Assistant Ranger

Forestry Commission; Lyndhurst; On-site; GBP 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Join the Forestry Commission as a visitor engagement support, where you will play a vital role in enhancing visitor experiences in the beautiful New Forest. Interact with the public, manage recreation facilities, and promote responsible behaviors to protect the wildlife and landscapes of this unique area. This role offers flexible hours and the opportunity to work during peak visitor times, making it a perfect fit for those seeking a meaningful job that complements other commitments.

Benefits

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Free entry to National Arboretums

Employee benefits scheme for discounts

Support for career development

Qualifications

• Experience in engaging with the public.
• Comfortable with lone working.
• Experience of sharing knowledge positively.

Responsibilities

• Provide a welcoming presence for visitors and promote the role of Forestry England.
• Maintain safe and enjoyable sites through inspections and management.
• Coordinate emergency procedures and provide first aid assistance.

Skills

Communication

Public Engagement

Conflict Management

Education

Full driving license

Emergency First Aid +F

Job description

Lyndhurst, South East England, SO43 7NH

Job Summary

Contract Details - 4 positions available, variable hoursWorking Hours - Annualised hours ranging from 10 – 27 hours per week

What You’ll Do…

We are looking for strong communicators with a passion for people and wildlife to provide support to our New Forest Ranger team across the busy peak season. A confident, self-motivated individual, you will play an important role in interacting and engaging with the public about some of the most important landscapes in the country, helping to deliver campaigns, working with partners and volunteers. You will have the ability to make a real difference to visitors to the New Forest, providing information and advice to help them get the best out of their visit and promoting our role in caring and protecting the forests, heathland and wildlife that live here; helping to enthuse people about all the things that make the New Forest special and to understand the role they can play in safeguarding this unique place.

This role is an annualised hours contract. You will be expected to work when there is a higher demand for our Recreation facilities in the New Forest and as a result increased visitor pressure. In particular this will be weekends, public and school holidays. You will be paid the same amount each month for your ‘average hours’ but will work more during these peak times.

This is a fantastic opportunities for someone looking for work that fits in with other commitments.

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

Where you’ll work…

We are Forestry England. We are the country’s largest land manager, caring for the nation’s forests for people, nature and the economy. The foundation of our organisation is our world-class sustainable management of the nation’s forests.

Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 170 people with a diverse range of roles - from foresters and wildlife rangers to civil engineers, and ecologists to marketing professionals. We all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares of public forest estate that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Nearly all of our forests are within either a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Job Description

In this role, you'll have the opportunity to create memorable visitor/community focused experiences, maintain our recreational facilities, and co-ordinate engaging community activities.

Here's a Snapshot Of Your Responsibilities:

• be the face of Forestry England: you'll provide a visible and welcoming presence for visitors to ensure a positive and memorable experience, whilst promoting the management role Forestry England undertakes as land managers - this will include staffing the New Forest Reptile Centre and Bolderwood Information Unit on a rotational basis
• maintain safe and enjoyable sites: support the Ranger team in carrying out regular inspections of car parks, cycle routes, and recreational facilities, including play areas and litter management
• collaborate with staff: support Forestry England staff with public access considerations during planning and implementation of harvesting and conservation operations
• promote responsible behaviour: patrol Crown Lands delivering appropriate messages about responsible visitor behaviour
• support the Ranger team and New Forest Keepers to manage visitor impacts across the SSSI protected landscape including verge parking, disturbance to wildlife and BBQs
• strengthen community engagement: work with Rangers and partner agencies, including the New Forest National Park Authority, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire Constabulary, to deliver joint engagement events, targeted patrols and key campaigns
• ensure health and safety: coordinate emergency procedures, provide first aid assistance, complete accident and incident reports, and adhere to health and safety guidelines
• represent Forestry England: participate in stakeholder meetings, events, and volunteer programmes to showcase the great work of Forestry England and foster community engagement
• inspire others: support the team with delivery of volunteer programmes in the New Forest, helping to plan, lead, and safely manage volunteer groups, connecting volunteers and local communities with the nation’s forests
  
  

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager

In this role, you'll have the opportunity to create memorable visitor/community focused experiences, maintain our recreational facilities, and co-ordinate engaging community activities.

Here's a Snapshot Of Your Responsibilities:

• be the face of Forestry England: you'll provide a visible and welcoming presence for visitors to ensure a positive and memorable experience, whilst promoting the management role Forestry England undertakes as land managers - this will include staffing the New Forest Reptile Centre and Bolderwood Information Unit on a rotational basis
• maintain safe and enjoyable sites: support the Ranger team in carrying out regular inspections of car parks, cycle routes, and recreational facilities, including play areas and litter management
• collaborate with staff: support Forestry England staff with public access considerations during planning and implementation of harvesting and conservation operations
• promote responsible behaviour: patrol Crown Lands delivering appropriate messages about responsible visitor behaviour
• support the Ranger team and New Forest Keepers to manage visitor impacts across the SSSI protected landscape including verge parking, disturbance to wildlife and BBQs
• strengthen community engagement: work with Rangers and partner agencies, including the New Forest National Park Authority, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire Constabulary, to deliver joint engagement events, targeted patrols and key campaigns
• ensure health and safety: coordinate emergency procedures, provide first aid assistance, complete accident and incident reports, and adhere to health and safety guidelines
• represent Forestry England: participate in stakeholder meetings, events, and volunteer programmes to showcase the great work of Forestry England and foster community engagement
• inspire others: support the team with delivery of volunteer programmes in the New Forest, helping to plan, lead, and safely manage volunteer groups, connecting volunteers and local communities with the nation’s forests
  
  

And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager

Person specification

Essential Professional And Technical Experience

• experience in engaging with the public
• excellent communication skills
• experience of sharing knowledge in a positive manner
• experience of dealing with conflict and managing visitor behaviour
• comfortable with lone working
  
  

Desirable Professional And Technical Experience

• experience of working with volunteers
• knowledge and understanding of working in protected landscape
• knowledge and experience of managing recreational facilities
• knowledge of new forest recreation, e.g cycle network
  
  

Qualifications

Desirable

• the duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving license that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means
• emergency First Aid +F
• conflict Management
  
  

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  
  

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• You will be assessed on a technical skill at interview.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £23,732, Forestry Commission contributes £6,875 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

How To Apply…

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.

You will be assessed on a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
  
  

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

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email [e-mail].

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

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
  
  

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job Contact :

• Name : FC Recruitment Team
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: [e-mail]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.