Recreation Business Manager

East England Forest District has responsibility for the management of some 35,000 hectares of forests within a triangle formed by Norfolk, East Sussex and Buckinghamshire. The district has a large population and manages Thetford Forest, four visitor centres as well as community woodlands.
As Recreation Business Manager you will lead the development of our Recreation Business at Wendover Forest Centre and across Chilterns, Kent and East Sussex. You will manage the Wendover Woods team and other recreation staff who are geographically dispersed in the district.
Wendover Woods is a premier outdoor attraction in the Chiltern Hills ANOB with approximately 400,00 visitors per year. Wendover Woods was redeveloped in 2019 to improve the visitor experience with a variety of activities on offer, including walking, cycling trails, GoApe courses and café.
Our ambitions for Wendover Woods focus on adventure and the landscape. As the Recreation Business Manager you will seek to improve the current visitor offer through maximising visitor spend which makes the most of our built and forest estate.
You will diversify and expand where our money comes from through optimising our business across the Chilterns, Kent and East Sussex beats. This could include initiatives such as car parking charges, food & beverage, commercial filming, corporate partnerships and individual giving that sit alongside our sustainable timber business.
We are looking for someone who can build relationships with people within Forestry England and externally in the delivery of our strategic objectives and business plan. This includes enabling more people to get involved and support their local forests through different activities, including volunteering and events.
You will provide cross-functional leadership support to the recreation, land management and business support team based at our district sub-office in the Chiltern’s to ensure a ‘one team’ approach.