Countryside Officer

WMJobs; Cannock; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Staffordshire County Council is seeking a Countryside Officer to manage Cannock Chase Country Park. You will lead on stewardship projects, supervise volunteers and contractors, and ensure safety and repairs across the site.

The role requires practical countryside management experience, a relevant degree, and the ability to work across varied tasks from tree removal to stakeholder liaison. This is a full-time, Tue–Sat position with some after-hours flexibility.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent in countryside management or related discipline.
• At least two (four desirable) of the listed qualifications are essential.
• Experience in practical site management and safe use of tools and equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead on projects, including parts of the Stewardship Scheme delivery, to move the site back into Favourable condition.
• Ensure the site is safe for visitors through site checks and ensure remedial work is completed.
• Manage a mix of hands-on work, volunteers, and contractor oversight.
• Daily tasks include site checks, repairs and occasional out-of-hours work.

Skills

NPTC Level 2 chainsaw

Strimming

Mowing (pedestrian)

Pesticides/spraying

Off-road driving

Winching

Tree safety management

ATV handling

Digger driving

Use of trailers

Tractor driving

Education

Degree or equivalent in countryside management

Job description

Staffordshire County Council,

This is a rare opportunity to join the team managing Cannock Chase Country Park.

Staffordshire County Council look after 1,300ha of heath and woodland on Cannock Chase. Most of this land is designated SSSI and SAC and is in a Higher-Level Stewardship Agreement. A wealth of wildlife lives here including nightjars, small pearl bordered fritillaries, Welsh clearwing, adders, woodlarks and 8 bat species to name a few.

There is fascinating history connected to the site including remains of vast WW1 training camps. Millions of visitors enjoy spending leisure time here and a small herd of cows join us each summer.

Main Responsibilities

The Countryside Officer role is responsible for a wide variety of tasks to manage the site. Countryside Officers lead on projects, including parts of the Stewardship Scheme delivery to move the site back into Favourable condition. Ensuring the site is in safe condition for visitors through site checks and ensuring remedial work is completed. Achieving these work areas is carried out by a mixture of hands-on work, leading volunteers and contractor management.

No two days are the same in this role. One day you will be removing dangerous trees, the next managing contractors , applying for SSSI assent or running a volunteer work party.

All this alongside site checks and repairs.

This role is full time, 8am-4pm, Tuesday - Saturday. Occasional flexibility to work outside of these hours is required and will be arranged in advance.

The Ideal Candidate

The minimum criteria that will be used to shortlist for this role will be:

• Degree or equivalent in countryside management or appropriate discipline
• At least two (four desirable) of the following and knowledge of others (essential): NPTC Level 2 qualifications in chainsaw use & maintenance; strimming; mowing (pedestrian); brush cutters and trimmers; pesticides / spraying; off road driving; winching; tree safety management; ATV handling; digger driving; use of trailers; tractor driving and related operations; tractor mounted mowers; topper (rotary and flail); firearms licence; protected species licences; level 1 deer management qualification.
• Sound understanding and experience of countryside management policy and practice and managing public sites.
• Significant experience of practical site management and safe use of tools and equipment.
• Knowledge and experience of surveys and conservation requirements of key species and habitats and general management of historic features.
• Current driving licence (Manual) and ability to drive off-road vehicles
• Physical fitness including ability to walk reasonable distances and undertake physical work outdoors in all weathers
• Knowledge and experience of health and safety management, inspection procedures, emergency procedures and risk assessment.

Interviews are expected to be held in person on-site, Tuesday 27th October.

We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered.

Please note: The minimum criteria in the ideal candidate section detailed above will be used if you are applying under one of our Interview Guarantee Schemes detailed below.

About Staffordshire County Council

We are no ordinary county council:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our Values:

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.