Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) Project Officer in Coleford

Ancient woodlands are irreplaceable. They are one of our oldest land-uses and most diverse ecosystems. In previous decades, many were planted with non-native conifers under which many ancient woodland features were lost. We manage Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) across the nation’s forests to improve their ecological value and restore them to resilient native woodland. Our aim is for our PAWS to have improved by at least one semi-natural score by 2044.

You will work closely with the planning and operational teams to build a programme of work that will accelerate our PAWS restoration program focusing on the most challenging sites which are unlikely to achieve our policy targets without additional support. The district-wide programme of PAWS restoration will be strategically led by the Nature Recovery Manager to ensure coordinated delivery across all priority nature recovery sites and enabled by our operational delivery teams, including Foresters and Civil Engineers. The postholder will be part of the Environment team led by the Nature Recovery Manager.

West Forest District is responsible for the sustainable management of over 37,000ha of the nation’s forests and woodlands in the West and South West of England. The district team extends to some 170 employees, with frontline delivery through our 17 remotely located delivery teams (5 forest centre and 12 forest beats) which are supported by our network of volunteers and contractors. The postholder will be based at our forest office at Bank House, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 8BA (other Forestry England office locations within the district may be considered).

Hours of work: The position is a full-time post to work 37 hours per week. Normal working hours are Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm with an hour lunch break; and Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm with an hour lunch break. This can be worked flexibly by agreement. If the successful applicant is new to Forestry England they will need to be embedded within a Forestry England office for a significant proportion of the working week during an induction period.

Travel: The postholder will be expected to travel to different office and depot locations as well as remotely located woods & forests to support the remotely located delivery teams as may be required; and to attend national meetings and training events. This will most likely require travel by car, and thus a current driving licence is seen as a requirement of the role although candidates may put forward a proposal that satisfies the business need to travel without recourse to driving.

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.

Behaviours being assessed at interview: Seeing the Big Picture, Changing and Improving, Making effective decisions, Communicating and Influencing.

National & Civil Service Requirements: 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. Nationality requirements: Applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English. 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. 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 line with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If candidates pass the interview but are not the leading candidate they can be placed on a reserve list. They may be considered for other roles at the same or lower pay bands. We are committed to keeping staff informed and supported through any changes.