Wildlife Ranger

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Wildlife Ranger, West England

Salary- £34,793 per annum

Contract type – Fixed Term until 31st March 2029 with the possibility of extension or permanency

Hours – 44 hours per week

Vacancy closes - 7th September, 23:58

Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.

Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.

What you’ll do…

You will work as part of the district's wildlife management team, protecting forests and supporting conservation priorities, including mammal management. You will be a champion for our health and safety culture by demonstrating our value of ‘look out and look after’.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

West Forest District is responsible for the sustainable management of over 37,000ha of the nation’s forests and woodlands in the West and South West of England.

The district team extends to some 170 employees, with frontline delivery through our 17 remotely located delivery teams (5 forest centre and 12 forest beats) which are supported by our network of highly valued volunteers and contractors.

We have 5 positions available at the following locations:

• Exmoor &Quantocks –Somerset Beat Office, Cockercombe, Nr Taunton, TA5 1HJ.
• South Devon & Dartmoor–Bullers Hill Office, Bullers Hill, Kennford, Exeter EX6 7XR
• East Devon–Neroche Forest Office, Staple Fitzpaine, Nr Taunton TA3 5BN
• Herefordshire– Castlemain Depot, Parkend, Nr Lydney GL15 4HH
• Forest of Dean- Castlemain Depot, Parkend, Nr Lydney GL15 4HH

Please stipulate your preferred location(s) as part of your application

Hours of work: The position is a full-time post to work 44 hours per week. Due to the nature of the Wildlife Ranger role the hours are worked flexibly according to the season.

Travel: The postholder will be expected to travel to remotely located woods & forests to undertake the role of Wildlife Ranger. A bespoke Forestry England vehicle will be provided for work purposes; therefore a current driving licence is essential requirement of the role.

The postholder will be part of the Wildlife team led by one of two Wildlife Managers

Benefits…

Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

• 25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.
• STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.
• free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
• a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

How to apply…

We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.

You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.

At interview you will be assessed on your experience and technical knowledge along with behavioural questions, please see below.

Candidates will be asked to undertake a skills test as part of the interview process an rifle can be provided if required.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working together
• Managing a quality service

“If candidates pass the interview but are not the leading candidate they can be placed on a reserve list. We may offer candidates on the reserve list for this role the opportunity to be considered for other roles at the same or lower pay bands.”

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first.

Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website.

Nationality requirements…

Read more about nationality requirements here.

Working for the Civil Service…

Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative.

Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.

Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk.

“This role is funded by DEFRA rather than through Forestry England generated revenue, and is therefore subject to government spending reviews. While DEFRA has indicated long term support for the Biodiversity Programme and we expect funding to continue, it is possible that funding levels may change at the end of any financial year depending on DEFRA’s budget allocations. In the event of funding changes, we would prioritise retaining staff posts wherever possible. This approach is consistent for roles within publicly funded organisations. We are committed to keeping staff informed and supported through any changes.”