Area Planning Advisor

Job summary

The Area Planning Advisor will be responsible for co-ordinating and providing detailed planning responses to consultations for Spatial Development Strategies (SCS), Local Plans, Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), Town and Country Planning Act (TCPA) planning applications and advice for decision makers on tree and woodland issues across our Area Teams. They will work closely with members of the area and national teams to protect, improve and expand woodland though proactively engaging with planning authorities & systems and supporting capacity building within the Area Team and the woodland sector.

We are recruiting for five roles across the following regions:

South East and London
South West
North West or West Midlands
East of England or East Midlands
North East, Yorkshire and the Humber

When submitting your application, please state in your personal statement which region would be your preferred location to work in.

Job description

Key work areas

1. Co-ordinate and triage consultations related to the FC’s planning work, across Area and National Team colleagues. This will include managing a number of hand offs’, case conferences and where necessary small project teams to respond to key consultations and engage with targeted authorities and development projects.
2. Proactively engage with the planning system to improve woodland outcomes from development via formal responses to National Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP’s) as well as TCPA planning applications and proposals. Engage with local authorities, conservation organisations and partnerships to encourage production of tree and woodland strategies and to consider trees and woodlands part of their responsibilities/remit. Take a lead on both standard and bespoke responses to planning applications, and the FC’s charged for service in regards to our advice.
3. Champion the role of trees and woodland as part of green infrastructure via the planning system and by working with key stakeholders/partners such as catchment partnerships, National Parks, Protected Landscapes and landscape / woodland partnerships. Collaborate and support Area Team colleagues with the development of innovative and effective promotion and engagement to deliver woodland creation.
4. Work collaboratively with Mayoral Authorities and Local Authorities on the development and adoption of their Spatial Development Strategies and Local Plans, acting as project management and liaison support for the delivery of this work.
5. Support the wider Area Team including Local Partnership Advisers, Partnership and Expertise Managers, Nature Recovery Advisers, Ecologists, etc. to engage effectively with the planning system. This will include working with Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency to support local authorities with Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
6. Work within the National Planning, Infrastructure and Built Environment (PIBE) Team to improve practice, build capacity and develop new resources that will improve the FC’s responses to planning consultations.

The successful applicant will have a passion for woodlands and forests and for the benefits to society, the environment and the economy they provide.

They will advocate with knowledge and enthusiasm the environmental and other benefits that woodlands provide.

Person specification

Essential

• Degree/Higher Diploma in Town and Country Planning or forestry/land management/countryside management/ environment management/ and/or significant related experience in partnership working centred on land management / planning / tree and forestry issues.
• Competent and effective IT user with experience of MS Office and also including remote working and associated communication tools (e.g. MS Teams).
• Experience of stakeholder management - building strong business relationships and collaborative working to deliver mutually beneficial results.
• Confident interpersonal and communication skills with experience of presenting to a range of audiences, both verbally and written.
• People management experience or the capability to take on this responsibility.

Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.

Desirable

• Member, or eligible for membership, of one of the following, Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), Institute of Chartered Foresters (MICFor), CIEEM or other relevant chartered body.
• Experience of influencing external organisations to achieve environmental benefits

Technical:

• Experience and knowledge of both the TCPA and NSIP planning process and associated policy and guidance for trees, woodlands and forestry
• Experience and knowledge of forestry, ecology and /or environmental assessment
• Experience and knowledge of Forestry Regulations
• Able to assess and analyse planning documents (plans, surveys etc)
• Comfortable with interrogating maps/spatial data

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will be asked to prepare a presentation as part of the interview

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,388, Forestry Commission contributes £11,700 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A range of family friendly benefits.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
• A range of wellbeing benefits including discounted Civil Service Healthcare, access to an Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, Bike to Work Scheme, plus many more.
• 25 days annual leave, with 1 additional day for each years’ service up to 5 years (pro rata), plus 10.5 bank holidays/privilege days (pro rata).
• Ability to buy or sell 5 days annual leave.
• 3 days volunteering per year (pro rata).

We aim to provide a great place to work, whichever location you work from. Blended working forms part of our flexible and inclusive approach to future ways of working. It is an informal arrangement which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from our Forestry Commission workplaces, subject to role requirements, business needs, and regular review. Informal blended working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

This role is a Fixed Term Appointment ending 30th March 2027 with possibility but no guarantee of permanency or extension.

As part of the application process, you will complete the following online:

A tailored CV (curriculum vitae) setting out your qualifications, career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. The CV should be split into 3 parts and provide: Job History, Previous Skills/Experience, Full Qualification Details.

A personal statement – in no more than 750 words showing how you meet the relevant skills and experience as set out in the Person Specification.

Those invited to interview will be further assessed on Behaviours, Strength, Experience and Technical Skills. You will be asked to prepare a presentation as part of this.

Interview will be held on week commencing 17th September 2026. This date is subject to change.

We will be conducting online interviews with the use of Microsoft Teams or equivalent online communication methods. Candidates would therefore require access to a computer and internet at interview stage.

Should a large number of applications be received, the initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Forestry Commission from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

The post is full time. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply, however your preferred working pattern may not be available, and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Where a role has been identified as one which falls under the scope of the Public Sector English Language Requirements, within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English.

Existing Civil Servants (excluding Forestry Commission employees) and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, and will only be considered on a loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant.

Existing Forestry Commission, Forestry England and Forest Research employees are eligible to apply for this Fixed Term Appointment and will only be considered if there is written confirmation from their line manager and HR that their current role will be temporarily backfilled or held open before commencing the application process.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Security

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non- disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via fcerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

The duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving licence that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : FS Recruitment
• Email : fs.recruitment@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : fcerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.