Tree Officer

Looking for a flexible role in an exciting award-winning planning service?

As part of a relatively new collaborative approach between Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council, the Planning Tree Services have been combined under the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service. This integration has created an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic, ambitious, and growing Planning Tree Team that manages an interesting and varied portfolio of work across both Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire.

Within this newly integrated service, there is the chance to contribute to ongoing improvements by helping to trial and implement innovative ideas that support the delivery of a fast-paced, public‑facing service. The role encompasses a wide range of planning‑related tree responsibilities, including Tree Preservation Orders, Tree Work Applications, Hedgerow Removal Notifications, planning consultee responses, and compliance investigations. The post also involves undertaking site visits across the Greater Cambridge area, ranging from rural villages to central urban locations.

The successful candidate will bring their relevant experience, expertise and knowledge in arboriculture to the existing team to help this award-winning Shared Planning Service protect and manage trees through the planning and development process.

We operate hybrid, flexible working practices with our team working from our offices in central Cambridge and Cambourne as well as remotely. We typically come together in-person at our offices at least once a week. The successful candidate is expected to do this, to collaborate, share ideas and learn from each other.

South Cambridgeshire District Council is a four-day week employer. We expect our colleagues to get 100% of their work done, in around 85% of their contracted hours, for 100% of their pay. All Council staff will be able to opt-in to this way of working under a Productivity Policy. We are a four-day week employer as it helps us attract and keep talented colleagues and improves services by reducing our reliance on costly agency workers. It also supports improved health and wellbeing.

As an organisation we believe that our people are our greatest assets. We know how important it is to find a job where you feel valued but also have the flexibility to allow you to balance your work/family commitments in an organisation that offers a competitive benefits package including:

• Local Government Pension Scheme
• 25 days holiday entitlement (increasing to 30 after five years continuous service)
• Free on-site Parking at Cambourne
• Shopping Discounts
• Employee Assistance Programme-providing advice and counselling
• Career progression
• Development opportunities as well as ongoing training

This role presents an exciting opportunity within the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service to work in the dynamic and busy Built and Natural Environment Team as a Trees Officer. You will have an enthusiastic, experienced, and supportive team around you and will be working in an area of the country undergoing high development growth, presenting opportunities to make a positive difference to our treescape.

What sets us apart from other organisations is our range of projects, including meeting the planning needs of Europe’s most important biotechnology cluster, regeneration schemes providing new low carbon districts and developing the first joint Local Plan in an area that has the fastest-growing city economy in the country.

Greater Cambridge offers a unique opportunity to work within the beautiful historic City of Cambridge, home to world renowned universities, hospitals and cutting-edge science, as well as delivering high quality modern developments within the rural areas of South Cambridgeshire. Our combined growth agenda includes a range of new settlements within South Cambridgeshire and urban extensions to Cambridge.

Our teams have excellent relationships with local practices and work with world class architects and specialists on schemes that provide huge personal and professional reward. If you would like to work on award winning schemes in an exciting and fast paced environment, come and join us!

We are looking for a motivated and well-organised individual with a good level of experience as a Tree Officer who can deal with a range of different application types, of varying complexity and have the ability to work on an independent level but also as part of a team. You will be positioned in a small team enveloped within a large team made up of likeminded professionals that provide support to seek the aim to ensure that the natural environment in Greater Cambridge is protected and enhanced.

For more information about working with us check out our website: www.greatercambridgesharedplanning.com

For an informal conversation about this job opportunity within the Planning Service contact Adrian Sargeant, Tree Officer on 07933172405 or John Cornell, Natural Environment Team Leader on 07766114267

Closing date: 9am Friday April 24th 2026

Please note that we reserve the right to close the application window early, as interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis upon receipt of applications.