Biodiversity Planning Officer

Biodiversity Planning Officer

**Job Description**:
About the role

We’re looking for a Biodiversity Planning Officer to play a critical role in helping nature’s recovery across the south of Derbyshire.

To be successful you will need to be highly focused, persistent, patient, and capable of managing a diverse workload. You will have up to date knowledge of wildlife and planning legislation, survey guidelines, and policy. You will be a critical thinker and able to spot new opportunities. You will need to be prepared to back your decisions and advice up with clear evidence and data. You will act as an effective advocate at meetings including potential public enquiry appearances.

**Responsibilities**:
In this role you will
- Provide ecological advice to local planning authorities across the south of Derbyshire to ensure that the decisions they take are in full accordance with legislation, policy, best practice, and national and local biodiversity objectives.
- Ensure that the planning system and development are delivering Biodiversity Net Gain in accordance with best practice and delivering for the local nature recovery networks.
- Monitor the outcomes of our planning work and Biodiversity Net Gain

About you

This role might be right for you if:

- You thrive in a role where you can make a real difference for wildlife through the planning system and the opportunities that Biodiversity Net Gain can provide
- You have extensive experience of protected species and habitat surveys
- You have worked on Biodiversity Net Gain assessments and understand planning policy and process
- You have excellent written and verbal communication skills
- You have a firm all-round knowledge of wildlife and wildlife legislation

We are happy to talk flexible working

This role will be based at our office in Middleton although a balance of home and office working will be allowed. We are a local charity so applicants should be easily able to access our office and other locations around the county.

Interviews are planned for Wednesday 28th September

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

We’re a small charity, with big ideas We believe that everyone has their part to play in Nature’s recovery. We are the only organisation in Derbyshire working to protect and enhance wildlife and wild places throughout the county but through our work with businesses, other conservation charities, and the public we are mobilising others across the county and the rest of the UK to act for wildlife. As are a registered Charity, we are supported by 16,000 members and are part of a movement of 46 Trusts with a collective membership of over 800,000.

Our purpose is to achieve our vision of a Wilder Derbyshire by creating Nature Recovery Networks and reintroducing lost species. We aim to deliver our vision by leading Nature’s Recovery, inspiring people, and communities to care and mobilising people to act. All our work is underpinned by our values.

Our Charity is growing, we currently employ 80 people and, crucially, we are supported by over 500 volunteers. We have three delivery teams; Wilder Landscapes, Wilder Communities and Income Generation, supported by the Finance and Resources team. Each team has a Department Lead who reports to the Chief Executive who is responsible for the operations of the Trust and who, in turn, reports to the Board of Trustees which governs the organisation.

We’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and believe that everyone should have access to nature. We expect people to work harmoniously with each other and with volunteers, and to provide help and guidance to others when needed. As a small charity, our employees need to be willing to be flexible about working arrangements and willing to provide occasional cover for absent staff. We want people to develop professionally and personally while working with us and employees are encouraged to participate in the range of opportunities available to enable this.