Forest Development Officer

The Forest of Marston Vale is a forest in the making; covering an area of 61 square miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes, it’s one of England’s Community Forests which together form the country’s largest environmental regeneration initiative. The Forest of Marston Vale Trust is the charity creating the Forest of Marston Vale. Since the early 1990’s, we’ve been planting trees to transform the once-degraded landscape and make the Marston Vale a thriving place to live, work and play.

A core target for creating the Forest is increasing tree cover to 30% – a ten-fold increase from the early 1990’s – as a means to transform the social, economic and environmental prospects of the area. The Forest of Marston Vale Trust, working with local communities, landowners and partners, has already increased tree cover to over 15% – a truly impressive achievement – and we’re looking to build upon this success in the next phase of creating the Forest.

We’re looking for an experienced, driven and confident Forest Development Officer to spearhead activity to accelerate the physical creation of the Forest of Marston Vale, delivering key aims and objectives regarding tree planting & woodland creation, sustainable woodland management, non-woodland habitat creation & management, access/recreation and biodiversity. The postholder will be highly personable and engaging, with a passion for improving our natural environment, and will be proactive in developing and implementing projects, programmes and initiatives to harness existing and additional resources.

We offer a competitive starting salary of up to £35,000, 25 days holiday (plus bank/public holidays), and a pension scheme, plus the chance to be part of a small, high-performing, professional team that are passionate about improving the environment and have an enviable track record in delivering great results.

The role

This role is based at the award-winning Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park in Bedfordshire, reporting to the Forest Director and responsible for the Forest Creation Officers, Forest volunteers, contractors, temporary staff and other volunteers as and when appropriate. The postholder will lead in managing the delivery of our c.£8m Trees for Climate Programme, supported by Defra, which seeks to create c.500 hectares of new woodland by 2025 and provide leadership, support and guidance to the Forest Creation Officers to facilitate their delivery of key objectives. This is a proactive role in accelerating the creation of the Forest of Marston Vale, key to driving forward our work to plant trees and use woodlands to make life better for people and wildlife in the Marston Vale.

The successful candidate should have:

• Degree level qualification in forestry, land/countryside management or related field, or equivalent work experience
• At least 3 year’s professional experience in forestry, land management or natural environment context
• Practical experience of delivering woodland creation, sustainable woodland management, non-woodland habitat creation and access/recreation projects directly or through advice to others
• Experience of designing, developing and managing the delivery of projects and programmes
• Successfully secured grant funding for environmental projects
• Effectively managed large budgets
• Experience of day-to-day leadership, supervision and support of staff
• Worked positively with farmers, land owners and land agents in a professional setting
• Experience of engaging and managing contractors, consultants and staff to successfully implement practical works/projects
• Excellent IT skills and proficiency in GIS

Applicants must also have a full driving licence and access to a car for business use (mileage will be paid)

To Apply

https://www.marstonvale.org/jobs

Closing date: 5^th July 2021

Interview date: Monday 19^th July 2021

Forest of Marston Vale is an equal opportunities employer. We value the importance of diversity and positively welcome applications from all members of the community, including those with disabilities. As a responsible employer, we follow safer recruitment guidelines and will make reasonable adjustments where necessary. The successful candidate will be expected to declare all previous offences and to undergo an Enhanced Disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service.