Biodiversity Technical Officer

Dorset Council; Dorchester; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Dorchester is looking for a Biodiversity Technical Officer to join their Natural Environment Team. The role involves assisting ecology officers, managing planning applications, and supporting the Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy. Ideal candidates should have strong communication skills, a relevant qualification, and be prepared for varied tasks. This full-time, fixed-term role offers a dynamic work environment with potential for professional growth.

Benefits

Access to training opportunities

Diverse and inclusive work environment

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and organization skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Understanding of the current planning system desirable.

Responsibilities

• Assist ecology officers with planning applications.
• Coordinate workloads and team communications.
• Support development of the Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Time management

Education

Relevant qualification

Job description

Overview

We are looking for a Biodiversity Technical Officer to join our friendly and passionate Natural Environment Team at Dorset Council. With a growing portfolio of planning and project work we are looking for someone who is personable, qualified and can hit the ground running providing technical support across the team. The Natural Environment Team consists of ecologists and local nature recovery officers – the team is friendly and professional.

What You Will Be Doing

The role primarily involves assisting the ecology officers, organising and recording responses to planning applications and assistance to the development and delivery of the Dorset Local Nature Recovery Strategy. You will work closely with the Team Manager and help to coordinate the work of the team. Working across the team, you will be busy with a varied workload and tasks. You will play a key role in team communications and ensure the smooth running of the team’s procedures and systems. The role presents a range of opportunities including contributing to guidance, developing new systems and ways of working, helping deliver nature recovery at scale, engage with colleagues and partners across the authority and more widely. You will need to demonstrate your experience and level of knowledge in your application and at interview.

About You

You will have a relevant qualification, excellent communication and organisation skills and be able to work on your own as well as part of a team. An understanding of the current planning system and knowledge of Dorset wildlife and habitats would be desirable but not essential. The post will involve delivering on a range of tasks simultaneously therefore you should have excellent time management skills and the ability to prioritise with changing parameters and tight deadlines.

Further Information

You will need to have a flexible approach to work, travelling to meetings and site visits, working in the office and at home together with working at evening and/or weekend meetings if required. It is necessary to have a full driving licence and access to a vehicle.

This is a fixed term position, initially for two years with the possibility of extension. This post is full time (37 hours per week) fixed-term contract for initially two years. Dorset Council uses generic job descriptions therefore please look at the context statement for detailed duties for this role. If you have any questions about the position, you would like more information please contact Nikki Taylor - [email protected] 01305 225037

About Us

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

You Will

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• have access to range of training opportunities which will help with your personal development and career progression

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible. If you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.