Deer Officer

Job summary

Trees and forests help tackle the climate emergency while providing habitats for wildlife and places for people to connect with nature. The Government has ambitious targets for tree planting and woodland management. The Forestry Commission supports the forestry sector, landowners, delivery partners and communities to achieve them with grants funding, technical expertise and practical guidance.

The Forestry Commission and wider DEFRA family are committed to ensuring that wild deer remain a valued part of England’s landscapes. However, when populations become too high, deer can have significant impacts on woodland health by hindering natural regeneration, damaging trees and changing woodland structure. Excessive browsing can reduce ground flora and biodiversity, limiting the resilience and recovery of woodland habitats.

This Deer Officer role will lead work to improve protected sites under the DEFRA Protected Sites Strategy (PSS), with a particular focus on the New Forest, while also contributing to the wider South East and London Deer Officer team.

Protected Site Strategies bring together public bodies, landowners, managers and other partners to address environmental pressures that cannot be effectively resolved within a single site or by one organisation alone. The postholder will lead the Forestry Commission’s deer-related contribution within the New Forest PSS area, working collaboratively to develop evidence-based and practical solutions while also contributing to the work of the wider Deer Officer team.

This is an applied evidence and partnership role. You will identify where deer are contributing to unfavourable site condition or constraining the recovery of designated features and habitats, then help translate that evidence into coordinated and proportionate action. The role combines habitat assessment, deer ecology, spatial evidence, monitoring, landowner engagement, strategy development and practical delivery.

We welcome applications from individuals with backgrounds in ecology, conservation, forestry, land management, applied research or deer management. Operational stalking experience is not required. Instead, we are seeking sound ecological judgement, strong partnership-working skills and the ability to develop deer-specific knowledge where needed.

Based within the Forestry Commission’s South East and London Area Team, the role will work closely with Natural England, Forestry Commission specialists, the national Policy and Advice Team and local delivery partners. If you are passionate about the role of trees, woodlands and sustainable deer management in creating a better future for England, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact while working alongside committed and knowledgeable colleagues.

Job description

This Deer Officer will play a critical part in co-ordinating and developing landscape efforts to reduce the impacts of deer on nationally important protected sites within the New Forest area. The post holder will work with a wide range of public and private sector stakeholders to support and facilitate effective deer management.

1. Understand habitat condition and identify priorities

• Work with Natural England, Area Team colleagues and partners to understand the designated features, conservation objectives, condition evidence, ecological sensitivities and wider landscape factors affecting the protected sites.
• Review, collect and, where justified, commission ecological, spatial, woodland and deer evidence. Distinguish deer impacts from other pressures, record uncertainty and identify where intervention is most likely to support protected-site recovery.
• Establish proportionate baselines and outcome measures, coordinate repeat monitoring and determine whether deer impacts are reducing and habitats are responding as intended.

2. Turn evidence into coordinated delivery

• Develop and maintain the Forestry Commission's deer delivery plan for the PSS landscape, with clear outcomes, actions, owners, permissions, funding routes, milestones, risks and review points.
• Advise on an integrated and proportionate package of measures, which may include active population management, habitat and silvicultural work, protection, exclosures, access, high seats and monitoring.
• Coordinate action across landholdings, helping partners align woodland, habitat and deer-management objectives and secure the commitments needed for sustained delivery.

3. Build commitment and remove barriers

• Build constructive relationships with landowners, managers, agents, deer practitioners, ecologists, public bodies and environmental or community organisations.
• Explain evidence, uncertainty and management choices clearly, including where deer impacts are disputed or stakeholders are reluctant to support active management.
• Identify and help resolve practical barriers such as fragmented permissions, limited capacity, public sensitivity, carcass handling, infrastructure or gaps in the local venison supply chain.

4. Enable investment, assure delivery and share learning

• Support appropriate use of the UK Forestry Standard, woodland management plans and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier including reviewing deer management plans and the delivery of direct support for deer management.
• Define and monitor commissioned surveys, specialist support or enabling infrastructure.
• Maintain accurate evidence, delivery and financial records; report progress, risks, expenditure and ecological outcomes; and share learning with other PSS Deer Officers, Area Deer Officers, the PSS Deer Coordinator and delivery partners.

Person specification

We value relevant experience gained through different routes. Your evidence should show that you can apply ecological judgement, work with others and turn evidence into practical delivery.

Essential criteria

• Applied experience in ecology, conservation, forestry, habitat, wildlife, land or deer management, with the ability to relate habitat condition and ecological pressures to clear management or conservation objectives.
• Ability to collect, interpret and explain field and spatial evidence, including repeatable monitoring, uncertainty, alternative explanations and the limitations of survey methods.
• Working knowledge of wild deer ecology and impacts, or relevant transferable knowledge of herbivore ecology or wildlife impacts, together with the capacity to develop deer-specific competence rapidly.
• A strong record of working with landowners, managers, practitioners or partner organisations to influence decisions, build cooperation and turn advice into action, including on contested issues.
• Experience of translating evidence into proportionate strategies or work plans with clear priorities, responsibilities, risks, resources, milestones and measures of success.
• Clear written and verbal communication, sound independent judgement, effective contribution to multi-agency teams and the ability to maintain accurate digital, spatial and audit-ready records.

Desirable criteria

• A relevant qualification, or equivalent applied experience, in ecology, environmental science, forestry, conservation, land or wildlife management.
• Experience of protected sites, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, conservation objectives or work with a statutory environmental body.
• Knowledge of the UK Forestry Standard, woodland management planning, current forestry, or the management of commissioned work and public funding.
• Experience of GIS or field-data systems and habitat-condition, herbivore or deer-impact assessment using proportionate, repeatable methods.
• Practical understanding of deer management, relevant qualifications such a