About the job

Job summary

Do you have the skills and enthusiasm needed to support ground-breaking conservation projects and protect our existing ecosystems in East Anglia?

Forestry England is seeking someone with experience in land management with an interest in conservation to join our Environment Team working in Thetford Forest.

The Environment Team works with other departments to ensure that all activities in the forest are done with sensitivity to habitats and biodiversity. But much more than just protecting the forest’s wildlife, the team have many opportunities to enhance habitats and improve the conditions for rare wildlife.

The focus of the Work Supervisor role will be on a large-scale open habitat creation project, the Thetford Open Habitat Project. However, the role will also include day-to-day conservation tasks to support the Conservation Manager. The open habitat creation project will provide critical open space for species of conservation interest. The project is supported by DEFRA and is an essential part of the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan, helping to reverse the trend of declining wildlife in the UK.

As Work Supervisor, you will oversee the work of contractors and Forestry England operational staff helping to set up, manage, and monitor live operational work sites. You will help supervise sites to ensure operations achieve the highest health & safety and environmental standards.

We are looking for someone who is passionate about conservation with experience in forestry or land management. For the right candidate we can offer a package of in-house training.

Job description

The focus of the Work Supervisor’s role is to support with set-up and supervision of operations delivering the Thetford Open Habitat Project. The Work Supervisor will report progress and issues to the project team.

Outside of the project work, the Work Supervisor will be involved in site and ecology surveys as well as basic operations planning. This role will report to the Conservation Manager.

The main responsibilities of the Work Supervisor are to:

• assist with planning, organising and supervising forest operations by staff and contractors to ensure agreed work is delivered safely, effectively and efficiently. A large focus will be on operations to deliver the Thetford Open Habitat Project.
• accurately collect site measurements and observations and use these in monitoring outcomes, assessing site conditions, updating records and informing decisions.
• communicate appropriately with colleagues and all stakeholders including landowners, neighbours, contractors, customers and members of the public.

These roles involve a mixture of office work and time spent in the forest. The job is varied and wide ranging, requiring close team working to continually re balance priorities as unplanned situations arise that need dealing with whilst maintaining momentum to deliver planned programmes.

 

A guide to expected Works Supervisor tasks:

• Promoting a safety-first culture.
• Ensuring through site set-up and supervision that all operations comply with safety and environmental legislation and meet the site specification.
• Collecting site hazards and constraints information and using it to ensure site plans are accurate.
• Undertaking ecology surveys to understand the habitat and wildlife present to contribute to operational planning and monitoring.
• Maintaining a site monitoring diary.
• Ground truthing and updating forest inventories and maps.
• Attending Open Habitat project team meetings and other regular meetings to keep objective information flowing between on the ground operations and project team.
• Engaging formally and informally with colleagues, contractors, customers, neighbours, stakeholders and members of the public. This will include working with Friends of Thetford Forest Volunteer Group, attending and supporting conservation group volunteer sessions. This will require occasional weekend working.

 

A standard working week is 37 hours, but the duties of the post require you to work flexibly at times.

You will be based at the Santon Downham District Office near Brandon (IP27 0TJ). There will be an occasional requirement for overnight stays to attend meetings and training events in other parts of the country.

Person specification

Your previous skills, interests and experience within conservation and land management sector need to reflect the responsibilities of this role. We do not require specialist ecology or conservation qualifications but are looking for someone who is observant of the environment and is a quick learner.

Previous practical experience in or supervision of vegetation management and chainsaw felling should be referenced within your submission.

You will be interested in developing your existing technical skills and experience further and be willing to continue to adapt and change.

Essential Professional and Technical experience:

• Experience in conservation, forestry, or environmental land management.
• A good understanding of health and safety in forestry (UKFS, UKWAS, FISA).
• Experience of working in a small team.
• Ability to work in all weathers and conditions.
• Aptitude and enthusiasm for learning and developing new skills.
• Basic IT skills, including competence in the use of Microsoft 365 Office applications.
• Full current UK driving licence

Desirable Professional and Technical experience:

• Relevant qualification in conservation, forestry or environmental land management.
• Experience of working on / supervising operational sites.
• Experience in the use of GIS.
• Practical experience and certificates in chainsaw felling and vegetation management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £26,534, Forestry Commission contributes £7,191 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

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

This is a Temporary Appointment for 2 years with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee.

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.
2. A Statement of Suitability (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 essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

Failure to complete all sections will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

Sift date is 22nd January 2024.

Successful candidates invited to interview will be assessed against Behaviours and Strengths. We may also ask you to do a short practical task as part of the interview process.

The provisional interview date is 5th February 2024.

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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

This post is based at the Santon Downham District Office near Brandon. There will be an occasional requirement for overnight stays to attend meetings and training events in other parts of the country.

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.

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.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

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.