oxford and are expected to last for approximately 1.5 hours.

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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