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Job summary

About the team

The Assistant Woodland Officer role sits within the Conservancy operations team. This team are responsible for all the regulatory case work within the five conservancy offices across Scotland. This includes felling regulations, environmental impact assessment and plant health. They are also responsible for delivering all aspects of the forestry grants scheme across Scotland.

Job description

What you will do

You will work in a conservancy area team with a Woodland Officer to carry out grants and regulation work, providing guidance to woodland owners and managers. You’ll support them with understanding of the need for continual timber supply whilst promoting sustainable forestry.

As an Assistant Woodland Officer, your time will be split between field visits and office work to assess and process applications checking that they comply with UK Forestry Standard and grant conditions.

You will receive training to support you in the role and ongoing guidance from your manager.

Current vacancies are available in our Dingwall office, and Hamilton office. Applications may also be considered for future roles in Perth, Dumfries, Huntly, and other locations across Scotland. We will look to identify potential reserve candidates through this recruitment exercise.

Main Duties

You’ll work within the team to:

• Support in the assessment and processing of Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) applications, forest plans and felling permissions;
• Support in undertaking regulatory roles in delivery of the Forest and Land Management Scotland Act and Forestry (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017;
• Support in undertaking the regulation and management of tree diseases;
• Promote sustainable forestry to increase public knowledge and awareness;
• Collaboration with other Scottish Government (SG) agencies and other organisations in relation to FGS.

Person specification

Success Profile

The Success Profile below set outs the essential and desirable elements that make up the vacant position - you’ll be expected to demonstrate how you meet the Experience and Technical and the behaviours in your application and during your interview.

Experience

Essential:

• Knowledge of forest and land management principles and practices
• Experience of working autonomously with ability to prioritise workload.

Desirable:

• Experience of Microsoft packages including Teams;
• Experience of forestry operations or equivalent.

Technical

Essential:

• An understanding of the rural sector.

Desirable:

• Be working towards an HNC in Forestry or related Land Management or environmental subject or be willing to work toward obtaining these.
• Student, associate or professional membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF).

Behaviours

On the application form you’ll find four free text boxes to provide your behaviour responses. Please note, you’re only required to provide evidence against the below behaviours on your application. This means that if less than four behaviours are noted, you can leave the relevant free text(s) box blank on your application.

Behaviour 1 and Lead Criteria: Managing a Quality Service

Behaviour 2: Working Together

Behaviour 3: Making Effective Decisions

Behaviour 4: Developing Self and Others

Driving licence

This role requires you to have a full UK driving licence, however, we are willing to consider any proposals that would allow you to do the job by other means.

Travel

As this role involves working with colleagues across the region, there will be regular travel involved which may include overnight stays away from home.

What we offer you

If successful, you will be entitled to a wide range of benefits, the detail of which can be found here.

Additional information

We believe it’s important to create an inclusive and supportive work culture, and we welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background.

It’s important you complete the entire application form (where relevant) in sufficient detail – this will give you the best chance of being invited for interview and/or assessment. Where a vacancy attracts a higher number of applications, only ‘Behaviour 1 - lead criteria’ will be assessed at sift stage. However, it is still important that you complete the entire application form in sufficient detail, as there is no way of knowing that a vacancy will have a high number of applications.

It would be helpful for you to indicate your preferred Conservancy Office location as part of your application (Dumfries, Selkirk, Hamilton, Perth, Huntly or Dingwall). If there is no vacancy at your preferred location and you are unable to take up post in others offered, you will be placed on a reserve list for a period of 12 months pending an available post arising. After this time, you will need to reapply if a suitable post has not been found for you.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,026, Scottish Forestry contributes £9,857 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

For more information on the selection process, please visit Success profiles for candidates , Scottish Forestry.

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.

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

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 : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot
• Email : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : sfrecruitment@forestry.gov.scot

Further information

https://www.forestry.gov.scot/