tree surgeon jobs

Southwark is one of London’s most dynamic and diverse boroughs - a place of energy, creativity, and ambition. We’re proud of our commitment to fairness, equality and opportunity, and we’re working every day to make Southwark a place where everyone can thrive.

Southwark is a dynamic, diverse and ambitious borough, and our Licensing Service plays a vital role in supporting safe communities, vibrant businesses and a thriving night-time economy. We are looking for an organised, customer-focused Unit Support Officer to join our Licensing team and help deliver a high-quality, responsive service to residents, businesses and partners.

As Assistant Arboricultural Officer, you will support the delivery of a borough-wide arboricultural service covering highways, housing, parks and other council land. Working as part of a professional arboricultural team, you will help ensure Southwark’s trees are managed safely, sustainably and in line with best practice and policy.

You will play a key role in tree surveying, work programming, contractor supervision, performance management and customer engagement.

Key responsibilities

You will:

• Manage and inspect Southwark’s tree stock in line with the Council’s Tree Management Strategy and industry best practice, including BS3998.
• Deliver and manage programmes of tree inspections, recording data and specifying required works.
• Supervise tree work contractors and the in-house tree surgery team, ensuring quality, value for money and compliance with health and safety requirements.
• Prepare work schedules and specifications, agree pricing, issue contract variations and manage rectification or default actions where required.
• Support the delivery of Southwark’s Tree Risk Management Strategy, capturing data in the field using handheld technology.
• Maintain and update the tree asset database, including mapping, works history and enquiries, using systems such as Confirm.

You will be an enthusiastic arboricultural professional who enjoys working outdoors, engaging with the public and contributing to high-quality urban tree management.

You will bring:

• A relevant arboricultural or forestry qualification (minimum Level 2) or equivalent practical experience.
• Knowledge of arboricultural legislation, standards and professional guidance.
• Experience or understanding of tree surveying, work specification, pricing and scheduling.
• Awareness of health and safety requirements within arboricultural services.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with confidence engaging with a wide range of stakeholders.

Benefits and more information:

Salary Range (Full time equivalent)£38,637 - £44,937pa.

In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.

Closing date: 25/01/2026

Interview date: 02/02/2026

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

• Please note, we reserve the right to close applications prior to the closing date indicated above - please apply as soon as possible - we look forward to receiving your application.