Future Forestry Grant Support Project Lead

Job summary

This is a very exciting opportunity in a very cross-organisational role, working collaboratively to lead a very high-profile project. Forestry delivers a multitude of social, environmental and economic benefits to Scotland, and ensuring that the right outcomes are incentivised effectively is key to our delivery of strategic targets.

You will be part of the Policy and Practice team and will be line managed by the Director of Policy and Practice. You will also have regular contact with the Directors of Operational Delivery and Transformation & Corporate Services, given the nature of your project.

You will also work closely with teams across SF including with SF’s five Conservancies; South, Central, Perth & Argyll, Grampian and Highland & Islands. Scottish Forestry teams in the Conservancies and National Office carry out regulatory and grant support functions, promoting sustainable forestry and balancing the needs of timber production with those of landscape, biodiversity and people.

Job description

What you will do

This is a project management focused role where you will scope, initiate and drive forward the future forestry grant support project, covering the main aspects of forestry grants – laying the foundations for and defining the long-term successor to the current Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS).

You will engage across a wide stakeholder landscape, with various SF and external stakeholders taking account of policy, legal, operational and other relevant considerations. This will include building a realistic timeline and resourcing requirements as well setting out key assumptions, constraints, dependencies, risks and issues.

You will ultimately lead a small project team – then manage this small team to successfully deliver this project, bringing in expertise from internal stakeholders to support development work.

Main Duties

You will provide project expertise and leadership so your team can collectively ensure the following:

• Build productive and effective working relationships with key internal and external customers within Scottish Forestry and other relevant Government agencies, industry, including the Customer Representatives Group and other environmental bodies/interests in reviewing the limitations of the existing scheme and areas where this can be improved;
• Use existing source information, other data/insights, evidence, and user feedback to inform the project. This includes considering existing data from prior consultation on and evaluation of FGS, and additional feedback from stakeholders to identify key areas for improvement, and to also develop a plan for how this will be addressed;
• Consider and forecast staff resourcing requirements for the project team and work with colleagues to secure this resource
• Develop costed options/proposals (including potentially a full business case) and a realistic timeline about how FGS can be improved and developed;
• Ensure that the project takes into account forestry policy and wider SG objectives to ensure that FGS makes a valuable contribution to the achievement to relevant ambitions and targets – for example the Climate Change Plan commitments, Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, Scottish Land Commission requirements, etc.
• Work with SG departments on the development of secondary legislation and in the development of their related digital systems to ensure they are fit for purpose in relation to grant proposals.
• Create a full assessment - including regulatory risks - for the proposed changes to the grant scheme taking account of legislation and subsidy control requirements.
• Work with colleagues on cross-cutting matters to ensure synergies across SF’s work, provide project related reporting e.g. ‘RAID ‘and draft relevant governance papers including potentially updates/briefings to Ministers.

Person specification

Experience

Essential:

• Evidence of strong analytical skills, ability to make connections across component parts/related pieces of work and creative thinking capability
• Highly organised with more than five years’ experience of either leading or working on projects
• Excellent communication skills with experience of building networks and effective stakeholder management
• The ability to communicate meaningful, clear, consistent and concise information tailored appropriately for a range of audiences
• A proven track record of motivating and managing multi-disciplinary teams to deliver, promoting a dynamic and embodying a supportive culture in line with values;
• Creating a learning culture - in developing yourself and others in the project team
• A commitment to service improvement, informed by data and user feedback

Desirable:

• Good knowledge or management of public sector grant funding
• A project management related qualification such as Agile, Prince 2, MSP etc

Behaviours

On the application form you’ll find four free text boxes to provide your behaviour responses. Please note, you’re only required to provide evidence against the below behaviours on your application. This means that if less than four behaviours are noted, you can leave the relevant free text(s) box blank on your application.

Behaviour 1 and Lead Criteria: Leadership

Behaviour 2: Changing and Improving

Behaviour 3: Developing Self and Others

Behaviour 4: Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £66,749, Scottish Forestry contributes £19,337 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 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

Apply using the online application form on the Scottish Forestry 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.

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

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 : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot
• Email : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot