Business Support Manager

Job summary

The Business Support Manager will play a key role in delivering high-quality business and technical support across Forestry England’s National Operations and Forest Districts for its Defra-funded programmes. This includes providing dedicated support, business and technical advice; administrative support; communicating and implementing policy and providing additional support for colleagues in our Forest Districts. A core part of the role will be to act as the secretariat and operational hub for the Resilience & Nature Recovery Programme, providing the administrative, technical, and logistical support needed to ensure the Programme Board can govern effectively.

Job description

The work required of this role is variable and flexible to the needs and demands of the National Operations team and the Forest District (our regional business units) functions they support. Tasks and responsibilities of the role will include, but not limited to:

Programme Coordination - Resilience & Nature Recovery Programme

• Coordinating logistics for board meetings, workshops, and programme events.
• Developing and maintaining programme timelines, helping ensure milestones are delivered on schedule.
• Maintaining accurate documentation and programme records.
• Liaising with internal teams, external partners, and stakeholders to ensure smooth communication and alignment.
• Coordinating staff involvement across programme activities.
• Assisting with outreach, engagement, and the preparation of communications materials where needed.
• Monitoring compliance with organisational policies and funding requirements.
• Identifying process improvement opportunities to streamline programme delivery.
• Support for other DEFRA-funded programmes as appropriate.

Contract Management and Procurement

• Act as contract administrator for a range of contracts that sit under the Resilience & Nature Recovery Programme.
• Lead on tendering processes where required.
• Serve as Procurement Champion, including managing and submitting quarterly procurement pipeline data.

Project Coordination

• Support and coordinate ad hoc and strategic projects (e.g. embedding a culture of Project Management).
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across business systems and processes and integrating projects into business-as-usual.

Guidance and Policy Management

• Maintain and update national operational guidance and processes.
• Ensure guidance is accessible, accurate, and aligned with organisational needs.

Training and Development

• Support training delivery for key systems and processes.
• Work with the Systems Manager and other colleagues to mobilise internal trainers and resources.

You may be asked to contribute to other Forestry England activities, in particular wider support for other DEFRA-funded programmes as appropriate.

Person specification

Skills, qualifications & experience

Essential

• Experience supporting complex projects, programmes or portfolios, including governance and senior meetings
• Strong organisational and coordination skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders
• Experience of working collaboratively in a multi-functional team environment
• Experience of procurement processes including managing and administrating contracts and tenders
• Competence in the use of MS Office applications

Desirable

• Knowledge of Forestry England policies, procedures and guidance
• Experience of managing projects or a recognised project management qualification
• Knowledge and experience of nature recovery projects

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,854, Forestry Commission contributes £9,807 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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.

You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.

You will be assessed on a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working together

Wider information can be found in the attached job description on page 3.

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 : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.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.

Attachments

Job Description - Business Support Manager Opens in new window (pdf, 216kB)