Well cometh the New Year, cometh the new non-jobs, and it’s fair to say that the Society Guardian is showcasing a fair few now we’re in to 2010.
A variety of surplus communications managers, community liaison officers, diversity professionals and modern-day pigeon-scarers adorn the paper and website as the local government recruitment machine splutters back into action, but snuggled in amongst them this week is a rather different sort of diversity officer, and the hands-down winner of today’s non-job of the week.
“Biodiversity Officer
£15,420 - £18,140 plus PrP/Bonus Opportunities
Located in south east London, Bexley is within easy reach of central London, rural Kent and the continent. It is a diverse borough incorporating the best features of both town and country.
We are seeking a Biodiversity Officer to help review and promote Bexley’s Biodiversity Action Plan and help improve biodiversity in the Borough.
You will be responsible for increasing the influence, relevance and practical value of Bexley’s Biodiversity Action Plan, particularly in the areas of planning and development. You will seek to secure improvements in biodiversity in Bexley, raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and support the development and implementation of biodiversity projects. You will provide guidance and advice to Councillors, other Council services and the public on biodiversity issues. You will also contribute to the development of partnership working with other organisations.
You will work within the Strategic Planning and Development Division, a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the development of planning policy and its integration with development opportunities. You will be a key member of the Sustainability and Town Centre Development Group, whose responsibilities include environmental sustainability.
You will need a degree in a relevant discipline. You should also have experience of developing, implementing and monitoring biodiversity policy, managing projects, operating in a political environment and significantly influencing outcomes.
In addition to our competitive salaries most posts offer a generous holiday allowance, an Index Linked Final Salary Pension Scheme, relocation allowances where appropriate and the opportunity for flexible working and job share”.
Never ones to shy away from taking control of and/or manipulating any new and previously independent part of life, the council are now hiring a jobsworth to make sure the local ecosystems are to their liking by implementing…you guessed it, a dedicated ‘action plan’. It seems Bexley Council want full jurisdiction over every organism in their sphere of influence, and this blossoming department will ensure that taxpayers will be called upon to bankroll their intervention into the future.
Do we really have the resources to support this? And if biodiversity truly has to be monitored in the forensic detail suggested by this job description, could we not rely on civil society, students and enthusiasts to volunteer rather than creating yet another costly vacancy with little thought for public finances?
And what a vacancy! Bonus opportunities, a generous holiday allowance and final salary pension scheme. Not a bad package at all, and with frontline local government staff being laid off left, right and centre we won’t be alone in disputing Bexley Council’s decision to shell out for a non-vital role like this.