Here at Warwick District Council, we pride ourselves on the fact that we offer you a great place to work.
We achieve our goals by recruiting and retaining motivated, empowered and flexible staff. Weare committed to training and development, and we encourage a healthy work-life balance.
We offer the rewards and benefits that make it a great place to work.
People like you
We offer a wide range of career opportunities at every level of the organisation. From apprenticeships to senior management, permanent to fixed term contracts or part-time working, we have something for everyone.
About WDC, overview of the team and the Role
Our planet is currently facing an ecological emergency where biodiversity has been massively depleted by decades of habitat loss, neglect, development, pollution and changes in climate. In response to the Council has produced a new Biodiversity Action Programme (BAP) and are seeking ambitious targets as part of the emerging Local Plan for example in relation to tree canopy cover targets. WDC is the leading organisation to enhance biodiversity in Warwick District, which is a strategic goal of the Council.
There are 550 Ha plus of green spaces across the district that have the potential to be improved, managed and maintained for biodiversity and to the high standard that our communities demand, where there is an increasing desire to ensure these spaces remain in perpetuity as public open spaces, given development pressures.
The role will lead on the Fields in Trust Project and writing the Management Plans for some of our premier parks. The role will also be involved in some of our biodiversity work, while also including aspects of Woodland Management, and working with internal and external stakeholders involved in biodiversity, nature conservation and trees.
We are a small friendly team, and the role will be a key role to enabling us to move forward with a number of high profile and priority projects and be the lead officer for both the Fields in Trust Project and for the Management Plans.
What we are looking for
The Green Spaces Team is looking for a skilled, motivated, and enthusiastic individual who is passionate about nature, conservation, ecology, woodland/tree management and green spaces to join the team. The individual should be ambitious in their desire to make Warwick District a place that is rich in nature by delivering multiple benefits for wildlife and people, while also being keen to enhance our registered historic parks and gardens and areas of open space.
The postholder would be required to work on their own, sometimes in isolated locations, and to attend team meetings and work well with the team and internal and external stakeholders for example community groups.
Candidates should have a passion and knowledge and experience of green space development and have qualifications or equivalent experience in environment, landscape, horticulture, woodland management, ecology, conservation, planning or
other related subject to enable them to perform well in this role. The postholder should also be familiar with MS Office based applications such as Outlook, Word and Excel and be able to use maps to assist them in their daily work. Good levels of numeracy, verbal and written communication skills as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills at all levels is also required. You will also need to be able to plan/prioritise and sequence multiple and potentially conflicting priorities.
This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a small friendly team, and you will have guidance and support whilst working in this team which places a high value on teamwork, customer focus, professionalism, responsibility and creativity, as while you will be predominantly working on your own initiative you will have the support of your manager as required.
We work flexibly at Warwick and support working at home or flexible working patterns that enable you to tailor your working and personal life. We provide the equipment and tools to enable you to work flexibly. You will also be expected to be based in the office when required for example to carry out work in the district, attend meetings and be available for occasional out of hours work.
If you are ready for your next challenge and to help us achieve our ambitions of making Warwick District a green and biodiverse area, with high quality open spaces, and woodland, we want to hear from you.
You will need a full driving license and access to a vehicle to undertake duties across the district.
Main responsibilities
The primary role of this post is to undertake the submission of sites for Fields in Trust designation, to write the Parks Management Plans with the aim of securing Green Flag accreditation, assist on woodland management policy and be involved in the development and management of parks and open spaces throughout the district to include ecological management, floral bedding, tree advice, play areas, local nature reserves, and other tasks as the service requires.
Snapshot of the essential criteria:
Qualified to at least degree level of have equivalent experience
Extensive knowledge and experience of contract management, project management, maintenance of formal parks and open spaces and working and managing external contractors.
Experience of working with a range of partners, including residents, volunteers, local groups, and other bodies/organisations.
Extensive knowledge of integrating ecological and formal grounds maintenance to increase biodiversity
Experience of budget management/payment to external contractors.
Extensive knowledge of services provided by other Service Areas in the Council, partner organisations and other agencies.
Demonstrable experience of change management and service improvement
Demonstrable ability to present both written and verbal reports
The ability to manage and prioritise workload
Customer focused.
The intention is for the postholder to work predominately from home however, it is a requirement to attend our offices or sites within Warwick District as required. Any costs for travel from home to the office will be met by the successful candidate. However, hybrid and office working is also available.
Hours & Contract type:
Fixed Term/ Secondment - 2 years
If you have any questions or wish to have an informal discussion, please contact:
Name: Helen Hancox
Job Title: Green Spaces Team Leader
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01926 456 217
Closing date: 12/07/26
INTERVIEW DATE: TBC W/C 13th
Internal applicants only: please note if you are applying for a secondment position, you must seek approval from your current line manager before applying.
If you are unable to apply using the 'Apply' button, please contact HR Support [email protected] including your contact details and any relevant screenshots.
You will be notified of our shortlisting decision via email, so please check your email on a regular basis after submitting your application.
As part of being a Disability Confident employer we guarantee to interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the post. By ‘essential criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application form which demonstrates that you meet the level of competence required for each competence, as
well as meeting any of the qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential in the person specification. To be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS), applicants must disclose that they have a disability and would like to be considered for the scheme.
Should you require application forms in an alternative format / language or any adjustments to be made throughout the application or recruitment process or upon appointment, please contact [email protected] and we will make every effort to meet your specific requirements.
