Heritage Mapping and Data Officer

Job summary

What you’ll do…

As the largest land manager in the country, Forestry England oversees a vast and diverse network of more than 1,500 forests and woods, spanning over 250,000 hectares. We often celebrate our landscapes for their natural beauty and ecological significance, yet they also harbour some of England’s most extraordinary historical sites, monuments, and stories. Beneath the leafy canopies and towering trees lies a rich tapestry of human history, preserved and intertwined with the very roots of the land.

As Heritage Mapping and Data Officer, you will support the collection, analysis, management, and ethical use of historic environment data across the biodiversity program. You will work directly with historic environment advisors well as other national and area teams, and external partners to ensure project data is appropriately collated, processed and managed.

You will establish and follow data standards, frameworks, and workflows, supporting the effective use of spatial, environmental, and heritage datasets. The role includes data governance, quality assurance, and compliance, contributing to reporting and evaluation, and identifying opportunities to improve data integration, insight, and long-term value, including through innovation and future funding opportunities.

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

Where you’ll work…

The postholder will be part of the Environment & Nature Recovery Team in National Operations, managed by the Lead Historic Environment Advisor, but can be based out of any of our regional offices, with hybrid working also possible.

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Lead in the development of a new historic environment data management approach.
• Support the mapping of archaeological sites and monuments identified with Lidar and arial imagery.
• Yearly request Historic Environment Records data for the Nation’s Forests.
• Manage and maintain national heritage datasets, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with
organisational standards. Collaborate with district teams to resolve anomalies, and lead the integration of
new data sources, including new surveys and Historic Environment Records, into internal systems.
• Support the cleaning and conversion of survey data.
• Assist with reporting.
• Champion the use of evidence in decision-making, drawing on best practice.
• Lead the integration of emerging technologies such as AI into team policy and practice, to help make
better evidence-based decisions.
• Identify stories and narratives with the data you work with that can be used to engage the public.
• Lead the development and guidance of historic environment data within internal GIS systems.
And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Strong understanding of archaeological monitoring techniques.
• A strong team player.
• Good knowledge of spatial data and GIS.
• Experience working with external partners.
• Experience in heritage data management, remote sensing mapping and survey recording for historic
environment purposes.
• Ability to use a range of GIS and database software packages, including esri.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across teams.

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Understanding of landscape archaeology
• understanding of technical forestry, land management and countryside recreation.
• experience working in a historic environment or similar outdoor settings.
• Experience working on landscape scale heritage mapping projects
• Knowledge of ARCHES data management system

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree or higher in a relevant subject, or equivalent professional experience.

Behaviours

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Presentation topic to be confirmed at invitation to 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 (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 and Technical skills.

This is a Temporary Appointment till March 2029 with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee.

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.

At interview a presentation will be required. Your Technical Knowledge and the following Behaviours will be tested at the interview:

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

If candidates pass the interview but are not the leading candidate they can be placed on a reserve list. We may offer candidates on the reserve list for this role the opportunity to be considered for other roles at the same or lower pay bands

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

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 : 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 - Heritage Mapping and Data Officer (PB5) Opens in new window (pdf, 165kB)