Landscape Recovery Development Manager

Job summary

Britain’s woodlands are a precious resource. Each year they produce over 11 million tonnes of timber, remove 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and attract over 600 million visits from the public. They remove pollutants from the air and soil, offer natural flood protection and enhance biodiversity, both in towns and the countryside. They also support other sectors, notably agriculture and tourism.

The Forestry Commission’s Forest Services are the Government’s forestry experts responsible for enabling landowners and managers, businesses, civil society organisations, and local communities to protect, improve and expand England’s woodlands. It achieves this through regulation, incentives and advice.

We are recruiting two Landscape Recovery Development Managers within the National Grants and Regulations team at the Forestry Commission. The Landscape Recovery scheme is one of three Environmental Land Management schemes in England alongside Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. Landscape Recovery offers bespoke, long term funding to projects delivering landscape scale change. This includes projects creating and enhancing woodlands, peatlands and wetlands, targeting protected species and improving protected sites condition. The scheme also looks to stimulate green finance markets through innovative economic approaches to grant making.

Landscape Recovery is an exciting opportunity to be at the cutting edge of nationally important land use change projects which will strongly deliver for the environment and society.

Job description

We are recruiting two roles, one focussing on grant development and the other on grant delivery with some shared responsibilities across roles. Both roles will manage a team of four, with two or three direct reports, and will report to the Head of Landscape Recovery and Grant Innovation. This work area is highly collaborative across numerous national and frontline teams and functions within the Forestry Commission and across the Defra group - Defra, Natural England and Environment Agency.

Key work areas

PB3 Landscape Recovery Development Manager (delivery focussed)

LR team management

• Lead a team of managers and project officers and support the Head of Landscape recovery and Grant Innovation
• Proactively input to the wider team management in the Landscape Recovery and Grant Innovation team and across the National Grants and Regulation team

LR decision making

• Represent FC and tree and woodland outcomes in decision making and governance processes
• Work closely with our LR partners in Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency
• Take part in individual LR project negotiation processes

LR Delivery

• Manage FC input to Landscape Recovery (LR) assurance processes, overseeing input from national and area teams and Subject Matter Experts.
• Support Operational and Area teams team engagement with LR Projects transitioning to implementation.
  • Implementation handovers.
  • Internal engagement with areas
• Coordinating early engagement with projects via national and local staff

Monitoring and reporting

• Engage with / lead systems development and change management processes
• Develop outcome reporting tools

PB3 Landscape Recovery Development Manager (policy development focussed)

LR team management

• Lead a team of managers and project officers and support the Head of Landscape recovery and Grant Innovation
• Proactively input to the wider team management in the Landscape Recovery and Grant Innovation team and across the National Grants and Regulation team

LR decision making

• Represent FC and tree and woodland outcomes in decision making and governance processes
• Work closely with our LR partners in Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency
• Take part in individual LR project negotiation processes

LR policy and development

• Lead on scheme development;
  • Scheme learning and continuous improvement
  • Coordinate collaborative working groups
  • Scheme policy development
• Coordinate Subject Matter Expert application panels
• Input to the development of payment approaches working with economists and policy leads

Communication and Guidance

• Coordinate guidance development and manage the guidance lead in the team
• Work closely with the ELM and Forest Services communications teams on internal communication and engagement including developing and updating proactive and reactive policy lines

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Strong understanding of the role of trees and woodland in the landscape
• Experience of grant scheme development and/or delivery
• Experience of managing busy workloads and delivering at pace both individually and for a team
• Demonstrable people management experience with evidence of supporting staff professional development as well as managing performance
• Excellent communication skills, including the proven ability to negotiate and influence
• Experience of working with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Understanding of green finance markets and/or blended finance grants

Desirable

• Understanding of the challenges facing the wider land management sector
• Understanding and awareness of environmental and forestry policies
• Understanding of Forestry regulations
• Experience of project or change management

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,765, Forestry Commission contributes £14,127 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 (opens in a new window) with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 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. Further information will be available for candidates invited to interview.

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 and Experience.

Fixed term Appointment to 30 March 2027. This is a Temporary Appointment with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee.

As part of the application process, you will complete the following:

• A tailored CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements, of no more than two pages. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A personal statement – in no more than 500 words showing how you meet the criteria of the person specification evidence and your preferred location.
• You will also be asked to provide 250-word statements relating to the Behaviours being assessed.

Should a large number of applications be received, the initial sift may be conducted using a lead behaviour. This will be the behaviour which is listed first in the job advert, Seeing the Big Picture. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential role requirements within the application behaviour responses.

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

At interview, you will be assessed against Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. You will be asked to prepare a presentation. Further details will be shared if you are invited to interview.

Indicative timeline:

• Shortlisting to take place week commencing 6th July 2026.
• Interviews to be carried on the 23rd July 2026.

Please be aware dates may be subject to change for both sifting and interviews.

Interviews will be held in person at the Forestry Commission, 620 Bristol Business Park, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, BS16 1EJ. Please keep this in mind when applying.

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 Service 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.

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.

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.

This role is full time. 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.

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.

The duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving licence that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means.

The Forestry Commission is actively working to reduce the carbon emission of official travel and applicants should be aware of the broad principles which are being applied to reduce carbon emissions to less than 50gCO2/km.

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

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.