Works Supervisor - Habitat Restoration

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.

Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 160 people. Our team contains a diverse range of roles - from wildlife rangers to civil engineers, and ecologists to marketing professionals, we all contribute towards the management of some 46,000 hectares of public forest estate and national parks that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Much of this forest is of high national importance for nature conservation and wildlife, and of international importance for biodiversity.

We are looking for a Works Supervisor to join the HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) team based in the New Forest. As the Works Supervisor you will support the restoration officers to plan and manage the delivery of our landscape-scale Habitat Restoration programme with funding from the HLS scheme. The work programmes focus on restoring and enhancing internationally important heathlands, species-rich grasslands, woodlands and wetlands in the New Forest.

Key work areas:

• Assist restoration officers in planning work programmes and setting up and managing operational contracts to deliver Habitat Restoration in the New Forest, such as tree felling, rhododendron clearance and drain infilling.
• Carry out day to day supervision of staff and contractors engaged on Habitat Restoration works, maintaining high standards of delivery.
• Monitor health and safety practices of contractors and Forestry England staff to ensure high standards of safety.
• Maintain good communications with Forestry England staff, contractors, stakeholders and members of the public, to maximise effective delivery of the works.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential:

• Relevant experience in countryside management, conservation or forestry.
• Experience supervising operational contracts and resources.
• Good understanding of and experience in the application of health and safety in land management or forest operations.
• Competent IT user with experience of MS Office.

Forestry England is a progressive and inclusive organisation, benefits include a generous holiday entitlement, substantial training, development, and volunteering opportunities, as well as flexible working arrangements and membership of an excellent civil service pension scheme.

For an informal chat, please contact Andy.Hartstone@forestryengland.uk.