Job Purpose Summary
NatureScot is Scotland’s nature agency. Landscape is a key element of our statutory remit which helps to connect nature, people and place. The importance of nature-positive landscapes in the creation of great places to live, work and visit is well recognised for its contribution to Scotland’s health and economic prosperity. We also know that significant landscape change will be needed to halt biodiversity loss and tackle the climate emergency, and this will require the application of landscape skills and perspectives.
This post provides exciting opportunities to input to plans, policies, and guidance that will help Scotland’s landscapes change for the better. Key elements of the role will include developing our national approach to landscape character data and assessment; the development of thinking on National Parks and other protected landscapes; and inputting to the new priorities and strategic actions in our new Corporate Plan to 2020. This is particularly important now given the need to understand how landscape skills and knowledge can support nature recovery at landscape-scale, nature-based solutions and a natural capital approach in practice.
You will be part of the People and Places Activity team which leads NatureScot’s exciting range of work to inspire more people and communities to experience, enjoy, connect and benefit from nature. This includes a range of work on the provision of policy, advice and project work on nature engagement; landscape and greenspace; paths; green infrastructure and place-making; nature reserves, parks and other places managed for people and nature; recreation, access rights, visitor management and tourism. The Activity also develops and co-ordinates NatureScot’s approach to human rights to a health environment, just transition and nature-based solutions. We are also the national lead for NatureScot’s National Nature Reserves and Nature Reserves.
This is a permanent, full-time role with NatureScot. We encourage applications from those seeking part-time employment or flexible working arrangements.
Key tasks and responsibilities
1. Contribute to the development and regular updating and promotion of and other resources. This will include landscape and coastal character assessment guidance for Scotland, and consideration of its application to planning and land-use systems and for climate change adaptation.
2. Develop thinking on protected landscapes, including keeping our approach to National Parks, NSAs and local landscape designation up to date.
3. Input to priorities and strategic actions in the new corporate plan - including landscape scale priority areas, natural capital, nature-based solutions and NatureScot adapts – and related tasks in the Action Plan of our joint Landscape Statement with Historic Environment Scotland.
4. Deliver aspects of NatureScot’s national landscape monitoring programme.
5. Contribute to policy development on planning and land-use policy frameworks, and to research and thinking on methods to help inform and manage change in areas of urban-rural transition and greenspaces.
6. Develop and implement, with other bodies, reporting on European Landscape Convention activity in Scotland.
7. Occasionally, there may be a need to provide landscape advice – subject to the skills and expertise of the successful candidate – to NatureScot colleagues on strategic planning issues, planning guidance, significant casework and our spatial priorities and projects for place-making.
Skills and Competencies (Please refer to these in your Supporting Statement)
8. A relevant, accredited degree in landscape architecture, landscape planning, or a closely-related discipline
9. Chartered membership of the Landscape Institute or the RTPI, or willingness to work towards a relevant accreditation.
10. Knowledge and/or understanding of Strategic Environmental Assessment, Landscape Character Assessment, Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, and the Environmental Impact Assessment process.
11. Ability to provide informed, clear and solution-focused landscape advice for example on development proposals, place-making projects and other initiatives.
12. Effective communication and engagement skills. These include: the ability to convey technical issues to general audiences both written and verbally, the ability to summarise and distil key points for briefings and formal advice; and the ability to influence and forge good working relationships with a range of stakeholders.
13. A team player with empathy and understanding of the views and positions of others, while also demonstrating commitment to overall team performance and the organisational outcomes we seek.
14. Creativity and versatility in approach to work, able to be adaptive to changing situations, and embracing of new areas of work.
15. Good organisational skills, and the ability to meet deadlines.
16. The ability to undertake fieldwork that may entail long days. This could sometimes be in remote and/or upland areas that are not accessible by vehicles.
17. The ability to use MS office software, in particular for remote and hybrid working: MS Teams, email, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.