Senior Forester
| Posting date: | 17 May 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £37,485 to £40,590 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 16 June 2024 |
| Location: | TN17 2SL |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 353833/1 |
Summary
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.
About Us
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.
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.