Forest Planning Skills and Capability Lead

Location: Primary office in Bristol, United Kingdom; national remit across England with regular travel and overnight stays. Office attendance is expected during part of the working week during the induction period for new starters.

Salary: £40,388–£43,482 per annum

Company

hirify.global is a Civil Service organisation responsible for managing and growing England’s forests, supporting wildlife, climate resilience, recreation, and sustainable timber production.

What you will do

• Lead the new Trainee Forest Planner programme and help develop the next generation of forest planning professionals.
• Support and enhance the skills and capability of existing Forest Planners.
• Provide technical leadership across the national Forest Planning team.
• Champion best practice and drive innovation in forest planning.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and approaches across the profession.
• Collaborate with colleagues and contacts across England to advance sustainable forest management.

Requirements

• Relevant experience and career history in forest planning or a closely related professional area.
• Ability to develop people and support professional capability.
• Ability to manage a quality service, work collaboratively, and lead change and improvement.
• Ability to communicate in accurate spoken English.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly across England, including overnight stays.
• Successful candidates must complete a criminal record check and baseline personnel security standard check.

Culture & Benefits

• Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing to 30 days with service, plus bank holidays.
• Employee discounts through the STaR benefits scheme.
• Free parking at hirify.global sites and free entry to the Westonbirt and Bedgebury National Arboretums.
• Career development, continuing professional development, individual learning plans, and sponsored professional memberships.
• Microsoft Teams is encouraged to reduce travel where possible.

Hiring process

• Submit a 200-word statement on relevant experience and career history and a personal statement of no more than 500 words.
• Interview assessment may cover behaviours, experience, strengths, and technical success profiles.
• The technical assessment may include a presentation, practical task, or written task.