Operations Administrative Manager

Job summary

Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our Prime Minister and our government are committed as part of the EnvironmentalImprovement Plan to increasing the tree canopy cover across England from the current 14.5% to at least 16.5% by 2050 – this means 34,000 ha of new tree cover by 2028.

This acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government’s wider environmental targets.

If you are passionate about the role of forestry in creating a better future for England, and want to play a key part in that, we want to hear from you.

By joining the Forestry Commission, you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and be able to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to transform how we work together and reach new stakeholders. Forest Services as part of Forestry Commission are the Government’s forestry experts. We advise nationally and locally on how to unlock the full potential of woodlands and support the forestry sector to protect, improve and expand England’s valuable woodland assets, ensuring that they continue to provide benefits to people, the environment, and the economy.

This role sits within the Forest Services (FS) Operational Delivery Team (ODT).

The Operational Delivery Team delivers services to Forestry Commission (FC) customers for Grants and Regulations, including circa 3500 felling licences per year, and 3000 grant applications

The team works closely with the Area teams, our technical experts in the field, to administer woodland grants and regulations across England. The team's main function is to provide grants for tree planting, woodland management, and tree health, also enforcing the Forestry Act through regulatory processes such as felling licence applications and environmental impact assessments.

Job description

The Operations Admin Manager within the ODT Regulations Team is responsible for managing and monitoring the performance of their team, working with peers to deliver a consistent approach to Regulations functions across the country, maintaining good working relationships with colleagues in other FC and Defra teams, and providing a high standard of service to customers.

The role is responsible for overseeing the operational customer support function for the new ‘Apply for a tree felling licence’ service, ensuring the team provides an effective first-line of support to customers during and following rollout. This includes working closely with the National Grants & Regulations (NGR) System Support Manager to coordinate call handling, triage customer enquiries, and ensure technical issues are escalated and resolved efficiently.

Effectively managing the administration of felling licences and other regulatory functions in accordance with Forestry commission procedures.

Working with the other Operations Admin Managers to provide leadership and carry out line management duties for the Operational Delivery Regulations team, including supporting the introduction and ongoing operation of the new ‘Apply for a tree felling licence’ service. This includes working collaboratively with the NGR System Support Manager to establish effective support arrangements, manage customer demand during rollout, and embed new ways of working across the team.

Working with peers, area staff and the woodland sector to ensure a high quality of customer service and the coordinated delivery of FC targets.

Key Work Areas

• Effectively line-manage up to a maximum of 6 Operations Admin Officers within the Operational delivery team, ensuring they have the information and tools needed to fulfil their role.
• Provide leadership and demonstrate positive behaviours for the team to follow; be firm on poor performance to ensure everyone works to their best ability.
• Ensure effective handling of transactional aspects of Regulations, following FC guidelines, processes and procedures, and complying with legislation and scheme rules.
• Provide a customer service function for the above activities, including supporting customers using the new ‘Apply for a tree felling licence’ service, managing the team's first-line response to customer enquiries, and ensuring calls and queries are triaged appropriately to the National Grants & Regulations System Support Manager where issues require specialist support.
• Work closely with the National Grants & Regulations System Support Manager to monitor customer support demand, coordinate operational call handling arrangements, identify recurring issues and contribute to continuous improvement of the customer support service and system.
• Liaise with Area staff (particularly Woodland Officers) on technical issues and queries.
• Deal with public enquiries through triage to the Area teams or other appropriate FC staff where necessary.
• Liaise with Operations Admin Manager peers, Area teams, the National Grants & Regulations team (NGR) and the NGR System Support Manager to ensure consistent implementation of business processes, support the successful rollout of new systems, and identify further opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the overall delivery of Forest Services objectives and business including local and national projects and initiatives.
• Support and manage change, establishing new ways of working within the team and across Forest Services.

The post will report to the Operations Team Manager.

Person specification

Essential

• Experience of working in a busy operational delivery environment.
• Experience of delivering excellent customer service and supporting customers through enquiries, resolving issues, and providing advice across multiple communication channels (e.g. telephone and email).
• Ability to co-ordinate multiple work streams (projects/areas of work).
• Pro-active and flexible working approach to delivering tasks.
• Highly competent IT user with experience of the MS Office suite of applications, especially Excel. Knowledge of SharePoint is desirable.

Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application.

Desirable

• People management experience, or proven aptitude for and willingness to progress into people management through this role.
• Experience of managing or coordinating a customer support function, including triaging enquiries and working with specialist teams to resolve customer issues.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Changing and Improving

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

• Managing a Quality Service

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 (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 until 30th March 2027 with possibility of extension or permanency, but no guarantee.

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

1. A tailored 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. The CV will be split into 2 parts and request: Job History, Full Qualification Details.
2. A personal statement- in no more than 750 words please provide details of how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
3. You will also be asked to provide a 250-word statement relating to the Behaviour on the application form.

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

Should a large number of applications be received, the initial sift may be conducted using the personal statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

At interview, you will be assessed against Behaviours and Strengths.

Indicative timeline:

- Shortlisting to take place 18th September 2026

- Interviews to be carried out w/c 28th September 2026

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

Interviews will be held in person at Bucks Horn Oak, Farnham, Surrey, GU10 4LS, so 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 Commission 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.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 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 : 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.