New Plymouth District Council

  • Posted: 04 Jun 2021
  • Location: New Plymouth
  • Work Type: Full Time
  • Classification: Government & council
Join the Fight for the Wild! We are looking for Environment Officers who can help us deliver the commitments in our Long Term Plan. These commitments are to help us in our Taranaki Taku Turanga - Towards Predator-Free Taranaki work, and in our Biodiversity and Biosecurity work. Our Environment Services team are challenged and immensely rewarded by the work they do - is that something you're looking for too?

About us

We are a dedicated bunch of people at Taranaki Regional Council, helping the region continue to be an enviable place to live, play and do business. Our mission is to work for a thriving Taranaki by promoting the sustainable use, development and protection of our natural and physical resources, and advocating for the regions best interests.

About the roles

We are looking for four Environment Officers to join our Environment Services team. While all our roles will lead projects, we have one within our main Biosecurity programme (Thursday through Monday), one in our Biodiversity programme, and two leading projects within our Towards Predator-Free Taranaki programme.

Biosecurity programme

Our Biosecurity Strategy and Regional Pest Management Plan identifies our responsibilities to the region. The five key priorities for us are; pathways and exclusion, eradication, sustained control, working with others and regional leadership. Councils biosecurity programmes protect our people, economy and natural resources from pests through both regulatory and advocacy programmes.

Biodiversity programme

Our Biodiversity Strategy sets out Council'sprogrammes that protect biodiversity in Taranaki. Our officers work with willing landowners and community groups to identify and protect Key Native Ecosystem sites on private land.

Towards Predator-Free Taranaki

Launched in 2018, Towards Predator-Free Taranaki works across urban, rural and conservation land to remove predators and restore the regions native biodiversity. This includes New Zealands first landscape scale zero possum eradication project, in and surrounding the rugged Kaitake Range.

These roles are critical to our success so it goes without saying that we need Environment Officers who bring energy, enthusiasm and excellent project management skills to help lead the project streams. There is no typical day but expect to have plenty of variety. You'll be based in our office in Stratford so you can connect and collaborate with your colleagues. However, you'll spend loads of time out in the Taranaki region connecting with the many different community stakeholders - whether that's in the bush, on our maunga, farmland or in urban centres.

About you

We like to set people up for success so you'll be a leading applicant if you have the following:

Studied hard and/or worked in biosecurity/biodiversity (even better if you have exposure to pest management or predator-control projects)
Excellent communication skills with emotional and cultural intelligence
Energy and enthusiasm to collaborate effectively as part of a team
Delivered projects as part of a team and can share your learnings with others
Confidence to collaborate and nurture great relationships with key stakeholders like iwi, hapu, media and community groups
Exposure to the facilitation and negotiation of contracts
Enthusiasm for technology developments in predator control
What's on offer?

TRC is a fantastic place to work! Of course we do flexible working, have an onsite gym, active social club, additional leave days, and many other perks. However, the best part is working alongside fantastic people who are truly dedicated to the Taranaki region.

Interested? Here's how to apply

Hit apply now below, fill out your application form and add your CV and cover letter. Further details on the role can be found on the position description link, or for any other questions please contact Pippa Kennedy, HR Adviser on (06) 765 7127.

Applications will close on Sunday, 4 July 2021.

The Council is committed to equal employment opportunities.