1019-343 Landscape Adviser - D Grade - November 2026

NatureScot

Scotland

Hybrid

GBP 37,000 - 46,000

Full time

2 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Holiday Leave 41.5 days

Flexible Working

Volunteer Leave

Wellbeing Programme

Death in Service

Cycle to Work

Employee Discounts

Learning & Development

Inclusive Culture

Job summary

NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. We seek a Landscape Adviser to provide landscape advice to colleagues, planners, and developers on strategic planning issues, significant casework, and our spatial priorities.

The role supports policy development and the creation of landscape guidance and resources. The post requires accredited degree in landscape discipline, chartered membership or progress toward accreditation, and strong communication skills to engage with diverse audiences.

Qualifications

Degree in landscape architecture, landscape planning, or related field.
Chartered membership of the Landscape Institute or RTPI or pursuing accreditation.
Knowledge of Strategic Environmental Assessment, Landscape Character Assessment, LVIA, and EIA processes.
Ability to provide informed, clear landscape advice on development proposals and place-making.

Responsibilities

Provide landscape advice to colleagues, planners and developers on strategic planning issues and projects.
Contribute to policy development including Development Plans and marine/ regional plans.
Contribute to landscape guidance and training on landscape issues.

Skills

Landscape advice

Stakeholder engagement

Clear written and verbal communication

Problem solving

Team collaboration

Education

Degree in landscape architecture/planning

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Job Purpose Summary

NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. Landscape is a key element of ourstatutory remit which helps to link nature, people and place. The importance of nature positive landscapes in the creation of great places to live, work and visit is well recognised for its contribution to Scotland’s health and economic prosperity. We also know that significant landscape change will be needed to halt biodiversity loss and tackle the climate emergency, and this will require the application of new landscape skills and perspectives.

While Scotland is rightly renowned for its scenery, NatureScot recognises the value of all landscapes.This is in keeping with the European Landscape Convention, and People Place and Landscape, our joint statement with Historic Environment Scotland. National Planning Framework 4 recognises the importance of Scotland’s landscapes through the Regional Spatial Priorities, and by the general emphasis on place, place-making and the design-led approach which runs through it.

This post will provide an exciting opportunity to input to plans, policies, and guidance that will help Scotland’s landscapes change for the better. This is particularly important now given the need to understand how landscape skills can support nature recovery, nature-based solutions and a natural capital approach in practice.

This is a permanent, full-time role with NatureScot. We encourage applications from those seeking part-time employment or flexible working arrangements.

Key tasks and responsibilities

Provide landscape advice to colleagues, planners and developers on strategic planning issues, significant casework (terrestrial and marine), and our spatial priorities and projects.
Contribute to policy development, including Development Plans, National and Regional Marine Plans, and regional spatial plans.
Contribute to the development and review of landscape guidance and other resources such as research, and the delivery of training on landscape issues to a range of audiences.

Skills and competencies required (Please refer to these in your Supporting Statement)

A relevant, accredited degree in landscape architecture, landscape planning, or a closely-related discipline
Chartered membership of the Landscape Institute or the RTPI, or willingness to work towards a relevant accreditation.
Knowledge and/or understanding of Strategic Environmental Assessment Landscape Character Assessment, Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, and the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
Ability to provide informed, clear and solution-focused landscape advice for example on development proposals, place-making projects and other initiatives.

In addition:

Effective communication and engagement skills. These include: the ability to convey technical issues to general audiences both written and verbally, with the potential to act as an expert witness; the ability to summarise and distil key points for briefings and formal advice; and the ability to influence and forge good working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
A team player with empathy and understanding of the views and positions of others, while also demonstrating commitment to overall team performance and the organisational outcomes we seek.
Creativity and versatility in approach to work, able to be adaptive to changing situations, and embracing of new areas of work.
Good organisational skills, and the ability to meet deadlines.
The ability to undertake fieldwork that may entail long days. This could sometimes be in remote and/or upland areas that are not accessible by vehicles.
The ability to use MS office software, in particular for remote and hybrid working: MS Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Prerequisites Required

Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK and resident in Scotland for the duration of the job contract
To undertake a Disclosure Scotland application.
Although Gaelic language is not a prerequisite it is a desirable skill in support of our commitment to our Gaelic Language Plan

Working for NatureScot – what we offer you

NatureScot offers some great benefits to reward and support you whilst you are working for us. Our benefits package includes thecivil service pension scheme, a generous holiday leave allowance plus flexi time, and employee discount scheme. Visit the NatureScotwebsite for further detailsincluding below:
We support flexible working for all roles, including part-time, compressed hours, hybrid working and job share. All vacancies are considered suitable for flexible working unless there is a business reason not to. We encourage applicants to discuss potential flexible working arrangements with us
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% (7.35% employee contributions)https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/memberhub/joining-the-pension-scheme/benefits-of-the-pension-scheme/
41.5 days of annual leave, including 5 fixed public holidays on St Andrews Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and 2nd January
Equivalent of 2 days paid volunteering leave
A focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
Job satisfaction from contributing proactively to the twinned nature and climate crisis
Death in service benefits
Cycle to work and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes
Access to an employee discounts scheme
Learning and development tailored to your role
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

NatureScot’s Net Zero commitment

Whether working at home or in an office, or travelling to meetings and site visits, as a NatureScot you will contribute to our Net Zero plan, for example through positive carbon travel choices.

For information regarding the vacancy please contact

Catherine Harry, Landscape Advice Manager: catherine.harry@nature.scot

For information regarding the recruitment process please contact:

recruitment@nature.scot

Nature is vital to us all, so it's important that NatureScot represents the people of Scotland. The more diverse our workforce is, the more effectively we can connect everyone with nature. We encourage applications from candidates of all ages and genders, people from ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community.

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