Habitats Ecologist

Job summary

About the team

Scottish Forestry is responsible for forestry policy, regulation and support in Scotland. As part of the Policy & Practice department, the Sustainable Forest Management team plays a key role in ensuring that forestry contributes to Scotland’s biodiversity commitments, including protecting and enhancing priority habitats. The team works across policy, guidance and casework interfaces to support consistent and evidence-based decision making in woodland creation and woodland management.

Job description

What you will do

You will support the development and implementation of policy and guidance relating to the identification and protection of priority open habitats – mainly in the context of woodland creation. You will provide ecological advice to support casework decisions and contribute to improving consistency, clarity and quality of habitat assessment across Scottish Forestry. Another focus will be on developing guidance and training for priority open habitats.

Main Duties

Key Work Areas (with estimated proportion of time)

• Promote the UKFS approach to managing priority open habitats (5%)
• Assist Environment Policy Advisor with the development of policy and guidance on the protection of priority open habitats within woodland creation proposals (40%)
• Provide clear and proportionate ecological advice on woodland creation casework affecting open habitats, including EIAs (25%)
• Review ecological reports, habitat surveys and spatial data submitted with applications (10%)
• Help develop consistent approaches to identifying and assessing priority habitats (10%)
• Engage with key stakeholders including NatureScot and internal teams (5%)
• Contribute to internal guidance, training and continuous improvement of practice (5%)

Person specification

Success Profile

The Success Profile below set outs the essential and desirable elements that make up the vacant position - you’ll be expected to demonstrate these element in your application and/or during your interview and/or assessment.

Experience

Essential:

• Demonstrable knowledge of habitat ecology, including semi-natural and priority open habitats in Scotland
• Experience of interpreting ecological data and applying this to inform decisions
• Experience of communicating technical information clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Experience of working collaboratively across teams or disciplines

Desirable:

• Experience of forestry, land use planning or environmental regulation
• Experience of developing or contributing to policy or guidance
• Understanding of woodland creation processes in Scotland

Technical

Essential:

• Experience of the main vegetation classification systems used in Scotland, including the National Vegetation Classification (NVC), UK Habitat Classification (UKHab), and Phase 1 Habitat Survey, and understand how these are applied in ecological assessment, policy, and woodland creation contexts.
• Degree (or equivalent experience) in ecology, environmental science or a related discipline
• Knowledge of Scottish biodiversity policy and priority habitat frameworks

Desirable:

• Experience using GIS or spatial datasets
• Ability to interpret scientific literature and apply it to policy or guidance

Behaviours

On the application form you’ll find four free text boxes to provide your behaviour responses. Please note, you’re only required to provide evidence against the below behaviours on your application. This means that if less than four behaviours are noted, you can leave the relevant free text(s) box blank on your application.

Behaviour 1 and Lead Criteria: Making Effective Decisions

Behaviour 2: Managing a Quality Service

Behaviour 3: Delivering at Pace

Behaviour 4: Communicating and Influencing

Driving licence

This role requires you to have a full UK driving licence, however, we are willing to consider any proposals that would allow you to do the job by other means.

Travel

As this role involves site visits and working with colleagues across Scotland, there will be regular travel involved which may include overnight stays away from home.

Travelling at times may also involve visits to remote locations, therefore there is a requirement for you to have a current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK. However, we are willing to consider any proposals put forward from candidates that would allow you to travel between locations by other means.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,711, Scottish Forestry contributes £13,242 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

For more information on our selection process, please visit Success profiles for candidates , Scottish Forestry

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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 fam