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Contract type
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About The Role

Role: Ecology/BNG Officer 
Location: South Ribble Borough Council
Contract: Full time (36.25 hours per week) / Permanent
Salary: £39,862 - £40,777
Closing Date: 26 October 2025

Are you passionate about protecting and enhancing biodiversity? Do you want to make a real difference in your local environment and help shape the future of South Ribble? If so, we want to hear from you!

We’re looking for a knowledgeable and motivated Ecologist to join our friendly Planning and Enforcement team. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key part in ensuring that ecology and biodiversity are at the heart of our planning process.

 
What you’ll be getting up to
  •  Provide expert advice on planning applications and review ecological surveys
  •  Assess and monitor Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) submissions in line with national and local policy
  •  Deliver pre-application ecological advice as part of our charged service
  •  Support enforcement on ecological planning conditions and S106 compliance
  •  Work collaboratively with neighbouring councils, including Chorley Council
  •  Contribute to planning policy and represent the council at appeals and inquiries
  •  Undertake site visits and attend meetings, including occasional evenings
 
Other requirements
  • A degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, or a related discipline (essential)
  •  Experience of ecological assessment within the planning system
  •  Strong understanding of UK wildlife legislation and planning policy
  •  Excellent communication skills and the ability to provide clear, evidence-based advice
  •  A collaborative approach and a commitment to delivering great public service
  •  Full Driving License 

 Desirable extras include a postgraduate qualification, membership of CIEEM (or equivalent), experience in local government or consultancy, and familiarity with GIS/ecological mapping tools

Benefits
  • 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (and Christmas shutdown)
  • Hybrid/agile working from day one
  • Local Government pension
  • Healthcare Cash Plan for cash back on health treatments 
  • Cashback website access for savings on brands you love
  • Volunteering days
  • Free parking
  • Car Allowance 
Many of our colleagues work flexibly for us. We’re always open to conversations around different working arrangements. If you’re interested in part-time, compressed hours or any other working arrangement, please get in touch with us through the “Contact Us” form on our careers website.

About Us

At South Ribble Council, our mission is to provide a first-class service and improve the quality of life for our communities. Our staff are our greatest resource in helping us achieve this. They’re at the heart of everything we do and are crucial to the delivery of excellent services. 
 
Working Together
 
We share a number of our services with Chorley Council. This allows for improved resilience across both councils and provides numerous benefits to our operations. Whilst some staff and back-end processes are shared between the Councils, both Councils still retain sovereignty and have separate strategies and corporate plans.
 
Additional information

Applicants are advised to apply early. We reserve the right to close a vacancy prior to the closing date. 

Equal Opportunities

We believe that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to the elimination of unfair and unlawful discrimination and prejudice in all our policies, procedures, and practices.

We’re committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and accessible to everyone. This includes making adjustments for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the recruitment process, please contact us via the "Contact Us" page on our website.

If you are disabled or your last employer was the armed forces, and you meet all the essential criteria of a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

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