Community Ranger: West Dean in Coleford

Join 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 a Community Ranger, your primary responsibilities will include maintaining and facilitating access to recreation facilities for the community. You will engage with opportunities to generate income, answer community enquiries and strengthen community connections and communications. You will build meaningful relationships and volunteer involvement to contribute to the overall enjoyment of the visitor experience.

Where you’ll work… The West England Forest District team are custodians of 38,500 ha of the nation's forests in the west and south‑west of England. Our woods can be found from Shrewsbury in the north to the majestic veteran trees of Savernake Forest near Marlborough, and the conifer forests on Bodmin Moor, and ancient woodlands of the Glynn Valley in Cornwall. The role will be based in the Forest of Dean and Herefordshire, working from the Forestry England Office in Coleford. The Forest is a stronghold for nature, with large areas of woodland and open space providing a mosaic of habitats for a range of species.

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. STaRis 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.

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, behaviours and strength based questions during your interview. The Behaviours being assessed at interview are – Seeing the bigger picture, Changing and improving, Communicating and influencing, Working together, Managing a quality service.

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

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.