District Ecologist

Location: Initially based at hirify.global’s Yorkshire Office in Pickering, moving to the Dalby Forest Office in spring/summer 2028. Regular travel across hirify.global’s estate in Yorkshire and occasional travel outside Yorkshire for meetings are required.

Salary: £35,039 per annum.

Company

hirify.global manages forests and landscapes, supports wildlife and nature recovery, and produces sustainable timber as part of the Civil Service.

What you will do

• Provide expert ecological advice for forest management, wildlife, people, and climate objectives.
• Develop and implement management plans for protected sites and guide ecological aspects of operational and long-term forest planning.
• Coordinate the planning and delivery of nature recovery operations across more than 1,000 hectares of SSSIs and 2,000 hectares of ancient woodland.
• Design and oversee monitoring programmes and analyse evidence to inform land management decisions.
• Manage nature recovery projects and contracts, and build partnerships with conservation organisations, landowners, and academic institutions.
• Support volunteering and develop public engagement approaches to improve understanding of the forests.

Requirements

• Ability to provide accurate spoken English.
• Relevant experience and career history, demonstrated through a 200-word statement.
• Ability to meet the role’s ecological, monitoring, conservation management, and sustainable forestry responsibilities.
• Ability to work across the Yorkshire estate and undertake occasional travel outside Yorkshire, including overnight stays when required.
• Successful completion of a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

Culture & Benefits

• Fixed-term appointment until March 2029, with possible extension or permanency but no guarantee.
• 37 hours per week within a supportive Yorkshire team and a national network of ecologists and nature recovery specialists.
• 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 and other additional days off.
• Benefits discounts, free parking at hirify.global sites, and free entry to the National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
• Career development, continuing professional development, individual learning plans, and sponsored professional-body membership.

Hiring process

• Submit a 200-word statement on relevant experience and career history plus a personal statement of no more than 500 words.
• Interview assessment covers Changing and improving, Working together, Delivering at pace, and Making effective decisions.
• Successful candidates undergo required security checks; eligible non-leading candidates may be placed on a reserve list.