Salary: £28,371 to £31,099 per annum

Working Pattern: Full-time 37hours per week

Location: Based at Buchan Country Park, near Crawley, travel around the eastern side of West Sussex (see map provided). Occasional opportunity to work from Clapham depot (north of Worthing). Limited working at home.

Interview Date: Wednesday 14 June 2023 at County Hall, Chichester

As an Access Ranger you will join our friendly, knowledgeable and supportive team. You will work closely with landowners, volunteers and contractors to maintain and improve the PRoW network.

You will be covering Area 6 which is in the eastern area of the county from Crawley down to the coast at Shoreham. Your main responsibility will be managing the routine inspection and maintenance programme in this area. Some of your other daily tasks will include:

• Organise and carry out inspections including coordinating volunteers who carry out approximately 50%.
• Engage with landowners to resolve issues and take enforcement action where necessary.
• Log and update issues using our IT system (CAMS)
• Investigate reports from the public and other stakeholders providing technical and legal advice and seeking solutions.
• Deliver small scale improvements working with landowners and/or contractors.
• Identify work to be delivered by volunteers or the Annual Works Programme.
• Respond to planning application consultations to protect and improve the PRoW network where possible.

The role requires a significant amount of lone working and occasionally walking up to 6 hours a day. As a guide the role is approximately one-third on site and two- thirds office based. Prioritising and organising workloads is a fundamental part of the role. The postholder may be required to work occasional evenings and weekends. The work involves occasionally dealing with people with strongly conflicting interests where tact and diplomacy are essential.

Key Skills:

• Ability to work in a customer focused way, providing a high-quality service.
• Ability to organise/prioritise work, co-ordinate a variety of tasks in a clear and logical way and meet agreed deadlines.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and make sound pragmatic decisions.
• Ability to read maps and scale and apply this on site.
• Competent IT skills including Word, Excel, databases and GIS mapping.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• HND in a relevant subject or equivalent qualification or demonstrable comparable experience.
• Significant experience of access and rights of way management, either within an office or in the field, including;
  • Implementation of legislation
  • Day to day maintenance
  • Small improvement projects
  • Providing advice to landowners, farmers, the public and other interested parties.
• Experience of working in partnership with individuals and organisations.
• Full UK Driving Licence.

As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring.
• A strong supportive management team.
• A range of discounts including Tesco, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more.
• Free access to employee assistance programmes.
• Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres.
• Car benefit scheme.
• A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives.

The reference number for this role is EIE01156.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Jane Noble, Senior Access Officer at Jane.Noble@westsussex.gov.uk or call 03302 226691.

To apply, please follow the links below upload your CV and application form explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.