Field Manager

Job summary

Field Managers coordinate and lead the areas Woodland Officers to expand, protect, improve and connect woodlands across the area and ensure the effective use of Forestry Commission incentives and regulations.

Job description

The Forestry Commission are the government’s forestry experts and we work to protect, improve, expand and connect England’s woods and forests. We do this by providing policy advice to government and leading delivery through regulation, incentives and protecting tree health. The Environment Act set a target of increasing tree cover in England to at least 16.5% by 2050 and the benefits that trees and woodlands deliver for the environment, society and the economy is increasingly appreciated. We await the revision of the England Trees Action Plan.

The Field Manager role, as part of Forest Services, is responsible for leading a team of Woodland Officers based in their area and for ensuring the effective coordination of our incentives and regulatory activities. Field Managers play a critical role in delivering a step change in our woodland creation levels, and in supporting the woodland management activity across the area. This includes working closely with Natural England, Environment Agency, Rural Payments Agency, Forestry England and Forestry Commission Admin Hubs. The Kent Field Manager also takes a lead in managing Tree Health Pilot Woodland Officers across SE&L.

Responsibilities

• Team working and Managing People – Provide leadership and support to the Woodland Officers, Woodland Creation Officers, Regulations & Incentives Support Officers and Development Woodland Officers to ensure the effective delivery of our incentives and regulatory programmes. The Field Manager will undertake recruitment and induction of Woodland Officers and Woodland Creation Officers and their development.
• Delivery of Government aspirations for trees and woodlands - play a key role in supporting the operational delivery Forest Services Business Plan. This includes work to help promote the opportunities of the Forest Services Strategic Framework and working with delivery partners.
• Manage Tree Health and forestry regulation – Respond to tree health issues and ensure the effective delivery of our regulatory requirements. Work with Plant Health Forestry colleagues to respond to pest and disease outbreaks. Ensure our regulatory work meets the UK Forestry Standard and is completed within the required timescales.
• Manage Incentives – Oversee the delivery of incentives across the area through supporting their area team and partners by building positive working relationships to ensure the effective promotion and delivery of our incentives programme. Including seeking support from technical specialists to process complex cases and influencing the evolution of new initiatives to best deliver government forestry policy.
• Engaging with stakeholders and partnership working - Work with the Area Management Team to identify the partnerships to engage in order to deliver appropriate sector support in identified priority areas. Developing and maintaining good working relationships with advisers and stakeholders.
• Vision and Culture – Support the overall work of the team to ensure the effective delivery of our vision and culture ambition and to help lead on the development of a proactive Health & Safety culture. Play an active role in the wider work of the team including supporting Management and Area Team Meetings.

Person specification

Experience

Essential:

• Experience or relevant working knowledge of Incentives and Regulations for land based schemes, such as Countryside Stewardship;
• Significant knowledge of forestry and silviculture, including having a clear understanding of the UK Forestry Standard;
• Confident interpersonal and communication skills with experience of presenting to a range of audiences, both verbally and written;
• Experience of stakeholder management - building strong business relationships and collaborative working to deliver mutually beneficial results;
• Demonstrate ability to manage a team to deliver results to an agreed standard;
• Proactively deal with complex and contentious issues relating to people and delivery of project outcomes.

Desirable:

• Experience of managing people and demonstrable ability to manage a widely distributed team to deliver results to an agreed standard;
• Practical woodland management experience of both deciduous and coniferous woodland;
• Experience of delivering forestry incentives and regulations.

Qualifications

• Degree/Higher Diploma in forestry/land management/countryside management/environment management and/or significant related experience in partnership working centred on land management / tree and forestry issues. 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.
• Competent and effective IT user with experience of MS Office and also including remote working and associated communication tools (e.g. MS Teams).

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others
• Managing a Quality Service

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Technical questions for the role will be given at interview stage

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.

• A Civil Service pension .
• 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 is a Fixed Term Appointment ending 30 March 2027, with possibility but no guarantee of extension or permanency.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete:

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A personal statement – in no more than 750 word please provide details of how you meet the relevant skills and experience as set out in the person specification and your preferred location.
3. A statement, of no more than 250 words, providing an example of how you have demonstrated the key behaviour of communicating and influencing.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The sift will be conducted using your CV, Personal Statement and lead behaviour: communicating and influencing. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential role requirements within the application behaviour responses.

Should you be successful at this stage you will be progressed to interview stage.

Applications will be sifted 22nd June. Interviews will be held in person at our Area Office at Bucks Horn Oak Office, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LS on Monday 29th June 2026. These dates are subject to change. At interview you will be assessed on Experience, Behaviours, Strengths and Technical Skills.

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 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.

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. Applicants will be assessed in the selection process in accordance with the requirements.

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.

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.

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

This role is full time only. 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.

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.

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 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.