Wild Areas Officer

Job summary

What you’ll do…

Forestry England’s Biodiversity Plan sets out a bold ambition of nature recovery in the Nation’s Forests. Working across five principal focus areas, Forestry England aims to restore resilient biodiversity in the nation’s forests, delivering our vision to ensure that these forests provide the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England.

Established in 2022, Forestry England’s Forest Wilding Programme brings together two of these focus areas as part of a co-ordinated effort to deliver a step-change in nature recovery. Our species recovery work focuses on the reintroduction of key influential species, with more than 30 projects nationwide to re-establish populations of beaver, wildcat, pine marten, white-tailed eagle, golden eagle and wood ants. Alongside this nationwide effort, we have established Wild Areas on over 14,000ha of the nation’s forests, bringing innovative approaches together with a sound evidence base to recover and enhance nature through restoring natural processes.

Working as part of the national Forest Wilding Programme team, and with the Wild Areas Manager, you will use your skills and experience in nature recovery and project management to implement work packages aligned with the strategic delivery of Wild Areas across England.

You will work as part of Forestry England’s Forest Wilding Programme Team, a small but growing group of dedicated professionals, whose primary focus is implementing evidence-based nature recovery on the ground. Though dispersed across the country, we work closely and collaboratively together and with our district teams, to seize the opportunity presented by our Defra funding, to bend the curve on nature recovery, working at scale and pace. We work alongside colleagues whose focus is on improving designated sites management, accelerating the restoration of ancient woodlands, establishing nature networks, and improving the resilience of timber production across the nation’s forests. Making a difference for nature is our passion, but so too is our wellbeing, and we have a supportive working environment, which champions mutual support, and maintaining a good work/life balance.

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

Where you’ll work…

This is a National role. You can be based anywhere in the country from any Forestry England office, but we support hybrid working from home.

Job description

1) Project Management

• Co-develop the visions and project plans for Wild Area projects with project teams and project boards
• Apply appropriate project management principles to ensure effective and timely project implementation, in accordance with Forest Wilding Programme guidance and framework
• Produce, maintain and review relevant project documentation throughout the project lifecycles
• Co-develop annual and long-term work programmes and budgets with Wild Area project teams, supported by relevant project boards and the Forest Wilding Programme Team
• Support the Wild Areas Manger in the management of the national Wild Areas budget, ensuring that projects are managed within budgetary limits and fiscal guidelines
• Support funding bids for external funding and ensure that commitments to funders for the projects are appropriately met through project delivery
• Work with the Wild Areas Manager and Wild Area projects to ensure that programme, corporate and funder reporting requirements are met.

2) Land Management

• Support the development of land management plans for Wild Area projects, working with district colleagues and the Forest Wilding Programme Team to drive nature recovery at the landscape scale
• Champion the investigation of appropriate techniques which will deliver the vision for Wild Areas in restoring natural processes, ensuring there is a sound evidence base for land management interventions
• Help facilitate land management plans on the ground, including for example, installation of grazing infrastructure, management of herbivores, forest management, tree planting, peatland restoration, hydrological restoration where required
• Work with the Wild Areas Manger to procure and manage contracts, services, technical equipment and contractors, including consultants and academic institutions
• Ensure Forestry England procurement and contract management regulations are followed throughout the project
• Support the investigation of the (re)introduction of influential species to wild areas, which help restore natural processes

3) Knowledge and Monitoring

• Support the implementation of Forestry England’s evidence framework, in assembling evidence to support decision-making and monitoring the success of land management interventions for nature recovery
• Work with the national Forest Wilding programme team, colleagues from Forest Research and wider academia to learn from, identify synergies and efficiencies and share best practice across the Forest Wilding programme
• Assist the Wild Areas Manager to Commission, manage and interpret surveys to gather baseline information relevant to wild area projects, including eDNA soil analysis, ecological and hydrological information
• Undertake or commission feasibility studies to explore innovative approaches to secure nature recovery in wild areas

4) Communications and public engagement

• Support project teams in the development and delivery of a stakeholder management plans, and in building and managing relationships with relevant stakeholders
• Work with district and national communications colleagues to develop and implement communications plans for relevant wild areas and the Forest Wilding programme
• Where relevant, support the development of partnerships with neighbouring landowners to increase the scale and effectiveness of landscape scale nature recovery
• Showcase the project to internal and external stakeholders to gain support for forest wilding, nature recovery and further delivery within the nation’s forests.
  And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager

Person specification

Essential professional and technical experience

• A track record of successfully developing, managing and coordinating nature recovery projects
• An experienced project manager, able to manage and prioritise workloads, meet deadlines and solve problems, and manage budgets
• Strong ecological knowledge, with practical experience of a range of land management interventions including in woodlands, heaths, wetlands, and uplands, relevant to the location of the role
• Experience of procurement and contract management, especially in the relevant areas of land management, feasibility studies and ecological survey and monitoring
• A great team worker, adept at working under your own initiative and as part of a multidisciplinary team, taking ownership of the responsibilities of the role, building collaborative working relationships with colleagues, and being adaptable in the face of changing situations
• Demonstrable skills in stakeholder management, with a track record of developing constructive collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholder groups, including public sector, private sector, and non-governmental organisations, volunteers and community groups
• An excellent communicator, both written and verbally, able to adapt to a range of audiences
• Competent using information technology, and sound knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Sound experience in the forestry sector
• Experience of procurement and contract management
• Working knowledge of environmental legislation and designations, including their practical application

Qualifications
Essential

• Ecology or environmental degree, or equivalent professional experience in nature-focussed land management
• A full and current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK

Desirable

• A recognised project management qualification
• A member of a relevant professional body, e.g. Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Institute of Chartered Foresters

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Technical skills

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

• to be confirmed.

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.

• 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, Strengths, Ability, 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 a technical skill, experience, ability and strength based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Seeing The Big Picture
• Delivering At Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

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 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 - Wild Areas Officer (PB5) Opens in new window (pdf, 197kB)