Planning Forester - Work Programme Co-ordinator

Background Information

It's an exciting time for forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), our organisation is changing and we need people to help us manage not only our forests, but also coasts, peatlands, restored habitats and recreation sites.

As a Work Programme Coordinator within East Region you will be responsible for developing and organising a wide range of activities that we undertake across the region in particular 56,000 ha of public land within Moray and Aberdeenshire.

The post is based in our Huntly office, an hour east of Aberdeen, and is set within rolling countryside inland from long reaches of sandy coast. Here FLS manages large areas of established, often third generation forest which are becoming more diverse and silviculturally complex as we extend our thinning and Continuous Cover Forestry programmes. This is also where we have the largest number of visitors to the national forest estate.

This is a dynamic and forward thinking role that combines leadership with logistical, facilitation and problem solving skills. Work programmes are diverse – everything from felling and thinning programmes, through to restocking, managing recreation sites and delivering habitat restoration and new woodland establishment. The programmes need to be efficient, practical, and integrated wherever possible. The successful candidate will be comfortable with juggling the sequence and scale of a range of work across a large geographic area.

Preparing and monitoring work programmes requires you to work with others from a range of disciplines on a daily basis, get out and about to gain first-hand knowledge of the land and develop a thorough understanding of the key management issues.

As a member of the Planning and Environment Team you will be encouraged to work closely with others, explore options to find the best work programming solutions and identify ways to improve the management of Scotland’s national forests and land.

Huntly is the preferred location for this post, however we would also consider Durris.

The key responsibilities for the role will include:

• Input to the Land Management Planning process.
• Create, co-ordinate and manage programmes for restocking, new planting, natural regeneration management, habitat management and visitor site maintenance using Land Management Plans as the primary source of programme information.
• Work with planning, delivery, visitor services and environment colleagues to prepare Work Plans and manage progression of these through to completion.
• Create and maintain GIS spatial programmes and spreadsheets to record programmes and their progress. Liaise with relevant staff to monitor progress against targets.
• Act as a single point of contact for staff regarding work programmes, timing of work, etc. Liaise with other members of the wider team on planning matters.
• Support the Geographic Information System (GIS) Technician to maintain the local GIS system and its data e.g. forest inventory data held within the sub-compartment database.
• Co-ordinate work relating to tree pests and diseases and liaise with the relevant staff to manage these threats.
• Manage the Hylobius Management Support System including organising, programming and managing the twice yearly survey programmes and input the results into the planning system.
• Plan, co-ordinate and manage the broadleaf, open space and LISS surveys.
• Plan, co-ordinate and manage the SDA process and survey to ensure the requirements of OGB4 are achieved and feedback results of the survey to the delivery teams.

For more information and to apply, please visit our website:

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk

hr@forestryandland.gov.scot

Please quote ref 36222.

Closing date: 16/02/2020, 23:55

No recruitment agencies please.

We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all sectors of our diverse community.