Landscape Consultant in Chelmsford

Permanent, Full Time £36,169 to £42,551 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Hybrid-working role contractually based in Chelmsford. You will work from the Chelmsford office at least one day per week, and across our operational area on other days, depending on business need.

Place Services is a multi-disciplinary consultancy within Essex County Council providing environmental and planning services to the Council, local authorities, and other public bodies. Our purpose is to support the public sector to deliver sustainable development.

The purpose of the Senior Landscape Consultant is to provide advanced landscape services to clients across the UK. We advise on complex landscape matters, including:

• Development management and policy
• Landscape visual assessments (LVIAs)
• Design guides and codes
• Design reviews
• Preparing design briefs
• A wide variety of project work and specialist tasks on multi-disciplinary projects

We are seeking a Landscape Consultant to join our growing multidisciplinary team which currently includes 10 Landscape Architects.

Accountabilities:

• Responsible for effective delivery of a range of advanced landscape services including a demanding caseload of major, complex and sensitive development management and consent consultations at all stages of the planning/consent process.
• Evaluating and carrying out landscape visual assessments and LVIAs on medium to large scale and complexity.
• Carrying out design reviews on schemes of large-scale, challenge and complexity.
• Evaluating and developing landscape strategies and schemes, design guides and codes, for large-scale and complex schemes.
• Carrying out complex specialist tasks as part of multi-disciplinary projects.
• Collecting, analysing, and presenting complex data, evidence (including for enforcement) and advice to recognised standards, reviewing outcomes, and assessing third party compliance.
• Contributing to the development and review of complex plans, policies and guidance.
• Development and delivery of promotional and learning material, training activities and events, engaging with networks to enhance the recognition and reputation of Place Services.
• Bidding for moderate to high value opportunities and managing moderate value projects and contracts against budgets, specifications and indicators.
• Maintaining a professional, client-focused culture and building strong client relationships, securing feedback for continuous improvement.
• Implementing improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.
• Maintaining commercial awareness of our business, key markets and industry.
• Maintaining a collaborative, high-performance culture and improving personal competency, continually seeking to enhance personal performance and practice, securing feedback, and building knowledge and skills.

Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

About you:

• Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor’s degree) in a relevant subject with post qualification experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development, and Chartered Membership, or working towards Chartered Membership, of the Landscape Institute.
• Accomplished technical and subject matter expert, with significant knowledge and experience of development management processes; planning policy, legislation, standards and guidance; development briefs, design reviews; landscape strategies/schemes, visual assessment/LVIA; design guides/codes; related office and site-based practices/procedures, including graphic presentation.
• Good understanding of wellbeing and H&S, with ability to produce and implement complex risk assessments, and identify and implement safe working practices.
• Good awareness of commercial practices, including experience of bid winning, and ability to understand client needs and drivers.
• Able to manage small to moderate scale projects from concept through to completion.
• Strong negotiation and communication skills using a range of techniques and strategies to influence, inform and persuade clients, and stakeholders, and to build client relationships.
• High level ability with a range of common and specialist software (GIS/AutoCAD/Creative Cloud/Sketchup), to implement complex methods of data capture, management and presentation, and carry out complex analysis and interpretation.

Please note that the job role requires you to be mobile throughout an operational area. Therefore, the post holder will need to have a driving licence and access to a vehicle, or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means.

Why Essex?

Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct.