Species Recovery Manager
| Posting date: | 05 December 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £40,388 to £43,482 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 01 January 2026 |
| Location: | BS16 1EJ |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Temporary |
| Job reference: | 440306/1 |
Summary
Forestry England’s Forest Wilding Programme was launched in 2022, to deliver a step-change in our efforts to restore naturally functioning ecosystems to the Nation’s Forests. As part of this, we have developed one of the most ambitious initiatives to recover a select group of priority influential species, including beaver, wildcat, pine marten, white-tailed eagle and wood ants, predominantly through conservation translocation projects. We have over 30 projects in progress across England, including feasibility studies for wildcat in Northumberland, the reintroduction of pine martens in Devon, and a pioneering study of influential species which will inform our priorities through the next phase of the Forest Wilding Programme. These projects involve Foresty England colleagues across the country, as well as many other organisations, including Wildlife Trusts, the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Vincent Wildlife Trust and Natural England.
As Species Recovery Manager you will lead this initiative, providing the inspiration, leadership qualities and managerial skills to ensure the effective delivery of these projects, and develop a pipeline of new species recovery projects, which together help drive nature recovery. The post holder will bring technical experience and insight, developing and maintaining standards, and ensuring robust programme and project management to deliver projects on time and on budget. This is an exciting and fast-paced role which is at the forefront of nature recovery efforts in England, working for England’s largest land manager.
Where you’ll work…
You can be based anywhere in the country from any Forestry England office, but we support hybrid working from home. You will also be initiating and supporting projects across England, including in the Lake District, Kielder Forest, the North York Moors, the Peak District, south-east England, the New Forest, Purbeck, the Forest of Dean and Dartmoor.
The duties of this post require the post holder to travel across England regularly, and occasionally to other parts of the UK. Whilst we encourage use of public transport wherever possible, some of the locations you will need to visit include remote locations that are not accessible by public transport. You will therefore need to hold a full and current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK and be willing to stay away from home. We are willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by other means.
Detailed programme planning and control including:
• supporting the programme manager in developing, agreeing and maintaining a detailed programme
plan and contributing to the development of constituent project plans
• managing programme deliverables in line with the programme plan, producing best practice guidance
• managing the species recovery workstream budget, and exercise oversight of the constituent project
budgets, as part of the overall forest wilding programme budget
• resolving cross-functional issues at programme and project level
• managing workstream scope and change control and escalating issues where necessary
• monitoring workstream progress and performance, including through milestones and gateway reviews,
and reporting on these to the Forest Wilding Programme Manager
• procuring, commissioning and managing national contracts, and contractors, especially of ecological
consultants and academic institutions
• overseeing the handover of projects back to district business as usual, according to agreed timescales
Provide strong technical leadership in species recovery and nature-focused land management, and
its integration with forestry, especially through:
• developing, maintaining and disseminating technical knowledge, legislative and regulatory
knowledge, reports and advice
• providing support and guidance to produce project concepts, reintroduction feasibility reports,
release strategies, and post-release monitoring and management plans
• ensuring species recovery efforts are developed in tandem with Forestry England’s wider
organisational objectives, for example considering forestry operations and presence of protected
species
Develop and manage strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including:
• working with district-based project officers, and functional staff, without direct line management
accountability, in support of programme delivery
• working as part of project boards, providing confident leadership and governance
• manage the coordination of internal and external partners and working groups engaged in the
programme
• represent Forestry England in relevant regional, national and international forums
• supporting the implementation of the forest wilding communications plan
Explore and support opportunities to secure external funding for the Forest Wilding Programme,
working with external funding colleagues, for example through:
• UK Government grants, especially Defra’s Environmental Land Management Landscape Recovery
Scheme
• biodiversity net gain
• corporate sponsorship
• green finance
• individual giving
The duties of this post require the applicant to sometimes travel to remote locations that are not
accessible by public transport. You will therefore need to hold a full and current driving licence that
enables you to drive in the UK, and be willing to stay away from home. We are willing to consider any
proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by other means.
And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme