Biodiversity Works Supervisor

Job summary

Forestry England’s Biodiversity Plan sets out a bold ambition of nature recovery in the nation’s forests. Working across five principal focus areas, Forestry England aims to restore resilient biodiversity in the nation’s forests, delivering our vision to ensure that these forests provide the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England.

With a multi-million-pound budget, supported by Defra and a growing portfolio of external funders, the programme makes a significant investment in nature recovery, alongside Forestry England’s parallel ambitions for sustainable timber production and connecting people with our forests.

Central England Forest District encompasses 30,000ha of the nation’s forests within a triangle formed by Preston, Grimsby and Milton Keynes. The area comprises a range of habitats and designated sites; from woodland and wetland to grassland and heathland. As well as supporting a range of wildlife, the District produces approximately 150,000 tonnes of timber annually and manages seven visitor centres, attracting over 2.5 million visits a year.

The District has ambitious plans for nature recovery and the Biodiversity Works Supervisor will support the delivery of two key work areas:

• Implementation of Nature Networks at landscape-scale, such as habitat corridors and riparian zones.

• Uplifting the condition of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other designated sites.

Working closely with District Ecologists and Foresters, you will utilise your forestry and ecological expertise to ensure the effective design and delivery of multiple land management operations across the district.

This is an exciting role, at the forefront of nature recovery in Forestry England. Reporting to the Environment Manager in Central England Forest District, the post holder will work alongside district-based staff, including ecologists, planners and foresters, as well as the national Biodiversity and Resilience Programme team. The
post holder will be part of a network of colleagues across the country delivering similar nature recovery projects, sharing expertise and experience.

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Support Ecologists and Foresters with the development and delivery of Nature Networks and SSSI uplift projects across Central England Forest District, such as timber harvesting, scrub clearance, ride management, tree felling, wetland restoration, fencing, invasive species clearance etc.

• Utilise forestry and ecological expertise to feed into project design.

• Lead on site supervision of Forestry England staff and contractors, ensuring best practice is implemented in line with wildlife legislation.

• Monitor health and safety practices of contractors and Forestry England staff to ensure high standards of safety.

• Ensure appropriate licensing requirements are understood and met, in addition to considerations around forestry operations.

• Support with procurement and management of contracts, in line with Forestry England regulations.

• Help ensure relevant project documentation is produced and maintained throughout the lifecycle of the project.

• Alongside district and national colleagues, build and maintain relationships with relevant stakeholders.

• Support the development of partnerships with other organisations to increase the scale and effectiveness of biodiversity outcomes.

• Showcase projects to internal and external stakeholders to gain support for forest wilding, nature recovery and further delivery within the nation’s forests.

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Relevant experience in the forestry sector and /or conservation land management sector.
• Understanding of health and safety in forestry or land management operations.
• Experience of engagement with internal and external stakeholders.
• Practice of working to deadlines, meeting objectives and problem solving.
• Team worker, able to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and taking ownership of the responsibilities of the role.
• Adaptable in the face of changing situations.
• Excellent communicator, both written and verbally, able to adapt to a range of audiences.
• Competent using information technology, and sound knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Experience in contract supervision.
• Knowledge and / or experience of procurement and contract management.
• Experience using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• A working knowledge of environmental legislation and UFKFS / UKWAS requirements, including their practical application.

Qualifications

Essential

• A full and current driving license that enables you to drive in the UK.

Desirable

• Qualification in ecology / forestry or similar discipline and/or experience in conservation and/or land management.
• A member (or working towards membership) of a relevant professional body, e.g. Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Institute of Chartered Foresters.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,105, Forestry Commission contributes £8,721 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

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

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 experience and behaviour-based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Seei