February 2014

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in this position with The Royal Parks. Please find attached an Application Pack. The pack contains an Overview of The Royal Parks, full job description and person specification, an Application Form and an ‘Employment Monitoring Diversity Questionnaire’. If you have any difficulty in opening or printing the forms please contact Human Resources at the below email address with re-confirmation of your postal address.

All being well, please complete and print the application and employment monitoring forms and return in hard copy to:

Human Resources

The Royal Parks

Old Police House

Hyde Park

London

W2 2UH

Or email your completed application to with postal copy to follow (if close to closing date) to reach us by the closing date given in the application pack.

The closing date for this application is 5pm on Thursday, 27th February 2014.

Submission

When submitting this application form, please only return pages 11 to 19 inclusive. Please do not send any of the pages numbered 1 to 10 as these pages are for your information only.

We will shortlist as soon as possible following the closing date and, regardless of the outcome, write to let you know the status of your application.

We wish you every success.

APPLICATION PACK

For the post of:

Grade III Head of Ecology

Richmond Park

CONTENTS Page
Overview of the Parks 3
Job Description 6

Person Specification 9

Application Form 11

Diversity Form 18

OVERVIEW

The Royal Parks are:

  • St. James’s Park
  • The Green Park
  • Hyde Park
  • Kensington Gardens
  • Richmond Park
  • Greenwich Park
  • The Regent’s Park
  • Bushy Park

http://www.royalparks.org.uk

We also tend a number of other spaces in London, including Brompton Cemetery, the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street, and Grosvenor Square Gardens.

Keeping 5,000 acres of urban parkland stocked with trees and other plants is no small task. We have our own nursery to meet the demand, and a dedicated team of plantsmen and Parks staff keep the Parks looking great all year round.

Part of our remit is to conserve the Parks for future generations. We have a "Green Housekeeping Committee", which looks at how we can reduce the impact we have on the local and wider environment. We also have an Ecology team, who advise on habitat management, sustainability, and biodiversity.

The Royal Parks is an executive agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

Our Vision and Purpose:

"To manage the Royal Parks effectively and efficiently; balancing the responsibility to conserve and enhance these unique environments with creative policies to encourage access and to increase opportunities for enjoyment, education, entertainment and healthy recreation."

Our Corporate Objectives for 2013/14

·  To conserve and enhance sustainably, for the enjoyment of this and future generations, our world class natural and built historic environment and our biodiversity

·  To engage with our visitors, stakeholders and partner organisations and understand their views

·  To manage the parks efficiently and secure investment in the parks' assets and services through an appropriate combination of government funding, commercial income and philanthropy

·  To be a centre of professional excellence where people want to work

Ministerial Relationship

The Royal Parks is an Executive Agency of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Parks are owned by the Monarch in right of the Crown. The Secretary of State has overall responsibility for the management of the parks. The Chief Executive of The Royal Parks (Linda Lennon) is responsible for operational decisions.

Structure

The Royal Parks currently employs approximately 120 staff, with half based in HQ and the rest in the individual parks. Our headquarters is in the Old Police House, Hyde Park. There is a park office and police station in each park.

Much of the work carried out within the Royal Parks such as grounds, works and tree maintenance is contracted out. Many of the services provided for the public in the Parks - catering, boating, deck chairs and some sports (golf, tennis, bowling, swimming in the Serpentine) - are carried out by licence concessionaires.

Responsibility for policing the parks rests with the Metropolitan Police Service.

The Royal Parks Foundation

Registered as a charity in May 2003, the Foundation has the charitable objectives of raising funds to:

·  Broaden public access to the Parks;

·  Educate, informing and engaging people from all walks of life;

·  Conserve and improving the natural and built environment;

·  Protect wildlife, increasing biodiversity and promoting sustainability.

Job Title: Head of Ecology

Location: Holly Lodge, Richmond Park with travel to all Royal Parks

Grade and Salary: Grade III (Executive) £31,760 - £38,381

Relationships:

Responsible to the Director of Parks (Deputy Chief Executive)

Line management of two FTE staff Ecology Officer (Grade II) and GiGL Royal Parks Officer (contracted post: Grade II equivalent).

Working with a range of external partners, volunteers and stakeholder groups

Important Functional Relationships within TRP:

Park Management teams and office staff, The Parks Services Team, Wildlife Officers, Education team, plus other Headquarters-based teams (Project management teams, IT, Estates, Media and Communications).

