Tree Inspector - Lancaster, Wyre, Fylde and Ribble Valley

About the job

Team Advert – Tree & Biodiversity

Salary £24,054 - £27,852 (pay award pending), Permanent, Full Time 37pw

The Role:

We are offering an exciting opportunity to join us in Lancashire as we develop and deliver our ambitious plan for the tree management across the county.

The Tree Management Team at Lancashire County Council is looking to hire a Tree Surveyor to work in the northern districts of Lancashire (Lancaster, Wyre, Fylde and Ribble Valley). The post involves lone working outside, recording details of trees and recommending remedial tree works.

Candidates must have experience of:

• Tree species
• Pest and disease identification
• Tree risk assessment
• Comfortable with using computerised mapping and inventory systems.
• Candidates must have the minimum of a level 2 arboricultural qualification.

This is an essential car user post; you will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. In certain circumstances consideration may be given to applicants who, as a consequence of a disability, are unable to drive. 

Benefits: 

There's fabulous flexibility and the opportunity to create the work life balance.  You'll enjoy up to 32 days annual leave (after 5 years) plus bank holidays, 2 additional days at Christmas and then an additional 20 days that can be purchased too.  We have a generous public sector pension with shared AVC's available. We have a benefits package offering discounts in retail, holidays at home or abroad, long service awards, Medicash, support groups, cycle to work schemes and eye tests plus much more.

If this opportunity is of interest and you have any questions over the position before submitting your application, please contact Wes Hall on 01772530743.

Preferred Skills

Job Description

Tree Inspector

Service: Asset Management

Team: Carbon Strategy

Location: Preston (Countywide)

Salary range: £21,748 to £25,481

Grade: 6

Reports to: Senior Tree Officer

Staff responsible for: 0

Job Purpose

The Tree Inspector role is key to ensuring the Council meets its obligations under the Highways Act 1980 and ensuring the safety of Lancashire's highway network, open spaces and corporate sites.  The role is integral to ensuring compliance with the tree inspection policy and guidance, protecting people and assets, and defending the County Council against third party claims.

The team is based at County Hall, Preston but the successful candidate will be mobile working covering various parts of Lancashire. You must have a full and valid driving licence and you will be required to drive a Lancashire County Council vehicle.

Tree Inspectors are responsible for carrying out routine and cyclic inspections of trees under the Council's ownership on highway and corporate sites, to identify defects which pose a risk to highway and service users. Trees under private ownership which pose a risk to the highway will also require inspection. You will need to make judgements on the risk posed by a tree and how that risk is communicated. 

Working outdoors for long periods of time in all weather conditions is also part of the role.  The role requires you to do a lot of walking and driving on a daily basis in different parts of Lancashire.  Making accurate records and working to strict guidance and timescales are also major requirements of the role.

You may be required to interact with the public and help with dealing with customer queries and complaints, and also provide evidence for claim investigations.

Accountabilities/Responsibilities

·        Undertake tree safety inspections in line with the Highway Asset Management Plan, Tree Safety Management Guidance – Risk based Inspections 

·        Identify trees species and key factors relating to tree health, including disease, pest and structural defects

·        Make judgements on the severity of the risk posed by a defect and communicate inspections accordingly

·        Undertake all inspections to the highest possible standards and in a timely manner adhering to all agreed timescales 

·        Be responsible for a handheld/personal computer and other equipment ensuring it is operating and used correctly and kept safe and secure

·        Provide evidence in relation to claims against the Council. 

·        Deal with customer requests and complaints in a timely and professional manner giving accurate information to all relevant interested parties and stakeholders

·        Be responsible for an LCC vehicle - using it in a professional and courteous manner and in accordance with all relevant policies and procedures

·        Challenge and report any bad practice relating to private trees which may be in breach of the law or posing a risk to road users or users of County Council premises.

Other

·        Equal Opportunities

We are committed to achieving equal opportunities in the way we deliver services to the community and in our employment arrangements. We expect all employees to understand and promote this policy in their work.

·        Health and safety

All employees have a responsibility for their own health and safety and that of others when carrying out their duties and must help us to apply our general statement of health and safety policy.

·        Customer Focused

We put our customers' needs and expectations at the heart of all that we do. We expect our employees to have a full understanding of those needs and expectations so that we can provide high quality, appropriate services at all times.

Our Values

We expect all our employees to demonstrate and promote our values:

·        Supportive

We are supportive of our customers and colleagues, recognising their contributions and making the best of their strengths to enable our communities to flourish.

·        Innovative

We deliver the best services we possibly can, always looking for creative ways to do things better, putting the customer at the heart of our thinking, and being ambitious and focused on how we can deliver the best services now and in the future. 

·        Respectful

We treat colleagues, customers and partners with respect, listening to their views, empathising and valuing their diverse needs and perspectives, to be fair, open and honest in all that we do.

·        Collaborative

We listen to, engage with, learn from and work with colleagues, partners and customers to help achieve the best outcomes for everyone.

 Person Specification

Tree Inspector

All the following requirements are essential unless otherwise indicated by *

Your ability to meet the job requirements will initially be assessed by the information provided on your application but further assessment will be undertaken at interview and, in some cases, by using other types of assessment(s).

Qualifications

·        GCSE Grade C in Maths and English with relevant experience

·        Level 2 Certificate in Arboriculture or similar

Experience

·        Relevant public or commercial sector experience working in the arboriculture industry

·        Experience of working within a highway environment or similar

·        Experience of carrying out inspections in line policies and procedures

·        Experience of using computers and Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel.

·        Experience of working as part of a team

·        Experience of working to both individual and team deadlines

·        Experience of delivering excellent customer service

Essential knowledge, skills & abilities

·        Good organisational skills including prioritising workloads, decision making, and time management

·        Effective written and oral communication skills

·       Good attention to detail and skills which demonstrate thoroughness and accuracy in completing tasks

·        Able to adapt to the challenges of constantly changing operational requirements

·        Computer literate. Able to use MS Office and other typical general office packages, and also specialist tree related software packages, including GIS or similar mapping packages

·        Ability to be able to collect and record field data on site using specialist hardware/software

·        Able to communicate effectively and manage customer expectations, both verbally and in writing. Skill sets to manage information and communicate effectively with colleagues

·        Able to carry out walked inspections and drive-by inspections throughout Lancashire

·        Relevant knowledge of legislation and codes of practice related to Health & Safety, risk assessment, and the NRSWA Chapter 8. An understanding of TPO’s & Conservation Area legislation and the Wildlife & Countryside Act

Other essential requirements

·        Commitment to equality and diversity.

·        Commitment to health and safety.

·        Display the LCC values and behaviours at all times and actively promote them in others.

·        This is an essential car user post 

You will be required to provide a car for use in connection with the duties of this post and must be insured for business use. In certain circumstances consideration may be given to applicants who, as a consequence of a disability, are unable to drive