The royal parks jobs

The Organisation

The Royal Parks (TRP) is a charity created in March 2017. We manage over 5,000 acres of diverse parkland, rare habitats and historic buildings and monuments in eight Royal Parks across London. These are: Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Green Park, St James’s Park, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Greenwich Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park.

We also manage other important public spaces including Brompton Cemetery and Victoria Tower Gardens. Our eight Royal Parks and other public spaces are among the most visited attractions in the UK with tens of millions of visits every year.

We are now looking for an Arboricultural Officer to join us on a permanent, full-time basis, working 36 hours per week.

The Benefits

• Salary of £33,666 - £38,500 per annum, depending on experience
• 26 days' annual leave plus public holidays, increasing to 29 days after 3 years’ service
• Pension scheme (3% employee contribution; up to 10% employer contribution)
• Private medical insurance and healthcare cash plan
• Employee assistance programme and access to mental health first aiders
• Learning and development opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Offices in a beautiful location

This is an exceptional opportunity for a knowledgeable and experienced arboriculturist to join our excellent organisation and support the biodiversity of some of London’s most iconic green spaces.

Taking care of over 160,000 trees over 5,000 acres of grade I and II listed historic parkland, you’ll have the chance to play an integral role in helping nature to thrive and restoring vitally important habitats.

As if that wasn’t enough, you’ll gain valuable experience and be supported to grow and flourish in your role with a great range of learning and development opportunities and a fantastic benefits package.

The Role

As an Arboricultural Officer, you will survey and record all aspects of the tree stock to protect the natural landscape and maintain a safe environment for our visitors.

Carrying out accurate tree inspections, you’ll diagnose and assess the impacts of injury, decay and structural defects. You’ll support the mitigation and management of pests and diseases, particularly Massaria of London Plane and Oak Processionary Moth.

You’ll also work with the Wildlife and Conservation Officers to develop and implement park strategies and management plans and to create and maintain critical wildlife habitats.

Additionally, you will:

• Liaise with contractors to prioritise areas of risk
• Ensure works are carried out in adherence to specifications, on time and within budget
• Adhere to existing working practices, methods and procedures
• Provide technical Arboricultural support

About You

To be considered as an Arboricultural Officer, you will need:

• Experience in the inspection, risk assessment and management of a wide range of trees
• Experience surveying and managing Massaria (Splanchnonema platani)
• Experience in the application of British Standards relating to trees
• An understanding of nature conservation issues, SSSI status and protected species legislation relating to Arboriculture and trees
• Excellent identification ability of a wide range of amenity trees
• Excellent knowledge in the identification and prognosis of a wide range of pest and diseases and fungal fruit bodies
• To hold, or be willing to work towards, an Arboricultural Association Professional Tree Inspection Certificate
• A NVQ Level Three (NQF Level IV) qualification in Arboriculture (or equivalent)
• A full, valid driving licence

Other organisations may call this role Tree Officer, Conservation Officer, Arboricultural Consultant, Biosecurity Officer, Plant Health Support Officer, Arboricultural Surveyor, or Tree Surgeon.

We want to put everyone in the best possible position to succeed and use Recite-me accessibility software. At the top of the application page, there is an “Accessibility Tools” button which you can use to complete the application form in a way that works for you. If you think that you may need more support to complete our application process, please do get in touch.

The Royal Parks is strongly committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and encourage applications from candidates from all backgrounds. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.

So, if you are interested in this unique opportunity as an Arboricultural Officer, please apply via the button shown. Successful candidates will be appointed on merit.