Species Recovery Officer

Forestry England’s Biodiversity Plan sets out a bold ambition of nature recovery in the Nation’s Forests. Working across five principal focus areas, Forestry England aims to restore resilient biodiversity in the nation’s forests, delivering our vision to ensure that these forests provide the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England. Species Recovery Officers support the delivery of species recovery through conservation translocation projects in our districts and across England, from planning and feasibility through to delivery and post‑release monitoring. Translocations enable species restoration where natural recovery is not possible, or unlikely within a reasonable timeframe. International and national guidance (e.g. IUCN, Defra) informs best practice and evidence‑based decision‑making to optimise project success.

Where you’ll work… Any Forestry England office within Central England Forest District, with hybrid home working available. Travel across England will be required.

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

• Project Management
  • Lead on the development of the vision and the project plan for one or more species recovery projects, and/or help govern and guide this where other organisations are the lead partner.
  • Apply appropriate project management principles to ensure effective and timely project implementation, in accordance with Forest Wilding Programme guidance and frameworks.
  • Ensure relevant project documentation is produced and maintained throughout the lifecycle of the project.
  • Develop annual and long‑term work programmes and budgets for the project(s), supported by relevant project boards and sub‑groups and the Forest Wilding Programme Team.
  • Manage a delegated budget to ensure the project(s) are managed within budgetary limits and fiscal guidelines.
  • Support funding bids for external funding and ensure that commitments to funders for the projects are appropriately met through project delivery.
  • Fulfil necessary corporate and funder reporting.
• Species Recovery
  • Lead on progressing one or more species recovery projects, at scoping and feasibility, release, or post‑release monitoring and management stage; working with district colleagues and the Forest Wilding Programme Team to recover influential species to our landscapes.
  • Follow and adhere to conservation translocation best practice to ensure an evidence‑informed approach is applied throughout, whether we are a lead or supporting partner.
  • Ensure biological, ecological and socio‑economic factors are considered and addressed throughout the project’s lifecycle, including end‑of‑project review.
  • Procure and manage contracts and contractors, including ecological and social science consultants, and academic institutions.
  • Support the investigation of the (re)introduction of influential species to wild areas, which help restore natural processes.
  • Ensure Forestry England procurement and contract management regulations are followed throughout the project.
• Knowledge and Monitoring
  • Lead or feed into the design, commission and interpretation of ecological, biological and socio‑economic feasibility studies to guide species reintroduction projects.
  • Ensure best practice and evidence‑informed release strategies and post‑release monitoring and management are implemented.
  • Work with the national Forest Wilding programme team, colleagues from Forest Research and wider academia to learn from and share best practice from the projects.
  • Ensure appropriate licensing requirements are understood and met, in addition to considerations around forestry operations.
• Communications and public engagement
  • Support the development of partnerships with other organisations to increase the scale and effectiveness of species recovery outcomes.
  • Lead or support the development and delivery of a stakeholder engagement plan(s) alongside district and national colleagues, building and managing relationships with relevant stakeholders.
  • Work with district and national communications colleagues to develop and implement a communications plan(s) for the project(s).
  • Showcase the project to internal and external stakeholders to gain support for forest wilding, nature recovery and further delivery within the nation’s forests.
  • And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• A track record of successfully developing, managing and coordinating species recovery projects.
• An experienced project manager, able to manage and prioritise workloads, meet deadlines and solve problems, and manage budgets.
• Strong knowledge of ecology, biology, social science and/or human‑wildlife coexistence with applied experience in species recovery initiatives, particularly conservation translocations.
• Experience of working on the recovery of one or more of our current priority influential species: pine marten, beaver, white‑tailed eagle, golden eagle, wildcat, wood ants, soil fungi.
• Experience of procurement and contract management, especially in the relevant areas of species recovery, land management, feasibility studies and ecological survey and monitoring.
• A great team worker, adept at working under your own initiative and as part of a multi‑disciplinary team, taking ownership of the responsibilities of the role, building collaborative working relationships with colleagues and being adaptable in the face of changing situations.
• Demonstrable skills in stakeholder management, with a track record of developing constructive collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholder groups, including public sector, private sector and non‑governmental organisations, volunteers and community groups.
• An excellent communicator, both written and verbally, able to adapt to a range of audiences.
• Competent using information technology, and sound knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, especially Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams.

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Sound experience in the forestry sector.
• A working knowledge of environmental legislation and regulation designations, including their practical application, with relevance to species reintroductions.

Qualifications

Essential

• Ecology, zoology or environmental degree, or equivalent professional experience in nature‑focussed species recovery and reintroductions.
• A full and current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK.

Desirable

• A recognised project management qualification.
• A member of a relevant professional body, e.g. Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Institute of Chartered Foresters.

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