Active Forest Coordinator

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Hicks Lodge team to engage with our audiences and offer safe spaces for communities to visit.

You will be delivering our Feel Good in the Forest programme, with a focus at Hicks Lodge, Leicestershire but also at our other National Forest woodlands including Sence Valley, Leicestershire and Dimmingsdale, Staffordshire.

Feel Good in the Forest is part of the Active Forests programme. As an Active Forests co-ordinator, you will have the unique opportunity to curate a diverse programme of physical activity, health, and wellbeing experiences for new and returning visitors. Together, we will enhance the wellbeing of our visitors by promoting physical activity and fostering meaningful connections to nature.

Working closely with local communities and partners, volunteers, and instructors, you’ll lead on enabling activity offers including socially prescribed yoga sessions, mindful walks, physical activity sessions and events suitable for people with mild-to-moderate health conditions.

You will play a key part in the Hicks Lodge Forest Centre team, providing site support and cover including weekends.

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

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Develop and implement engaging physical activity, health, and wellbeing experiences for visitors and communities.
• Encourage meaningful connections between individuals and nature by innovative programming.
• Collaborate with a passionate team to enhance the overall wellbeing of our visitors.
• Prepare to make a lasting impact in our vibrant forest environment!

Here's a snapshot of your responsibilities:

• Delivery: you will spearhead the site’s sustainable, customer-focused physical activity and wellbeing programmes. They will bolster Forestry England's social, environmental, and financial goals encouraging a thriving community and conserving the nation’s forests. develop and implement engaging physical activity, health, and wellbeing experiences for visitors and communities with mild to moderate health conditions. You will encourage meaningful connections between individuals and nature by innovative programming.
• Site support: As part of the Hicks Lodge team you will carry out site checks, supervise visitor service officers and provide some weekend cover
• Monitoring and evaluation: you will be responsible for making sure our programmes are effective and efficient. This involves collecting valuable data through innovative techniques, leveraging social media platforms, to enhance and refine the Active Forests Programme's activities.
• Manage stakeholder relationships: build strong relationships with external partners, tenants, and concession operators. Collaborate with local agencies, such as the Active Partnership, and local physical activity, wellbeing providers and networks. Social prescribers, GPs, charities supporting those with mild to moderate health conditions
• Represent Forestry England: participate in stakeholder meetings, events, and conferences to showcase Forestry England’s great work and foster community engagement.
• Maintain health and safety: co-ordinate emergency procedures, provide first aid, complete accident and incident reports, and follow health and safety guidelines.
• Promote responsible visitor behaviour: Communicate with visitors about responsible visitor behaviour and professionally manage and resolve potential conflicts.

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

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.

How to apply…

We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.

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.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

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

You may also be assessed on Experience, Strength based questions, and/or the Technical Success Profile at the interview. The technical element could include a presentation, practical or written task.

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.