District Ecologist

As District Ecologist with Forestry England in Yorkshire, you will play a leading role in helping nature recover across some of England’s most treasured landscapes. You'll provide expert ecological advice that shapes how we manage our forests for wildlife, people and climate, ensuring we protect designated sites, conserve protected species and deliver nature recovery at a landscape scale. Working closely with colleagues across the district and national organisation, you'll develop and implement management plans for protected sites, guide the ecological aspects of operational and long-term forest planning, and help create resilient, nature-rich forests for future generations.

Covering a varied district, including over 1,000ha of SSSIs and 2,000ha of ancient woodlands, the District Ecologist role will coordinate the planning and delivery of nature recovery operations on protected sites. You'll design and oversee monitoring programmes, analyse evidence to inform land management decisions, manage nature recovery projects and contracts, and build strong partnerships with conservation organisations, landowners, and academic institutions. The role will also involve supporting volunteering and exploring new ways to engage with the public to improve our understanding of the forests we care for. You'll be part of a supportive Yorkshire team as well as a wider national network of ecologists and nature recovery specialists, with opportunities to develop your expertise in ecology, monitoring, conservation management and sustainable forestry.

Where you'll work

The post will initially be based at Forestry England's Yorkshire Office in Pickering. It will move to the Dalby Forest Office in spring/summer 2028. Regular travel around Forestry England's estate in Yorkshire will be required. There will be occasional trips outside of Yorkshire for Forestry England-wide meetings, which may require an overnight stay.

Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Essential:

• Ecology or environmental degree, or equivalent professional experience.
• Good wildlife identification skills, especially for protected species.
• Able to design and deliver robust survey and monitoring programmes.
• An effective communicator, both written and spoken.
• Able to manage a complex workload, effectively prioritising and meeting deadlines.
• Able to analyse data and evaluate evidence to produce succinct reports.
• Up-to-date knowledge of environmental legislation, particularly biodiversity, and experience of its application to land management.
• Experience working with volunteers.
• Excellent team and partnership working, with a track record of interdisciplinary working.
• Experience working with local stakeholder groups, including landowners; non-governmental organisations; charities; and local government.
• Competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications.
• A full and current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK.

Desirable:

• Competent using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
• Competently analyse data using Python, R or similar.
• Experience or understanding of the UK forestry sector, the UK Forestry Standard and UKWAS certification.
• Experience managing small nature recovery projects.
• Knowledge of biodiversity net gain and/or experience with the planning system.
• Strong ecological knowledge of key ecosystems found within the district.
• Membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

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.

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