Recreation Craftsperson - Forest of Dean

Job summary

The Forest of Dean attracts over 1 million visits annually across a range of visitor sites; the sites are split between two Recreation Managers who lead a team of four recreation rangers, two visitor services officers and two crafts persons working cohesively to deliver high quality experiences and facilities that are safe and
enjoyable. Facilities include a network of walking, running and cycling trails, adventurous activities, play, cafés, toilets and bike hire making for very busy and popular destinations.

The Recreation Craftsperson role provides vital support to the wider team across the Forest of Dean, being responsible primarily for keeping visitor sites and carparks clean, tidy and well maintained. This will involve collection and disposal of rubbish from bins on a daily basis, litter picking and general maintenance tasks. The other core duty for the Craftsperson team is the unlocking of site gates and barriers each morning, on a varying schedule throughout the year.

No two days are the same and the demands of the role can vary widely, so you must be resilient, adaptable and prepared to respond to situations and environments that can be challenging and unpredictable. The role is based at Beechenhurst and your duties will take you around the Forest of Dean, and occasionally beyond.

The role involves working outdoors in all weather’s year around, both alone and with other staff and/or volunteers. You will travel around the forest on foot, by bike and in vehicles, both on and off road. Some tasks can be physically demanding.

Working as part of a seven-day rota to include alternate weekends, regular public holidays and occasional out of-hours events, the post holder will support the recreation team to ensure visitors receive a high-quality experience and that the facilities remain fit for purpose and safe.

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Focus on site presentation through litter collection duties, litter picking, bin emptying and removal of all types of waste for disposal of at our depots. Recyclable waste must be segregated from non-recyclable waste streams.
• Maintenance tasks to include the installation, repair and painting of signs, fence repairs, replenishing fall-protection materials in a play area or closing off individual pieces of play equipment after identifying a suspected fault.
• Seasonal strimming and mowing of vegetation on recreation sites, gateways and around forest furniture. This may include occasional chemical spraying after appropriate training and certification of the individual.
• Inspect public toilets and carry out duties such as replacing toilet rolls or unblocking toilets or mopping floors after flooding/misuse prior to the appropriate tradesperson or cleaner carrying out full repairs.
• Unlocking main public entrances and buildings on recreation sites and carparks daily, in line with site opening times
• Carry out facility, trail and tree safety inspections and ensure that defects are properly recorded and rectified in a timely manner.
• Assist in the maintenance of recreation facilities including, but not limited to, litter picking, bin emptying, dealing with fly tipping, replenishing toilet consumables, installation and maintenance of signs, vegetation management.
• Respond professionally to unexpected incidents, providing basic first aid and support to emergency services when required.
• Record incidents and accidents, collating all relevant information.
• Ensure personal, colleague and public safety at all times by following job risk assessments, using lone working systems and by carrying out PPE and safety checks, in compliance with policy guidance.
• Provide face-to-face customer service giving advice and information to visitors on site, sell memberships, maps and other products, and when required help to staff visitor information points.
• Monitor car park ticket machines to ensure they are fully working and undertake car park patrols as required.

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Excellent communication skills
• Excellent team working skills
• Competence with IT such as MS Office
• Experience of undertaking basic DIY and practical/manual tasks
• A good understanding of relevant health and safety best practice

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Experience of working in a busy outdoor setting
• Experience of face-to-face customer service
• Experience of conducting facility or equipment inspections

Qualifications

Essential

• A full UK driving license

Desirable

• A qualification in First Aid at Work
• Practical or vocational qualifications

Behaviours

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

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

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 (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…

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 also be assessed on a technical skill during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

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

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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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

Forestry England Job Description - FOD Rec CP June 2026 (1) (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 169kB)