Senior Forester

Forestry England is looking for an accomplished forestry professional that has led teams to successfully deliver forestry operations in multipurpose forests, but also has sound experience in stakeholder engagement. This role will lead and support the work of our two geographical beats at East Sussex and Kent; and will also lead on some key projects around plant health., As Senior Forester you will be part of the East Forest District’s Forestry and Land Management senior team, helping to steer and drive our forestry operations alongside other key objectives in the Beats to deliver against Forestry England’s objectives and our District's Strategy.
Your specific roles will include:
+ Leading, mentoring and supporting East Sussex and Kent Beat Foresters in the operational delivery of harvesting, regeneration programmes and public engagement provision in collaboration with specialist District leads.
+ Leading and managing the District response to Ips typographus (the Greater Eight Toothed Spruce bark beetle) and the associated project, budget and the resultant programme of remedial works.
+ Line managing the two Beat Foresters that cover the East Sussex and Kent beats and providing leadership for their associated beat teams.
+ Working closely with the specialist District team leads for Planning, Harvesting, Forest Management, Recreation and Estates to produce achievable beat delivery plans and budgets that deliver National and District priorities.
Being an active part of the District’s Forest and Land Management Leadership Team setting direction and providing support across all beats, to include:
+ Providing cover for other District Foresters and the Head of Land Management during periods of holiday and/or other absence to ensure continuity in Forest Land Management support and leadership.
+ Supporting the Forest Resilience Programme with contributions to developing forest health and silviculture strategies.
+ Coordinating and leading projects and task finish groups within the District Business Team as required that will include work associated with Health and Safety Management., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Leadership
+ Communicating and Influencing
+ Making Effective Decisions
+ Delivering at Pace, As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement as follows:
1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. The CV will be split into two parts and assess: Job History, Full Qualification Details.
2. A Personal Statement (no longer than 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience are suitable for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification. (See responsibilities section)
Failure to complete both sections (CV and Personal Statement) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.
A panel will look for applications that demonstrate the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Job Description and Responsibilities.
The anticipated shortlisting and interview timetable is shown below. Please note that these dates are subject to change:
Application Sift: 17th June 2024
Interviews: 25th of June 2024
Interview
The interview will be held at the Bedegebury office, TN17 2SL.
Candidates will be assessed on Experience and Behaviours at interview. There will be a short practical exercise as part of the interview.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Forestry 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
The duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving licence that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means.
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.
It is expected that the postholder will be part of the Duty Officer roster which includes evenings and weekends for a selected number of weeks a year. In addition to this occasional evening and weekend working may be required to undertake specific tasks.
The internally used job title for this Senior Forester position is "Operations Manager".
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 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 the Civil 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).
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+ Degree or further education in forestry or related land-based discipline or equivalent professional/technical expertise attained through relevant work experience.
+ Proficient as a contract manager and/or team leader.
+ Experienced in managing and supervising harvesting and tree establishment operations to required operational, environmental, health and safety standards.
+ Experienced in managing stakeholders and dealing with members of the public.
+ Experienced in using a range of silvicultural systems to meet management objectives.
+ Competent IT user with experience of the MS office suite of applications.
Desirable:
+ Membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) or working towards membership.
Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.

East England Forest District, covers an area of 35,000 hectares from North Norfolk to Brighton; including Thetford Forest and the outlying beats of Sandlings, Kent, East Sussex, Chilterns and Thames Chase Community Forest. The District has a varied landholding including the largest lowland pine forest in England at Thetford, community woodland on the outskirts of London at Thames Chase, and a range of mixed woodland, many of which are on sites of Ancient Woodland.
There are numerous sites of conservation interest designated across the District, including Special Protection Areas to conserve the breeding habitat for the Woodlark and Nightjar, Special Areas of Conservation, Sites of Specific Scientific Interest, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty, Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, County Wildlife Sites and Scheduled Monuments.
The District offers outdoor recreation, leisure and wellbeing activities for hundreds of thousands of people each year at its recreation centres. Forestry England’s whole freehold estate is dedicated for public access on foot, with numerous small carparks and informal access points.
Location
The Bedgebury office, TN17 2SL will act as the parent office and therefore official reporting point for this role. Blended working arrangements can be considered, there will however be a requirement for frequent face to face contact with both East Sussex and Kent beat teams. Blended working is a voluntary, informal, non-contractual arrangement that will be mutually agreed between the individual and line manager on commencement subject to individual, role, team, and business requirements that will be continually reviewed. Some overnight stays away from home may be necessary on an infrequent basis for attending training, team meetings etc to maximise efficiency in this role.

Alongside your salary of £37,485, Forestry Commission contributes £10,120 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 average employer contribution of 27%