Wildlife Manager

You will provide joint leadership of the District's wildlife team, working closely with one other Wildlife Manager to provide high-quality wildlife management operations in line with industry best practice and Forestry England policy. You will collaborate with Beats and other District functions to contribute to the wider Forest District operations.

Through inclusive leadership and teamwork, you will support high performance from the District's wildlife team, with a strong focus on nature conservation and delivering increasing cull targets. You will champion a positive health and safety culture, and ensure the proper management of firearms and production of venison.

Where you'll work… We are Forestry England. We are the country’s largest land manager, caring for the nation’s forests for people, nature and the economy. The foundation of our organisation is our world-class sustainable management of the nation’s forests.

The South England Forest District team is made up of around 170 people with a diverse range of roles – from foresters and wildlife rangers to civil engineers, and ecologists to marketing professionals. We all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares of public forest estate that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Nearly all of our forests are within either a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

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 (for habitats), Special Protection Areas (for birds) and Ramsar sites (for wetlands). We also provide public access and recreation in our forests, with nearly 50 million visits every year to South England Forest District.

If the post you are applying for is PB5 or above, you will be asked to join the District duty roster, after a suitable period of time.

• Provide collaborative leadership for the wildlife team to protect crops, habitats, and vulnerable species from wildlife impacts, including coordinating large and increasing cull programmes.
• Work with Beat Foresters, District Foresters, and specialist leads to deliver effective deer management, maintain and operate deer larders, and ensure carcasses are presented to required standards.
• Lead the delivery of wildlife management programmes and projects.
• Promote an inclusive, supportive team culture and encourage collaboration across District teams embedding Forestry England's organisational values and behaviours.
• Ensure compliance with guidance and procedures and support a proactive approach to safety across all operations.
• Promote learning and development within the team to support continuous improvement.
• When required, provide continuity by deputising for the District Forester on matters relating to wildlife management.

• Develop the District Wildlife Management Plan, ensuring effective communication with other functions.
• Deliver the operational elements of the District's Wildlife Management plan, including the deer cull and the management of other mammals to protect crops, habitats and vulnerable species.
• Oversee venison production to British Quality Wild Venison Standards.
• Support the maintenance and operation of deer larders.
• Manage District firearms and ammunition in line with policy and best practice.
• Lead the design and delivery of conservation-related projects as needed.
• Produce successful applications for out-of-season and night shooting licenses as required.

• Lead and support the wildlife team, contractors, and volunteers, ensuring clear roles and expectations, and actively manage performance against agreed objectives and indicators.
• Manage team budgets and resources efficiently to support the effective delivery of core wildlife management operations, projects, and larder facilities.
• Prepare and monitor the wildlife management business plan; report on budgets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) throughout the year.

• Build and maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders across the business and beyond.
• Work collaboratively across the District and represent Forestry England with professionalism, engaging positively with current and potential customers and partners.

• Experience of leading and supporting a team, with the ability to promote collaboration and meet agreed standards.
• Proven track record in planning and delivering significant wildlife management operations, with a strong understanding of health and safety and compliance, particularly regarding firearms and venison production.
• Experience in managing budgets and contracts effectively.
• Hold a higher-level deer stalking certificate.
• A qualification in wildlife or conservation land management, such as a BTEC National Diploma, a BTEC HND or a BSc degree or significant and equivalent experience in a wildlife or conservation land management role.
• Hold a current Firearms Certificate.
• A full UK drivers’ license.
• Competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications.

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

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process: More information will be provided to those successful at sift.

Alongside your salary of £35,580, Forestry Commission contributes £10,307 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Benefits include:

• Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension.
• 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.
• 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.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

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

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 your experience, technical skills and the below behaviours during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are – Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service, Seeing the Bigger Picture.

Successful candidates will undergo an enhanced criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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

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).

Further information on nationality requirements is available.

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.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Job contact: FC Recruitment Team, Email: fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk