Harvesting and Timber Marketing Manager

Job summary

This is a significant operational leadership role at the heart of how we manage our forests.

You will lead our Harvesting and Timber Marketing function across the East Forest District, bringing together people, contractors, customers and operational programmes to deliver safe, sustainable and commercially successful harvesting and timber supply.

You will lead a specialist team and contractor network, oversee significant budgets and programmes, and balance safety, environmental, commercial and customer priorities. You will also play an important role in the wider Forestry and Land Management leadership team.

You don’t need to have spent your career in forestry. We are interested in experienced operational leaders who can bring strong people leadership, commercial judgement and delivery experience. Your background could be in forestry or land management, but equally in construction, utilities, infrastructure, agriculture, logistics, manufacturing or another safety-critical industry.

What matters is that you can lead people, manage complex operations and make good decisions, while being motivated to develop your knowledge of forestry and timber.

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

Although offered as a full time role, part-time working or compressed hours would be considered

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

Leadership and Management

• Lead, support and develop the Harvesting and Timber Marketing team, creating an inclusive, collaborative and high-performing working environment. Provide clear direction, empower people to make good decisions and build strong relationships with colleagues and contractors.
  
• Play an active role in the Forestry and Land Management leadership team and deputise for the Head of Land Management when required.
  
  Operational Delivery
  
• Lead the planning and delivery of a substantial annual harvesting programme, ensuring work is well planned, safe, efficient and delivered to a high standard.
  
• Work with colleagues and contractors to manage priorities, resources, risks and changing operational demands. Ensure operations meet relevant industry and environmental standards, including UKWAS requirements.
  
  Timber Marketing and Commercial Management
  
• Lead our approach to timber sales, marketing and supply, maintaining strong relationships with customers, processors and commercial partners.
  
• Use sound commercial judgement to secure good value from our timber while maintaining reliable supply and strong long-term customer relationships. Work through your team with District and Beat Foresters to coordinate the quality and continuity of timber coming to market.
  
  Financial Management
  
  
• Take responsibility for significant income and expenditure budgets. Monitor performance, forecast income and costs, and use financial and operational information to make informed decisions and keep delivery on track.
  
  Health, Safety and Environmental Management
  
• Provide visible leadership on health, safety and wellbeing. Create a culture where people take responsibility for managing risk and where operations meet legal, organisational and environmental requirements.
  
  Stakeholder Engagement
  
• Build effective relationships with customers, contractors, colleagues, communities, regulators and industry partners. Represent Forestry England professionally and work collaboratively to resolve issues, identify opportunities and deliver successful outcomes.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential experience and skills

• Proven experience of leading complex operational programmes within forestry, land management or another operational, infrastructure or safety-critical environment.
• Strong people leadership and management experience, with the ability to develop teams, set clear priorities and deliver results through others.
• Experience of managing significant budgets, contracts and contractors, with responsibility for performance, value for money and successful delivery.
• Strong commercial awareness and judgement, with experience of working with customers, suppliers, contracts or supply chains.
• Ability to manage risk, competing priorities and changing operational demands while maintaining high standards of health, safety and environmental performance.
• Strong communication and relationship-management skills, with the ability to influence and work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability and willingness to quickly develop technical and sector knowledge and apply it to operational and commercial decision-making.

Desirable experience and knowledge

• Experience or knowledge of forestry, harvesting, timber marketing or other land-based operations.
• Knowledge of sustainable forest management and relevant standards, including UKWAS.
• Experience or knowledge of environmental management, conservation, engineering, contract management or supply-chain operations.
  

Qualifications

Essential

• Full UK driving licence, as the role requires regular travel between forest sites and other locations.
• Confident user of digital systems and standard workplace technology, with the ability to use information and data effectively to support operational and management decisions.

Desirable

• A relevant degree, professional qualification or equivalent experience in forestry, land management, operations, engineering, commercial management or another related discipline.
• Membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters or another relevant professional body, or willingness to work towards appropriate professional membership.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,802, Forestry Commission contributes £12,110 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).

• 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.

How to apply…

We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.

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.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Leadership
• Managing a quality service
• Changing and improving
• Making effective decisions
• Delivering at pace

You may also be assessed on Experience, Strength based questions, and/or the Technical Success Profile at the interview. The technical element could include a presentation, practical or written task.

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 basic (or equivalent) 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

Harvesting and Timber Marketing Manager JD PB4 (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 171kB)