District Ecologist

We are Forestry England.We live and breathe forests. Job title – District EcologistSalary- £35,039 per annumContract type – Fixed Term Appointment, until March 2029 (with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee) Hours – 37 hours per weekVacancy closes - Monday 16th November 2026, 23:58Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.What you’ll do…As District Ecologist with Forestry England in Yorkshire, you will play a leading role in helping nature recover across some of England’s most treasured landscapes. You’ll provide expert ecological advice that shapes how we manage our forests for wildlife, people and climate, ensuring we protect designated sites, conserve protected species and deliver nature recovery at a landscape scale. Working closely with colleagues across the district and national organisation, you’ll develop and implement management plans for protected sites, guide the ecological aspects of operational and long-term forest planning, and help create resilient, nature-rich forests for future generations.Covering a varied district, including over 1,000ha of SSSIs and 2,000ha of ancient woodlands, the District Ecologist role will coordinate the planning and delivery of nature recovery operations on protected sites. You’ll design and oversee monitoring programmes, analyse evidence to inform land management decisions, manage nature recovery projects and contracts, and build strong partnerships with conservation organisations, landowners, and academic institutions. The role will also involve supporting volunteering and exploring new ways to engage with the public to improve our understanding of the forests we care for. You’ll be part of a supportive Yorkshire team as well as a wider national network of ecologists and nature recovery specialists, with opportunities to develop your expertise in ecology, monitoring, conservation management and sustainable forestry.Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.Where you’ll work…The post will initially be based at Forestry England’s Yorkshire Office in Pickering. It will move to the Dalby Forest Office in spring/summer 2028. Regular travel around Forestry England’s estate in Yorkshire will be required. There will be occasional trips outside of Yorkshire for Forestry England-wide meetings, which may require an overnight stay. Benefits… Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.How to apply…We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.  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.  The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –  Changing and improvingWorking togetherDelivering at paceMaking effective decisionSuccessful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email [email removed] you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first. Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website. If candidates pass the interview but are not the leading candidate they can be placed on a reserve list. We may offer candidates on the reserve list for this role the opportunity to be considered for other roles at the same or lower pay bands.Nationality requirements…Read more about nationality requirements here. Working for the Civil Service…Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative. Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: [email removed].