Forest Works Supervisor - Ecology

Central England Forest District encompasses 30,000ha of the nation’s forests within a triangle formed by Preston, Grimsby and Milton Keynes. The area comprises a range of habitats and designated sites; from woodland and wetland, to grassland and heathland. As well as supporting a range of wildlife, the District produces approximately 150,000 tonnes of timber annually and manages seven visitor centres, attracting over 2.5 million visits a year.

Working within the district’s Environment Team, you will utilise your forestry and ecological expertise to facilitate operations in line with Forestry England objectives, whilst ensuring compliance with environmental legislation, policy and regulatory standards.

Reporting to the District Ecologist, the post holder will work alongside district-based staff, including ecologists, foresters, planners and civil engineers, as well as national colleagues.

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Support District Ecologists with provision of appropriate ecological advice to facilitate operations.
• Complete site assessments and data gathering to inform operational planning; such as eDNA testing, habitat suitability assessments and protected species surveys.
• Facilitate management interventions required to maintain designated sites, priority habitats and Scheduled Monuments.
• Lead on site supervision of Forestry England staff and contractors, ensuring best practice is implemented in line with environmental legislation and policy.
• Monitor health and safety practices of contractors and Forestry England staff to ensure high standards of safety.
• Support with procurement and management of contracts, in line with Forestry England regulations.
• Manage ecological GIS data and survey permits.
• Alongside district and national colleagues, build and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders including landowners, non-governmental organisations, charities and academia.
• 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)

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 selection process may include additional assessment and/or interview stages. Candidates will be informed of the assessment format and arrangements during the recruitment process.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Seeing the bigger picture
• Delivering at pace
• Working together

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.