Important External Relationships:

Consultants, contractors, local authorities and other government departments and agencies, wildlife trusts and other wildlife conservation NGOs, London Biodiversity Partnership and other such partnerships, academic institutions, DCMS (e.g. Science Research Advisory Committee), Greenspace information for Greater London (GIGL), wildlife and friends groups, volunteers and members of the public, the public media (in consultation with TRP communications team).

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

To lead the provision of the services and information required to enable TRP to protect, conserve and enhance the natural environments and biodiversity of The Royal Parks

To lead on the gathering and management of environmental and biodiversity information. As well as facilitating data exchange with partner organisations and stakeholders.

To work in partnership with our diverse stakeholders to promote the ecological management of The Royal Parks in the context of local, regional & national priorities for biodiversity conservation.

To play a strong supporting role in delivering the benefits of biodiversity to our diverse audiences and future generations through engagement with the surrounding communities.

To work to raise the professional profile of the TRP as an example of best practice at local, regional, national and international levels.

To work with the Head of Parks (Deputy Chief Executive) and Ecology Unit staff to manage the Ecology Unit and its budget in order to deliver corporate objectives.

Managing the further development and implementation of the current Biological Recording Strategy – with annually updated objectives derived from the recommendations of The Royal Parks Biological Recording Strategy (2001) which includes the following:

1)  Overseeing the management of the TRP Recorder 6 database and GIS system (MapInfo v.11) via an annually renewed contracted service from Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL) that provides 1 FTE member of staff dedicated to TRP plus partnership services.

2)  Carrying out data entry, management, reporting and statistical analysis of data as required. Data may derive from surveys, inspections and records provided by contracted survey projects, staff, volunteers and research projects.

3)  To encourage, co-ordinate and manage volunteers to survey and provide data for the biological database and for ecological monitoring together with providing the necessary training and support.

4)  To reinforce and build capability in the provision of ecological information services, including Information System development – to keep abreast of changes in software and system capability and the requirements of internal and external customers.

To carry out, participate in and deliver relevant species and habitat surveys and projects e.g. to carry out field and laboratory work, research and data gathering.

To participate in (e.g. with TRP colleagues and partners), deliver and lead on wildlife conservation partnerships (e.g. Biodiversity Action Plans) of local, regional and national importance, taking a pro-active role when liaising and working with colleagues both within TRP and from external partners including local groups, governmental and non-governmental bodies.

To provide specialist advice. To research and prepare material, including the drafting of documents for meetings and presentations, the preparation of reports and publications.

To take overall responsibility for the management of the Ecology Section’s finances, and the procurement of goods and services.

To deal with relevant enquiries on ecological matters from internal and external customers including various stakeholder groups, volunteers, students and researchers.

To maintain relevant Continuing Professional Development, including attendance at relevant conferences/workshops/seminars, exhibitions and training courses to keep abreast of current industry standards.

To liaise with English Nature and individual Park Managers to ensure compliance with current nature conservation designations and protected species legislation.

To be aware of his/her responsibilities as described in the Health & Safety Manual and summarized in the Health and Safety Handbook and in particular to implement the policy in his/her area of responsibility.

To contribute to the DCMS Science Research Advisory Committee.

Other relevant duties that may be agreed with the Line Manager from time to time.

Other duties:

To contribute to the management and conservation of the historic landscape and tree resource.

To assist with the organisation, development and promotion of the Royal Parks Wildlife Groups including help with display and promotional material.

To provide specialist advice on specific fundraising opportunities for Biological recording and biological initiatives.

To assist with lifelong learning and community development strategies with particular regard to social inclusion and outreach opportunities.

To provide information and support to outside organisations as requested by the Director of parks.

Some out of hours working is required.

Person Specification:

(Please refer to the competency framework)

PERFORMANCE CLUSTER – DELIVERING RESULTS

/

Desirable / Essential

Managing a Quality Service

Develop, Implement, maintain and review systems and service standards to provide quality, efficiency and value for money / E

Ability to Plan and deliver practical wildlife conservation work programmes

/

E

Should hold a relevant degree (or equivalent) in wildlife conversation or environmental studies preferably with a relevant postgraduate qualification (e.g. MSc or PhD)

