Arboriculturalist

**About The Job**
West Sussex County Council are looking for someone with a working knowledge of trees to join our Local Highway Operations Service as an Arboriculturalist.

**Salary**: £30,095 to £32,798 per annum.
**Working Pattern**: 37 hours per week.
**Contract Length**:Permanent.
**Location**: Clapham, (Local Area Highways Office), flexible working.
**Interview Date: Week commencing 26th September.**

West Sussex is the second most wooded County in England, with many of these trees in council ownership. Our Arboriculture Team sits within the Local Highways Operation Service, who provide operational management of Highways, Countryside, and Public Rights of Way for West Sussex. The Arboriculture Team manage the Country-wide tree stock with responsibility for health of trees, ensuring the network is safe and serviceable for highway users. The Team provides technical and legal guidance on arboriculture issues and manages customer requests and enquiries.

You will join a team of Arboriculturists but will be able to work independently undertaking inspections and assessing highway trees in all seasons. You should be prepared to travel throughout the county of WSCC, however each Arboriculturist will routinely look after their own part of the county. This will be a physically demanding role, requiring site visits during working hours to remote locations, undertaking both routine and ad hoc site inspections, frequently by the roadside. You will raise jobs giving estimated time of works and on occasion may have to liaise with contractors, members of the public and other stakeholders.

We are looking for someone who has a thorough knowledge of trees, along with an aptitude for anticipating problems and forming solutions. You will need personal resilience and the ability to deal with pressured situations, with a high level of customer-focused skills.

**Experience and skills** Key Skills**:

- Sound communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to anticipate problems, plan solutions and make sound pragmatic problem-solving decisions.
- Ability to demonstrate initiative, think laterally and to adapt to unexpected or changing situations.
- Ability to meet set deadlines and to understand when problems need to be referred upwards.
- Sound and accurate IT skills.

**Qualifications and/or experience**:

- Thorough practical and theoretical knowledge of trees and their habitats, including their roots, types of soil, weather patterns and need for irrigation; advanced knowledge of how to care, treat and maintain trees.
- Good understanding of the range of benefits trees deliver, whilst appreciating the impacts they play in the overall infrastructure, and their links with roads, pathways, utilities, buildings and other parts of the landscape.
- Educated to Degree standard, or equivalent qualifications, or experience.
- Specialist qualification in forestry, arboriculture, or related discipline.
- Experience working as an Arboriculturalist, or with trees in a related discipline, such as landscaping or forestry.

**Reward and benefits**
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:

- A competitive salary.
- **26 **days annual leave + bank holidays.
- Ability to gain 13 extra days through flexible working
- A generous pension scheme.
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring.
- A range of discounts (Including Samsung, Argos, Wickes, TUI, Deliveroo and Asos).
- Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres.
- Employee assistance programme.
- A range of commuting and business travel discount and initiatives.

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee, go to our **Rewards and Benefits** page.

**Further information**
The reference number for this role is **EIE00998**.

Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you
- Job Reference: EIE00998