Nature Recovery Officer - Westonbirt in Tetbury

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...

Forestry England’s vision is that the nation’s forests will provide the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England. The Nature Recovery Officer – Westonbirt will play an important role in achieving this vision by providing evidence-based guidance to inform management on native tree species of conservation concern. Key responsibilities include:

• Producing guidance on habitat pruning (veteranisation) on native trees.
• Working in collaboration with partners including Action Oak and the Ancient Tree Forum.
• Leading the production of guidance on woodland management to support the conservation of threatened native whitebeams, rowans and service trees (Sorbus spp.) as part of the Global Conservation Consortium for Whitebeams, Rowans and Service Trees, which Westonbirt leads.
• Facilitating trialling of innovative ecological techniques in ancient woodland at Westonbirt.

Where you’ll work...

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS. We have an exciting opportunity for a Nature Recovery Officer to join the team at Westonbirt Arboretum. The arboretum is one of the largest pay-to-enter visitor attractions in the Southwest, welcoming over 550,000 visitors per year. The onsite businesses generate a turnover of more than £14m in which events contribute a large part. Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is one of the most beautiful and important plant collections in the world. First laid out in the 1800s following Picturesque landscape principles, the collection contains more than 15,000 specimens representing 2,500 taxa from all over the temperate world. The arboretum plays an important role in tree research and conservation, and leads the Global Conservation Consortium for Whitebeams, Rowans and Service Trees. Along with one of the most complete examples of a picturesque landscape, Westonbirt's Silk Wood is designated ancient woodland and home to numerous nationally important ancient woodland features.

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, and the Headspace wellbeing app. Additional benefits include free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury, along with a commitment to lifelong learning through career development.

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 technical skill and strength-based questions during your interview. The competencies being assessed at interview are:

• Seeing the big picture
• Changing and improving
• Working together
• Making effective decisions

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. 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...

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 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.

This role is funded by DEFRA rather than through Forestry England generated revenue, and is therefore subject to government spending reviews. While DEFRA has indicated long-term support for the Biodiversity Programme and we expect funding to continue, it is possible that funding levels may change at the end of any financial year depending on DEFRA’s budget allocations. In the event of funding changes, we would prioritise retaining staff posts wherever possible. This approach is consistent for roles within publicly funded organisations. We are committed to keeping staff informed and supported through any changes.