Bct Regional Conservation Officer

**_Do you want your work to make a difference for NSW?_**
- We work with private landowners to protect our state's natural capital_
- Ongoing Regional Conservation Officer full-time opportunity
- Regional Delivery Branch, Sydney-Hunter Region: Parramatta or other BCT office location in the region by negotiation (e.g. Gosford, Newcastle and Taree)
- Access to a range of flexible work arrangements including work from home in accordance with government requirements
- Salary ranges from $97,933 - $108,202 plus employer’s contribution to superannuation and annual leave loading.

The NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT), as part of the Department of Planning & Environment (DPE) cluster, has an exciting opportunity for a Regional Conservation Officer position.

**About the role**:
An exciting opportunity to work as part of a regional team to provide landholder support and delivery of BCT’s programs. You will be involved in the program delivery, managing projects and partnerships as well as stakeholder engagement, education, communication, conservation assessment and agreement management.

As a Regional Conservation Officer, you will engage with landholders that are seeking to enter, or have entered into, conservation agreements on private land. You will contribute to effective project planning and delivery. You will act as the contact for assigned landholders and provide effective landholder support, including site visits, technical advice, agreement monitoring and auditing, and facilitating access to funding. You will conduct field
- and desktop-based assessments of land; use spatial tools and software to enter spatial information and produce maps for inclusion in agreements; contribute technical and/or ecological knowledge to assist landholders develop and/or deliver management plans for conservation agreements. You will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to deliver BCT programs, delivery mechanisms, projects and partnerships. You will support effective customer service, stakeholder engagement and communications.

The BCT Sydney-Hunter Region covers the LGAs within Greater Sydney as well as Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, Cessnock, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Upper Hunter, Dungog, Port Stephens and Mid Coast councils. This includes a range of ecosystems, land-uses and agreement types. Some BCT landholders have entered into Biodiversity Stewardship Agreements that form a key part of the Biodiversity Offsets Scheme while others have entered into Private Land Conservation agreements under a BCT program, which mean landholders will have different needs for landholder support.

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**Essential requirements**:

- Relevant tertiary qualification and/or experience in natural resource management or biodiversity conservation
- Demonstrated ability to use Geographical Information Systems software to develop, manage, query and display spatial data relevant to property level management plans
- A current Australian Class C driver’s licence and willingness to travel

For more information read the full Role Description: Regional Conservation Officer

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**About Us**:

- The _Department of Planning and Environment_’s (DPE) vision is to create thriving environments, communities and economies for the people of New South Wales. We strive to be a high-performing, world-class public service organisation that celebrates and reflects the full diversity of the community we serve and seeks to embed Aboriginal cultural awareness and knowledge throughout the department._

The New South Wales Biodiversity Conservation Trust (BCT) is a not-for-profit statutory body, established under Part 10 of the _Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016_ and managed by a Board appointed by the Minister for the Environment. The Trust’s roles are to support and encourage landholders to enter into agreements to conserve and protect biodiversity on private land, guided by the government’s Biodiversity Conservation Investment Strategy; secure biodiversity offsets when developers choose to pay into the Biodiversity Conservation Fund; and other activities that promote greater awareness of, appreciation and understanding of, biodiversity and the importance of conserving it.

In our inclusive and accessible workplace, differences are embraced, contributions are valued, and everyone has a sense of connection and belonging. DPE supports various employee affinity groups, practice flexible working, offer job share and workplace adjustments.

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**Participation in the NSW Biodiversity Offsets Scheme (BOS) and the BCT’s private land conservation (PLC) programs**:
All new employees with an existing defined interest in the BOS will be required to disclose their personal (or a close family member’s) participation to ensure potential conflicts are managed appropriately. In some circumstances this may require divestment of the interest.

The BCT also has restrictions on staff participation in its funded PLC programs.