Seed Manager in Cuddington

As Seed Manager, the successful candidate will be at the front line of making sure our forests are resilient as our climate changes. This is an exciting opportunity to join our Plant and Seed Supply unit, at a time when we have invested over £10 million to help us obtain high quality seed that would grow into the millions of high-quality planting stock we need each year. We are looking for an ambitious, energetic manager with impressive experience in leading teams and improving processes in an operational environment. The position is based at our Delamere Nursery hub in Cheshire. The postholder will be expected to be primarily based on site, with support provided for some blended working approach. Travel to sites across England will be required.

The Forestry England Plant and Seed Supply (PSS) unit manages 150ha of Forest Nursery sites, plus our Seed Processing Facility. Our operations are focused on supplying trees for the 250,000 hectares of public land we manage. From our Seed Processing Unit, we supply tree seed to our own nursery and to external customers. The unit, run by a team of three, is responsible for processing and storing the seed collected from our own seed resources. These resources include 14 orchards and 39 seed stands, which are being added to annually. We are looking ahead and recognise that the climate is changing. We therefore also source seed from places where the climate today is similar to conditions we're expecting in the future, thereby increasing the resilience of our forests. Work has been completed on the construction of a new, world-leading, seed processing facility. The custom designed building houses state-of-the-art equipment, ensuring we are able to meet forest production requirements for decades to come. At our nursery sites in Cheshire, we sow the seeds and nurture their development into high quality transplants to be planted out in our forests. We produce both bare-root plants in our open fields, and as cell-grown plants in our glasshouse and polytunnels. A team of 30 staff produce over 8 million trees annually, including broadleaf and conifer species. We have exciting plans to increase outputs and efficiency through mechanisation and automation.

Job Description

• Ensure both existing and new seed orchards are managed and the seed extractor delivers on processing cones/seed in a time bound manner.
• Process seed in a timely manner each season, using a range of specialised equipment whilst maintaining a safe working environment in the Seed Extractor and ensuring costs of seed processing is in line with budgeted amounts.
• Maintain records of work undertaken, ensuring full and complete traceability of seed during processing (to ensure compliance with Forest Reproductive Materials Regulations).
• Liaise with the Senior Operations Manager and Delamere Nursery Managers to agree required seed lots for future nursery use.
• Liaise with external customers on seed enquiries and process their seed orders in a timely manner.
• Seed testing and treatment - developing a seed lab and robust procedure to test seed for purity, viability, germination, treating seed for breaking dormancy.
• Seed storage and inventory - ensure the seed is stored at the correct temperatures and sampling & checks are done regularly to ensure excellent seed health - ensuring annual seed stock is done and figures submitted to the PSS Finance Team.
• Work with the Senior Operations Manager, Seed Resources and Orchard Managers to develop seed resources to deliver the Species for the Future strategy.
• Seed production planning based on requirement forecasts and long-term objectives.
• Developing and managing performance in our production teams.
• Maintaining a first-class working culture, prioritising Health & Safety, Equality and Diversity.
• Communicating and networking with the wider organisation and external bodies.
• Promoting the work of PSS by hosting visitors and engaging with stakeholders.
• And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person Specification

Essential Professional And Technical Experience

• Experience of seed production planning and delivery within a fast-paced operational environment.
• Sound knowledge of cone/seed collection, processing, storage, testing and treatments.
• Attention to detail and a can-do attitude.
• Excellent IT skills, including Microsoft Office 365 applications.
• Experience of working closely with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Proven leadership skills with a track record of team building and staff development.

Desirable Professional And Technical Experience

• Awareness of the UK Forestry and nurseries sector.
• Knowledge of modern commercial seed processing systems.
• Experience in flowering induction, control pollination, developing of hybrids.
• Experience in biosecurity assurance and plant health management in nursery production.
• Project management experience.
• Knowledge of plus tree identification, making a copy of plus tree by grafting, developing breeding populations, seed orchard designs, planting and management.

Essential Qualifications

• Degree in a relevant subject (e.g., Forestry, Horticulture, Agriculture) or ability to demonstrate equivalent level of work experience in a relevant industry.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Seeing the Big Picture, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace.

Alongside your salary of £39,135, Forestry Commission contributes £11,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.
• 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.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

Selection Process Details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

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 big picture, Leadership, Managing a Quality Service, Delivering at Pace.

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check. If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email. Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality Requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups: UK nationals, nationals of the Republic of Ireland, nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK, nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS), individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020, Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.