Key responsibilities & accountabilities
Lead the Trainee Forest Planner programme
Plan and deliver a comprehensive programme of work for annual cohorts of up to six trainees, including structured training, practical experience and supervision of their work.
Mentor, coach and support trainees throughout their development, helping them build the skills, knowledge and professional confidence required to become successful Forest Planners.
Work closely with district teams acting as hosts for trainees to ensure a high-quality and consistent development experience.
Lead the annual recruitment of trainees, including advertising, sifting and an assessment centre, working with a recruitment agency and HR colleagues as appropriate.
Review and update the trainee prospectus and development programme to ensure it stays fit for purpose and aligned with the future needs of Forestry England.
Build organisational capability and skills in forest planning
Act as a source of expertise in forest planning, supporting the professional development of colleagues across Forestry England.
Design and deliver training, guidance and learning resources relating to forest planning and associated disciplines where appropriate.
Build effective relationships and networks across Forestry England to identify knowledge gaps, capability needs and opportunities for professional development.
Foster a collaborative community of practice, encouraging knowledge sharing, continuous learning and the dissemination of best practice.
Identify opportunities to improve processes, guidance, systems and approaches to forest planning, contributing to continuous improvement and organisational learning.
Support the translation of forest planning requirements into practical tools, guidance and resources for operational teams.
Work closely with other Skills and Capability Leads in the National Operations team, to ensure that work is coordinated and maximises collective impact.
Support district forest planning teams
Provide technical expertise across all aspects of forest planning to support Forest Planners and help deliver efficient, high-quality outcomes.
Support districts and Forest Planners in challenging or complex cases, such as difficult stakeholder engagement and regulatory requirements like Habitat Regulations Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments. Support the implementation and dissemination of new forest planning processes, tools and approaches across Forestry England.
Help identify opportunities to make greater use of innovation, technology and data to improve forest planning practice.
Support the national forest planning team
Collate, analyse and interpret forest planning information to support monitoring, reporting and continuous improvement of the function. This will include maintaining oversight of Forest Plan status, renewal schedules and delivery across Forestry England.
Prepare and present reports, briefings and papers on forest planning matters for a range of audiences.
Contribute to the development of future approaches to forest planning, helping ensure the function
remains effective, resilient and aligned with organisational priorities.
Represent the forest planning team in meetings, working groups and stakeholder forums.
Support internal and external audits relating to the UK Woodland Assurance Standard.
Stakeholder engagement and influencing
Develop and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support delivery of forest planning objectives.
Work closely with key roles across Forestry England, Forest Services, and Forest Research.
Support clear and consistent communication of Forestry England's approach to forest planning, helping stakeholders understand its importance and practical application.
