HLS Administration Officer

We are Forestry England. We live and breathe forests.

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… You will work as part of a team delivering terrestrial and wetland habitat restoration programmes with specific emphasis on HLS funded work delivery. This role will provide administrative support primarily for the HLS team, but also the wider planning and environment team where required.

Where you’ll work… Based at The King’s House, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, SO43 7NH in the South District team. Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 160 people, containing a diverse range of roles - from wildlife rangers and ecologists to marketing professionals, we all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares (ha) of public forest estate and national parks that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Much of this forest is of high national importance for nature conservation and wildlife, and of international importance for biodiversity. South England Forest District is therefore responsible for land that includes Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Special Protection Areas (SPAs), Ramsar sites, Areas of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) and sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The successful candidate will join the Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) project team based in the New Forest. The team plans and delivers landscape-scale habitat restoration projects with external funding from the New Forest HLS scheme. The Verderer’s of the New Forest HLS scheme is focused on restoring and enhancing internationally-important habitats, renowned for their flora and fauna, and covering around 20,000 hectares. As the HLS Administration Officer, you will provide administrative support to the planning and environment team, and specifically to the HLS project.

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 scheme. You will receive 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.

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, a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview. The competencies being assessed at interview are – Working Together, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace. Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government check. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

Nationality requirements… Read more about nationality requirements.

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 Civil Service and the UK Government 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 line with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk.