Access Ranger - West Sussex County Council

Countryside Classroom; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave plus bank holiday

Training and development opportunities

Discounts at retailers

Employee assistance programmes

Gym/fitness discounts

Car benefit scheme

Travel and commuting discounts

Job summary

Countryside Classroom is seeking an Access Ranger in West Sussex. The role focuses on maintaining and improving the PRoW network, with a balance of field inspections and office tasks.

You will work with landowners, volunteers and contractors to deliver improvements and ensure accessible routes for residents and visitors. The job involves lone working, some evenings/weekends, and responsibilities include coordinating inspections, logging issues, and providing guidance on legislative and practical

Qualifications

• Significant experience of access and rights of way management, either within an office or in the field.
• Implementation of legislation and day-to-day maintenance.
• Small improvement projects and advising landowners, the public and other parties.
• Experience of working in partnership with individuals and organisations.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

Responsibilities

• Organise and carry out inspections including coordinating volunteers.
• Engage with landowners to resolve issues and take enforcement action where necessary.
• Log and update issues using our IT system (Confirm).
• Investigate reports from the public and other stakeholders, providing technical and legal advice and seeking solutions.
• Deliver small scale improvements working with landowners and/or contractors.
• Identify work to be delivered by volunteers or the Annual Works Programme.
• Respond to planning application consultations to protect and improve the PRoW network where possible.

Skills

Customer focused service

Organise/prioritise work

Communication skills

Problem solving

Read maps and use scales on site

IT skills: Word, Excel, databases, GIS

Education

Significant experience of access and rights of way management

Full UK Driving Licence

Tools

GIS mapping

Word

Excel

Job description

Do you want to ensure that Public Rights of Way (PRoW) are in good condition and available to enjoy in West Sussex? In this role, you will make sure that visitors and residents of our County can enjoy all its outstanding natural beauty.

About the job

Salary: £33,673 to £36,581 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37 hours per week.

Location: Your base will be County Hall, Chichester

Interview Date: W/c 30th November 2026

As an Access Ranger you will join our friendly, knowledgeable and supportive team. You will work closely with landowners, volunteers and contractors to maintain and improve the PRoW network.

Your main responsibility will be managing the routine inspection and maintenance programme in this area. Some of your daily tasks will include:

• Organise and carry out inspections including coordinating volunteers who will assist with the inspections.
• Engage with landowners to resolve issues and take enforcement action where necessary.
• Log and update issues using our IT system (Confirm).
• Investigate reports from the public and other stakeholders providing technical and legal advice and seeking solutions.
• Deliver small scale improvements working with landowners and/or contractors.
• Identify work to be delivered by volunteers or the Annual Works Programme.
• Respond to planning application consultations to protect and improve the PRoW network where possible.

The role requires a significant amount of lone working and occasionally walking up to 6 hours a day. As a guide the role is approximately one-third on site and two- thirds office based. Prioritising and organising workloads is a fundamental part of the role.

The postholder may be required to work occasional evenings and weekends. The work involves occasionally dealing with people with strongly conflicting interests where tact and diplomacy are essential.

Experience and skills

Key Skills:

• Ability to work in a customer focused way, providing a high-quality service.
• Ability to organise/prioritise work, co-ordinate a variety of tasks in a clear and logical way and meet agreed deadlines.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and make sound pragmatic decisions.
• Ability to read maps and scale and apply this on site.
• IT skills including Word, Excel, databases and GIS mapping, in order to record and manage data, present information clearly, concisely and accurately, and research information.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• Significant experience of access and rights of way management, either within an office or in the field, including;
  • Implementation of legislation
• Day to day maintenance
• Small improvement projects
• Providing advice to landowners, farmers, the public and other interested parties.
• Experience of working in partnership with individuals and organisations.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Access Ranger Job Description

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 competitive salary you will have access to:

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring.
• A strong supportive management team.
• A range of discounts including Tesco, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more.
• Free access to employee assistance programmes.
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres.
• Car benefit scheme.
• A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives.

For a full list, please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further information

The reference number for this role is 139

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Hiring manager Steve Alexender [e-mail]

For issues or queries regarding your application please contact [e-mail]

Does this sound like the opportunity for you?

In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills – Access Ranger Job Description) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description linked to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.