/

E

At least three years post-qualification experience in the field of wildlife conservation, Preferably sufficient to become a full member of the Chartered Institute of Ecologists and Environmental Managers
/
E
Good understanding of ecological land management principles and conservation of historic landscapes
/
D
Delivering at Pace
/
Regularly monitor own team’s work against milestones or targets and act promptly to keep work on track and maintain performance / E
Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to team and individuals as appropriate
/
E
Ability to train and manage the performance of volunteers/temporary staff assisting the work of the ecology section
Experience of preparing information for external audits, such as ISO14001 / E
Good working knowledge of and ability to use a range of IT Software programmes including routine use of Microsoft Office (Particularly Word Excel, power point outlook) / E
PEOPLE CLUSTER – ENGAGING PEOPLE
Leading and Communicating
Take opportunities to regularly communicate and interact with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and departmental strategy
/
E
Excellent communication, interpersonal and negotiation skills and the ability to communicate well at all levels both within and outside of the Royal Parks. Able to represent TRP at conferences and workshops and to deal with enquiries from volunteers/shareholder groups/outside organisations
/

D

Be able to demonstrate leadership of partnership projects e.g. in the implementation and monitoring of Biodiversity Action Plans such as the London Acid Grassland Habitat Action Plan.

/

D

Collaborating and Partnering

/

Encourage collaborative team working within own team and across department

/

D

Proven ability in team leadership and motivation. Experience of line-managing staff and volunteers / E
The ability to share knowledge and skills with colleagues (including volunteers) and to contribute to the development of team skills. / D
STRATEGIC CLUSTER – SETTING DIRECTION
Seeing the Big Picture
Seek to understand how the services, activities and strategies in the area work together to create value for the customer/end user / E
Sound knowledge of the principles and practice of biological recording preferably with some understanding experience of using a biological records database and GIS (Geographical Information System). TRP currently uses Recorder 6 and MapInfo v.11. / E
Changing and Improving
Regularly review procedures or systems with teams to identify improvements and simplify processes and decision making / E
Able to demonstrate a highly motivated, flexible and innovative approach to work. Think creatively and to use initiative to solve problems in problems in potentially variable and diverse situations. Show good time management skills and be able to prioritise work accordingly. / E
Making Effective Decisions
Identify a range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources / E
A sound understanding of national and regional legislation and policy relevant to biodiversity conservation, planning guidance, site designation for wildlife conservation and species status designations / E

APPLICATION FORM

CONFIDENTIAL APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT

The Royal Parks is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services. Recruitment and selection decisions are made purely on merit as the result of fair and open competition. We are committed to equality of opportunity for the advancement of employees including promotion and training and do not discriminate against any person because of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status or responsibility for dependants, age, physical/mental disability or offending background.


1.  JOB POSITION
Position applied for:
Reference Number
Available to take up employment (date):

2.  PERSONAL DETAILS
Title:
Surname:
Forenames
Address:
Postcode:
Telephone (Daytime Contact Number/s):
Email Address:
Have you a full current driving licence? YES NO
Are you currently a Civil Servant? YES NO
Have you ever been a Civil Servant YES NO
3. EDUCATION
A) Secondary Education
School name/address / Dates / Examinations (subject/result, etc.)
From / To
B)  Further Education and Training
University/college name / Dates / Type of Course / Subjects / Qualifications or class of degree
From / To
C) Occupational Qualifications/Institute Membership/Membership of Professional Organisations
College/Institute
or other name / Dates / Qualification/level
From / To

4. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Please provide details over the last 10 years, including any unpaid or voluntary work, listing present or most
recent employer first. Any gaps in employment dates should be explained. If you have any particularly
relevant experience dating beyond the last 10 years please include this.
Current salary and benefits Notice
or salary when last employed Required
From/To
Dates / Name and address of employer and type of business / Job title and main duties / Reason for leaving
Continue on a separate sheet if necessary
5.  REASON FOR APPLICATION – Skills, Qualities and Experience
In this part we want you to highlight your skills, qualities and experience. The competencies relevant to the post you are applying for are listed in the Person Specification (in Red) on the job description enclosed. For those competencies listed below, please give specific examples in no more than 200 words for each heading about a time either at work, volunteering or in your personal life that demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria required to do the job. You must ensure that your answers provide clear evidence of the given competency.
MANAGING A QUALITY SERVICE:
DELIVERING AT PACE:
LEADING AND COMMUNICATING:
SEEING THE BIGGER PICTURE:
CHANGING AND IMPROVING:
MAKING EFFECTIVE DECISIONS:
6.  PERSONAL STATEMENT
This is your opportunity to tell us why you think we should select you and why you want the job. Here you can demonstrate how your experience meets the other role competencies in the person specification attached. You may also include personal interests which are relevant and meet the requirements of the post. You must use no more than 350 words.
7. ATTENDANCE RECORD
If you wish to comment on any extended absences from the office, please do so here.

8. PART TIME