Community Planting Projects – Senior Officer

JOB TITLE: Community Planting Projects – Senior Officer

BASED: Dock Offices, Canada Water, London SE16 with ample opportunity to work flexibly from home

SALARY: £34,000 - £37,000 per annum

PENSION: 7% contribution by The Tree Council

TERMS: Fixed-term contract October/November 2024 to May/June 2025, with good potential for renewal, 25 days pro-rated annual leave, plus Public Holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year

REPORTING TO: Head of Major Planting Projects

LIAISON WITH: Planting team, National Tree Warden Scheme Co-ordinator, Science & Research team, hedgerow team and wider Tree Council team

External liaison: Local Authority Officers, variety of landowners and stakeholders including volunteer Tree Warden Networks, other charity partners, community groups and railway/highway interest groups

The Tree Council is the national charity that brings everyone to work together for the love of trees. Now in our 50^th year, we and our partners are helping tackle the climate and biodiversity emergencies and adding social value through planting and caring for trees and hedgerows with communities across the UK.

In August 2024, The Tree Council was appointed to deliver National Highways’ ambitious new programme to establish 3 million trees across England over the next five planting seasons, with the first phase to 31 March 2025. SP Energy Networks have also confirmed a four-year partnership to plant with communities in central and Southern Scotland. These two new programmes complement our ongoing, multi-award-winning programme with Network Rail, which has already established more than 350,000 trees in 180 communities since 2020.

We’re looking for a Community Planting Projects Senior Officer, with minimum three years’ experience managing tree planting programmes in the field. Someone who can support our Head of Major Planting Projects across all three programmes this coming season. You must be able to show a deep understanding of tree works, tree establishment and tree care, such as an arboricultural qualification, or a degree in a closely related discipline, or employment in a related topic or equivalent. You must also possess excellent people skills and be inspired by the idea of working in a small, ambitious team, in a fast-paced environment.

This new role involves liaison with successful grant applicants to the National Highways, Network Rail and SP Energy Networks programmes to assess the suitability of their planting sites (including any legal parameters) and to help them deliver their planting projects. Applicants include local authorities, local communities, major landowners, conservation and environmental organisations, and our volunteer tree wardens.

In 2024/25, with two new partners entering the planting programmes, there will be tight timelines to deliver up to 80 projects this coming winter. Some groups will need lots of advice and assistance and others very little to meet the deadlines.

Planting may occasionally include small areas of broadleaf woodland, but will focus mainly on trees outside of woodlands, including hedges, urban trees, orchards and some small, mixed, community initiatives. You will be responsible for liaison with a number of locations, ensuring best practice and timely project delivery, and recording and reporting on project budgets. You will be prepared to travel on site visits and to work some weekends and evenings.

The role will include input into science and research projects, seasonal communications campaigns, corporate volunteering and training initiatives around the country. We expect the postholder to spend a good proportion of the working week undertaking desk-based administration and liaison with grant applicants, with the remaining time spent conducting site visits/assessments and supporting practical planting projects in the field.

JOB PURPOSE:        Support the Head of Major Planting Projects to deliver this exciting new multi-partner programme in partnership with local authorities, community groups and volunteer Tree Council Tree Wardens.

Build strong, positive relationships with successful grant applicants so that projects are delivered on time, with good aftercare and monitoring plans in place, together with detailed budget recording and reporting.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Guided by the Head of Major Planting, help deliver The Tree Council’s planting programme:

• Undertake site visits to allocated projects and provide advice and guidance on development / delivery / aftercare / monitoring where needed.
• As well as supporting the existing pipeline of projects, help identify new projects and planting partners for future seasons and start to build relationships.
• Work with the wider Tree Council team to ensure the programme links positively with: the National Schools Programme; Science and Research projects; our Defra research programmes; and the volunteer Tree Wardens network.
• Represent the Tree Council at community planting events, local stakeholder events and site visits, providing advice and basic training where needed.
• Gather and input data on trees planted, their locations, numbers of volunteers involved, and other key information required by The Tree Council and partners in a systematic and timely way.
• Support the planting team’s Communications Manager by providing active information on events so they can be promoted on local and social media.

