Arboricultural Officer Job Vacancy in London, England, UK

An exciting opportunity has arisen with a West London local authority

ROLE PURPOSE
This role will provide professional arboriculture support and advice to the Directorate. It will take the lead in the implementation of the Borough’s Trees Strategy including tree condition stock registers as well as the assessment of conditions. The role will interface with the Directorate’s Policy and Contract Management teams to ensure the fully integrated delivery of the Trees service.

MAIN DUTIES / ACCOUNTABILITIES
-Management of the Borough’s tree stock. This includes the appropriate stock-taking of trees as well as the assessment of the tree condition to determine the work required
-Provide professional and expert arboricultural advice to ensure the effective delivery of the tree service
-Manage the interface with the Policy team to ensure the practicability of the implementation plan underpinning the strategy. This will also include professional technical contribution to the development of policies and strategies .
-To organise regular tree surveys and update the arboriculture asset database with the results of the surveys and use professional judgement to outline the likely actions that are needed
-To report to Council committees, as required, and attend local community groups and other meetings to advise on tree related matters, if requested
-To carry out Risk Assessments relating to tree work and inform contractor of areas of risk and make recommendations for actions to either mitigate or eliminate the risks.
-To inspect and take action as appropriate to deal with dangerous trees in relation to the relevant section of the Local Government (Misc Provisions) Act 1976
-Work with the contracts team , where required, in the planning and programming of proactive and reactive work schedules, including creating and passing works orders to third party contractors
-Support where required and requested by the Contracts team, the interface with the contractor. The contracts team will conduct the agreement around work completed but will need to check with the Arboriculture officer from time to time.
-Investigate and respond to service requests and customer complaints, taking appropriate actions to resolve issues and carry out actions required to prevent the issue from reoccurring
-Lead the interface with the Insurance team by investigateing and responding to insurance claims, taking appropriate actions to resolve issues and carry out actions required to prevent the issue from reoccurring. This will include interface with the Complaints and Enquiries team to ensure quick turnaround of issues.
-Manage, from time to time, any roles/functions that may provide support in carrying out the functions of the role. This will include any agency staff support as well as any support that may be temporarily assigned for specific project work.
-Inspect and provide written technical reports on subsidence and other structural damage caused by the tree stock, providing recommendations for remedial and preventative actions
-Ensure that all arboriculture asset software databases are operational and that data is up to date. This will include making recommendations for technological advancement based on good practice from elsewhere.
-Assist with the preparation of committee reports, technical reports, proofs of evidence briefing notes and correspondence.
-Assist with the preparation of cases for use in legal proceedings for any legal challenge
-To keep abreast of relevant legislative, technical and professional developments to enhance the effectiveness of services provided
-Contact management as a matter of priority in respect of any item which is, or appears to be, of a serious nature and could impact the delivery of the service
-Carry out public consultation exercises for projects and schemes to ensure the production of fit for purpose design specifications
-To undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the grade and level of the post

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS

– A working knowledge of the Local Government (Misc Provisions) Act 1976
– A working knowledge of the Highways Act 1980
-Understanding of the political context and environment of Local Government
-Experience of working effectively with third party contractors
-Experience of prioritising workloads and managing time effectively
-Experience of working in an arboriculture function
-Experience in the supervision of contractors.
-Educated to GCSE, or equivalent, or able to demonstrate relevant experience A
-National Diploma in Arboriculture, or equivalent A
-Ability to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people, face to face, on the telephone and in writing
-Able to work under pressure and produce accurate work to deadlines -Able to work under pressure and produce accurate work to deadlines
-Ability to learn new skills relating to the role, in particular the use of specialist ICT software
-Must have a clear understanding of the diverse nature of Harrow’s communities and the implications for services delivered to residents and service users
-Inclusive team worker who can foster partnerships, work collaboratively across teams to achieve desired performance and outcomes
-Able to undertake site visits and work outside in all weather conditions