Arboriculture Manager

Role Responsibility

An exciting career opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified and experienced individual to play a key role within the Highway Soft Landscape Team. Trees and the environment have never been as important as they are now and this role is fundamental in providing the support to manage, maintain and increase Kent’s tree stock of 500,000 trees. The successful applicant will be able to influence the future of the treescape in Kent and shape the process’s involved in maintaining this valuable asset in a safe and healthy condition.

The role will involve leading a small team of Tree Officers and providing them with the strategic and operational direction needed. You will be responsible for the team’s delivery of tree safety audits, tree planting, ash dieback plans and responding to customer enquiries as well as the management and performance monitoring of the term contractor who carries out the works that result from these.

You will need to demonstrate excellent communication skills and be confident dealing with customers, councillors, contractors and stakeholders both verbally and in writing. You will have a strong background in arboriculture with proven experience in contract management and a relevant qualification in an arboriculture discipline.  

We have an innovative approach to tree management and value the use of technology to make key decisions about this asset. You will therefore need to demonstrate good computer literacy skills and have an understanding of how to apply tree safety audit software in the field.

This senior position will be based at either of our highway offices in Ashford or Aylesford, although flexible working allows for home working and working from more local depots.

The post comes with the advantages of up to 28 days holiday (increasing to 30 after 5 years) + public holidays, flexible working hours, an excellent local government pension scheme, sickness provision, childcare voucher scheme, staff discount scheme and support with professional development.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

A successful candidate will respond to the application questions on the Councils Recruitment Hub. Please state in the "Reason for applying" section why you would make a good candidate for this post, and describe any relevant experience and/or knowledge.

Contact Details

For further information regarding this role , please contact Robin Hadley

Email : robin.hadley@kent.gov.uk 

Tel:  03000 413647

About the Company

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds and faiths, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note – if you are interested, please apply as soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.