Recreation Craftsperson

Job summary

What you’ll do…

The Recreation Craftsperson will be part of a customer-facing team supporting the site’s recreational commercial activity. Assisting the team in the upkeep of recreation facilities and site infrastructure, event support, and health and safety responsibilities.

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

Where you’ll work…

This post sits within the West District Recreation and Engagement team, reporting to the Recreation Manager at Haldon Forest Park near Exeter. Haldon Forest Park attracts over 500,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy the forest environment. Facilities include a network of walking, running and cycling trails, a cafe, play features, Go Ape Tree Top Course and bike hire, making for a very busy and popular destination.

Job description

Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities

• Act as the face of Forestry England on site, by being approachable for questions and engage with visitors in a polite and appropriate manner.
• Inspect, manage, and maintain recreational facilities in line with Forestry England’s Health & Safety standards to ensure visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience.
• Undertake forest estate management operations. This includes reporting of fly-tipping, litter picking, maintenance of equipment, restoration and creation of various habitats, and improvement of the landscape such as felling, fencing, pruning, and planting of trees and shrubs.
• Manage vegetation along recreation trails, cycle paths and car parks through use of chainsaw and application of pesticides.
• Contribute to the delivery of key programmes by providing a support service in delivering essential surveys, events, and sales.
• Work closely with volunteers to ensure they have a safe and positive experience in line with our volunteer management processes.
• Assist with onsite communication between recreation and land management teams, franchise operations, neighbours and wider stakeholders to maintain close working relationships and to improve the customer experience.

Person specification

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential Professional and Technical experience

• Good understanding of health and safety best practice relating to working in a forest or public access site.
• Experience of woodland management, groundwork, or site maintenance with ability to use a wide range of hand tools.
• Experience in tree safety inspections and recreation site inspections.
• Basic computer skills with competence in the use of MS Office applications.

Desirable Professional and Technical experience

• Experience in a public-facing role.
• Experience in working with volunteers and groups.
• Experience in tree felling and use of chainsaws.

Qualifications
Essential

• GCSE at level C or above in Maths and English Language, or equivalent.
• Full driving license.

Desirable

• A good understanding of relevant health and safety best practice.
• Experience in safety inspections.
• Basic computer skills with competence in the use of MS Office applications.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• The technical element will be an outside based task such as fencing.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,959, Forestry Commission contributes £7,810 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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, Experience and Technical skills.

How to apply…

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.

You will be assessed on experience, and a technical skill during your interview. The technical element will be an outside based task such as fencing.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

Managing a Quality Service
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together

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 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 - Recreation Craftsperson (PB6B) Opens in new window (pdf, 109kB)