Location
Tooley Street, London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£35,373 - £41,637 per annum

About the Role
Southwark is one of London’s most dynamic and diverse boroughs, proud of its commitment to fairness, equality and opportunity. As Lead Climber / Team Leader, you will supervise and lead a team of arborists, ensuring work is delivered safely, efficiently and in line with contract specifications and industry standards. You will work as a senior operative within the team, managing site risks and acting as a key point of contact for colleagues, managers and the public.

You will play a critical role in maintaining high standards of arboricultural practice while supporting productivity, training and continuous improvement.

Key responsibilities include:
- Leading and carrying out high-quality arboricultural operations, ensuring all work meets specification, performance targets and best practice standards.
- Supervising and managing a team of tree operatives, allocating daily work, organising equipment and ensuring professionalism on site.
- Undertaking and overseeing a full range of arboricultural works in line with BS3998 and other current standards, including pruning, removals, sectional dismantling, planting, aftercare, stump grinding and pest and disease management.
- Taking responsibility for on-site health and safety, managing ground and aerial operations and ensuring public safety at all times.
- Implementing traffic management controls where required, in compliance with the New Roads and Street Works Act.
- Supporting the delivery of productivity targets and assisting with service improvements, new working methods and efficiency initiatives.

Experience
Proven experience at Climber or Lead Climber level within the arboricultural industry.
A comprehensive range of NPTC/LANTRA certifications (or equivalent), including climbing, aerial rescue, rigging, chainsaw operations and MEWP use.
Strong working knowledge of arboricultural standards, including BS3998 and BS8545.
Sound understanding of health and safety legislation and safe working practices.
Excellent tree species identification skills and the ability to assess defects and risks.
Confidence leading teams, allocating work and maintaining high performance standards.

About you
Professional and customer-focused approach with good communication skills.
Basic IT skills or willingness to undertake training.
A full, clean UK driving licence with C1 + E entitlement.

Qualifications
Relevant NPTC/LANTRA certifications or equivalent as detailed above.