With the wider Tree Council Team

• Attend morning team meetings and (when possible) share cake!
• Throw yourself wholeheartedly into helping out whenever and wherever needed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Attitudes:

• Diplomatic and collaborative, builds positive relationships quickly
• Engaging with high energy levels
• High professional standards
• Approachable, with the gravitas to be listened to seriously
• Resilient and tenacious
• Highly practical
• Resourceful problem solver
• Can-do, self-starter
• Able to work occasional weekends / evenings with some overnight stays (The Tree Council operates a ‘Time off in Lieu’ policy.)

The Tree Council team works in a collegiate way, delivering projects together. As a result, there is regular cross-over and collaboration.

 PERSON SPECIFICATION continued

Person Specification	Criteria *
Qualifications
Arboricultural skills such as arboricultural qualification, or a degree in a closely related discipline, or employment in a related area or equivalent	E
Experience
Minimum 3 years’ experience working on tree planting programmes, including experience in the field	E
In-depth knowledge of tree id and biology, tree law, tree management, tree health	E
Experience working within or alongside Local Authorities		D
Experience working with government agencies		D
Experience working with volunteers		D
Skills
Possess strong organisational skills, often working to tight deadlines, with a calm and confident manner	E
Able to prioritise a heavy workload, multi-task and perform effectively under pressure with excellent attention to detail	E
Excellent written and spoken English with an impeccable telephone / email manner	E
Numerate and forensic with budgets and targets	E
Confident building relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders	E
Driving license and willingness to travel throughout the UK. Own car needed as this role would be difficult to fulfil using public transport. Mileage paid.	E
IT proficient with good knowledge of MS Office programmes	E
Self-motivated, high-energy and pro-active with a ‘can do’ attitude	E
Willingness to “muck in” and be hands-on, including with everyday / routine tasks	E
Understand why trees, the environment, wildlife, education, health & wellbeing are important to people’s lives and be able to ‘champion’ the cause	E

 

(*) E= Essential           D=Desirable

THE TREE COUNCIL - WHO WE ARE

The Tree Council is a registered charity (charity no. 279000) and umbrella body bringing everyone together with a shared mission to care for trees and our planet’s future. We inspire and empower organisations, government, communities and individuals with the knowledge and tools to create positive, lasting change at a national and local level.

We inspire people to plant and care for trees – the trees in your city street, your local park or school playground, in orchards and hedgerows and rural pastures around the UK. (Other charities focus on forests and larger woodlands.) 

Our work includes:

• Support for a network of volunteer Tree Wardens who help plant and establish trees in communities across England, Scotland and Wales
• Seasonal campaigns which connect people with trees and the natural world, including ‘National Hedgerow Week’ in May and ‘National Tree Week’ at the end of November, which celebrates the start of the winter planting season
• A grants programme that helps schools and other groups fulfil their vision to plant trees, orchards and hedgerows
• Science and social research programme in partnership with Defra, Forestry Commission, Fera Science and leading UK universities. Research topics include tree survival monitoring and protection of heritage trees.
• National Schools Programme connecting with teachers and pupils at 3.000 schools, inspiring young people to become Young Tree Champions and a #ForceForNature
• An important relationship as ‘critical friend’ to Network Rail. We advise on vegetation management along 20,000 miles of railway corridors, as well as delivering a community planting programme over the coming five years.
• Partnership with our 120 Member organisations including other charities such as the Woodland Trust and Trees for Cities; academic partners such as Newcastle, Oxford, Reading and Strathclyde Universities; and generous supporters including businesses, major donors and Trusts & Foundations.
  

TIMETABLE

If you would like to be considered for interview, please email a CV and covering letter (2 sides A4 max.) to HR@treecouncil.org.uk 

Pre-employment checks for the successful candidate will include:

• Two professional references
• DBS check
• Verification of ‘Right to Work in the UK’

The Tree Council is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.

Deadline for applications: Saturday 5 October 2024 – 11.59pm

Interviews will take place online on 10 / 11 October 2024