Community Manager

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Community Manager to lead engagement activity across the New Forest; delivering impactful programmes that balance recreation with the protection of a nationally important landscape and support delivery of our operational work.

You will manage the New Forest Ranger team and provide strategic and operational leadership for engagement, volunteering and partnership working in a complex stakeholder environment. The role plays a key part in influencing visitor behaviour, supporting operational delivery and enhancing the experience of those who live in and visit the New Forest.

This is a hands-on leadership role requiring regular presence on the ground. You will contribute to the duty roster, including weekend working, supporting frontline engagement, responding to incidents (such as wildfires and fly-tipping), and contributing to enforcement activity including Public Space Protection Orders.

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Lead, plan and deliver community engagement activity across the New Forest, ensuring programmes are effective, evidence-led and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Manage and develop the New Forest Recreation Ranger team, providing clear leadership, direction and support, and ensuring a strong culture of health, safety and wellbeing in all aspects of delivery.
• Ensure all community engagement, volunteering and ranger activities are delivered safely and in line with organisational health and safety policies, including risk assessment, safe systems of work and incident reporting.
• Support the District volunteering team and New Forest volunteer task supervisors, overseeing the delivery of high-quality, inclusive volunteering opportunities in the New Forest, ensuring appropriate supervision, and training.
• Work collaboratively with partners and stakeholders (including the National Park Authority, Police, Fire Service, Verderers of the New Forest and local organisations) to deliver coordinated campaigns and joint operational activity. This post is key to our operational partnerships with external agencies and stakeholders.
• Support recreation site teams to deliver consistent, high-quality visitor engagement and interpretation.
• Coordinate Forestry England’s presence at selected local events; specifically leading on delivery of the Forestry England area at the New Forest Show.
• Work closely with the New Forest District Recreation Manager to review and improve community engagement approaches, priorities and delivery, embedding best practice and innovation.
• Contribute to reducing anti-social behaviour through engagement, partnership working and support for enforcement activity (the post holder will receive delegated authority for the enforcement of two Public Space Protection Orders).
• Contribute to the Duty Ranger roster, working at least one weekend per month and a share of bank holidays, providing visible leadership on the ground and responding to incidents such as wildfires, fly tipping and public safety issues.
• Support operational teams in providing engagement opportunities and ensuring a positive and safe visitor experience across the estate.
• Be available for occasional evening and weekend community engagement events e.g. parish council meetings, guided walks, fire station open days, community conservation days.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Proven experience of planning and delivering effective community engagement programmes.
• Experience of working in complex, multi-stakeholder environments and delivering partnership-led campaigns.
• Demonstrable success in influencing behaviour change, particularly in outdoor or protected landscapes.
• Experience of leading an operational team, including staff management and development.
• Experience of delivering and overseeing volunteering programmes.
• Experience of promoting and embedding a positive health and safety culture, including risk management and safe systems of work in an operational setting
• Competent IT user with experience of Microsoft Office suite of applications (Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook).
• Comfortable with lone working and working in an outdoor setting.

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Experience working in a protected landscape (e.g. National Park, AONB) or similarly sensitive environment.
• Experience of resource planning, including budgets and workforce management.
• Understanding of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) and their enforcement
• Experience of issuing Fixed Penalty Notices

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree in a relevant subject or significant experience in countryside/ recreation management role as a lead Ranger or Ranger Manager or comparable community engagement / operational leadership experience

Desirable

• IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent H&S management qualification.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,537, Forestry Commission contributes £10,874 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply…

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.

You will be assessed on a technical skill, behaviours, and strength-based questions during your interview. There will be a short presentation task at interview, candidates will be given the topic of the presentation in advance and asked to prepare a 5 minute presentation.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.