Ecologist (New Forest Habitat Restoration Team)

Job summary

What you’ll do…

You will work as part of a team delivering terrestrial and wetland habitat restoration programmes with specific emphasis on HLS funded work delivery. As an Ecologist, you will provide essential ecological support to the team as they plan and deliver habitat restoration projects across the New Forest. You will also take a leading role in the development and delivery of your own restoration projects, ensuring high ecological standards are met throughout.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

Based at The King’s House, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7NH in the South District team.

Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 160 people, containing a diverse range of roles - from wildlife rangers and ecologists to marketing professionals, we all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares (ha) of public forest estate and national parks that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight.

Much of this forest is of high national importance for nature conservation and wildlife, and of international importance for biodiversity. South England Forest District is therefore responsible for land that includes Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Ramsar sites, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) and sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

The successful candidate will join the Higher-Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme team based in the New Forest. The team plans and delivers landscape-scale habitat restoration projects with external funding from the Verderer’s of the New Forest HLS scheme. The scheme is focused on restoring and enhancing internationally-important habitats, renowned for their flora and fauna, and covering around 20,000 hectares.

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Provide expert ecological advice and guidance to the habitat restoration team.
• Ensure all restoration work is planned and delivered in full compliance with environmental legislation.
• Support the team in designing and implementing restoration activities that enhance biodiversity across designated sites.
• Apply for and manage protected species licences required for restoration works.
• Commission, oversee and review ecological and species surveys.
• Undertake reviews of SSSI conditions and maintain regular liaison with NE.
• Monitor how restoration activities are influencing site condition and recommend adaptive management where needed.
• Manage ecological and operational contracts, including leading the invasive species eradication programme. Identify ecological risks within planned restoration projects and advise on appropriate mitigation.
• Provide high-quality ecological input into project proposals, site plans and decision-making.
• Contribute to long-term ecological monitoring and reporting to support funding and regulatory requirements.
• Support colleagues through training or informal advice to build ecological awareness within the wider restoration team.
• Communicate and liaise with stakeholders regarding our commitments to the environment and nature conservation legislation.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Experience working in the environmental management sector.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of ecology.
• Experience in working with local stakeholder groups, including: landowners; non-governmental organisations; charities; local government.
• Experience in providing ecological advice to a wide audience.
• An effective communicator, both written and verbally.
• Competent in IT – Microsoft Office.
• Sound knowledge of the application of environmental legislation to project planning and delivery.
  

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Experience in working within protected sites.
• Experience in presenting on wildlife topics, dealing with media and public engagement activities.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Experience in setting up and managing contracts.
• Experience of budget management.
• Experience in applying for, or advising on, species licences.
• Experience in setting up and delivering monitoring programmes.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or equivalent in Ecology or Environmental Management.
  

Desirable

• Member of Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• You will be assessed on technical skills at interview

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%

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

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.

How to apply…

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 experience, a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

Making Effective Decisions
Communicating and influencing
Working Together
Changing and improving

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first.

Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website.

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 : FC Recruitment Team
• 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

Forestry England Job Description - HLS Ecologist (PB5) Opens in new window (pdf, 134kB)