Land Management Officer

The starting salary for this role is £38,746 per annum for working 36-hours per week. This is a 24-month secondment / fixed term contract opportunity.

We are currently looking for a Land Management Officer to join the rapidly expanding Natural Capital team.

The headline ambition for Surrey County Council's land portfolio is to be places of innovation to rebuild biodiversity, manage our resources sustainably and contribute to nature recovery. Our approach will include rewilding principles, woodland creation, regenerative agriculture, agroforestry and income diversification.

The team works flexibly through a mix of office and home-based working, you will also be required to travel to visit sites across the County.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the role

The Land Management Officer reports into the Ecosystem Services Manager, with close links to other parts of Surrey County Council Countryside teams, Land and Property, Planning, as well as the wider organisation, project teams and its partners.

The role will be responsible for implementing a land management policy which sets out the principles for how our natural assets will be managed to support the Council's corporate objectives. Working with tenants and land managers, you will identify opportunities and create innovative projects. These projects will support and embed the policy within everyday Council behaviour and values using agreements, tenancies, and service level agreements.

You will work closely with a broad range of customers and stakeholders and will have a sound understanding of land management and/or agriculture. Good conservation experience and knowledge is essential as is a passion for achieving environmental outcomes and supporting Surrey's Greener future.

Some of the key outputs of this role include:

• Contributing to major projects such as The River Thames Scheme
• Collating and analysing layers of information, data, and research to support both the overall project and decision-making
• Working collaboratively with County Council colleagues to plan and prioritise engagement with landowners and managers
• Developing a local network with the forestry and land management sector, sharing skills and knowledge with those supporting environmental land-use decisions
• Delivering successful project outcomes using project & programme management frameworks, policies, tools and templates
• Managing funding bids, evidence gathering, detailed costing, partner engagement, bid writing, tracking and monitoring

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting, your CV and personal statement will clearly evidence the following attributes, skills, and expertise:

• Strong written and verbal communication with negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners/professionals
• Ability to manage a range of projects through to completion, with good IT skills in areas such as Outlook and Microsoft Office
• Experience of working with the public, community partners and diverse groups
• Determined and resilient approach to completing tasks with the ability to work effectively under pressure, both independently and within a team, and plan your own workload
• Knowledge and understanding of appropriate land management processes and ability to work on your own using solution focused problem-solving skills

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 31/03/2024 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.