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Job summary

The Forestry Commission (FC) are the Government’s forestry experts. We work nationally and locally on unlocking the full potential of woodlands and the forestry sector to expand, protect, improve, and connect England’s valuable woodland assets.

The Plant Health Forestry (PHF) team is a high-performing, geographically distributed team working across Great Britain (GB) to support healthy trees, woods and forests now and for the future.

By joining PHF, you will become part of a passionate, expert team driving ambitious work to protect and improve GB’s valuable woodland assets.

Job description

We are seeking an Ips typographus Admin Officer to support the detection, containment and eradication of Ips typographus (eight toothed spruce bark beetle) outbreaks across Southeastern England.

Ips typographus is regulated in the UK as a Quarantine Pest, and this post supports our statutory obligation to act against current findings. The beetle poses no threat to human health but is a serious and destructive pest of spruce, which makes up around 50% of commercial planting in the UK and supports thousands of forestry jobs.

You will provide administrative and coordination support to the Ips typographus programme, helping to keep spruce authorisation inspections, surveillance records, and programme communications running smoothly across the surveillance and outbreak-response effort.

Key Work Areas

• Spruce Authorisations Admin - Process felling and movement inspection requests, issue authority letters, and keep audit-ready records.
  
• Data and reporting - Compile surveillance and outbreak data into regular summaries for the Programme Manager.
  
• Contractor and stakeholder liaison – Help Officers coordinate contractors and act as a point of contact for landowners and partner agencies.
  
• Records management - Maintain databases of surveillance, authorisations and outbreak status.
  
• GIS data - Maintain GIS databases, ensuring data quality and reporting any inconsistencies to Officers.
  
• Finance tracking - Track programme spend and process contractor invoices.
  
• Events and communications - Help organise workshops and training and distribute guidance materials to Inspectors.
  
• Programme support - Provide general admin support to the team, including correspondence and diary coordination.
  
• Cross-team liaison - Support engagement with Forest Research and government partners on related projects.

Person specification

Essential

• Administrative experience, ideally within an environmental, land-based or regulatory setting.
• Confident written and verbal communicator, comfortable liaising with landowners, contractors and partner agencies.
• Proven ability to manage multiple work streams and prioritise competing deadlines.
• Strong working knowledge of MS Office 365 (Excel, Outlook, Teams, Word) for reporting and data management.
• Experience maintaining accurate records and ensuring compliance with regulatory or audit requirements.

Desirable

• Interest or background in forestry, biosecurity, or environmental/land management.
• Experience in a public-sector or ALB administrative environment (Defra, Forestry Commission, or similar).
• Familiarity with ESRI Products (FieldMap, ArcGIS Online, ArcPro, Survey123)
• Familiarity with database or case-management systems.
• Basic awareness of UK plant health/biosecurity policy.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,105, Forestry Commission contributes £8,721 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).

• A Civil Service pension.
• A range of family friendly benefits.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
• 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.

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.

This is a Fixed Term Appointment until 30th March 2027 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. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. The CV will be split into 3 parts and requests: Job History, Previous Skills/Experience, and Full Qualification Details.
• A personal statement – in no more than 500 words showing how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the Person Specification.

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.

We will be conducting online interviews with the use of Microsoft Teams or equivalent online communication methods. Candidates would therefore require access to a computer and internet at interview stage.

Those invited to interview will be further assessed on Behaviours and Strengths and Experience.

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, office availability, 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.

Indicative timeline:

Shortlisting to take place w/c 27th July 2026

Interviews to be carried out w/c 3rd August 2026

Dates may be subject to change.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

This role is advertised as a minimum of 37 hours per week. 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.

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.

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.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

This role is full time only. 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.

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.