District Ecologist: Lead Nature Recovery & Forest Planning

Government Recruitment Service; Pickering, Northallerton; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Forestry England in Yorkshire seeks a District Ecologist to lead nature recovery across treasured landscapes. You will provide expert ecological advice shaping forest management for wildlife, people and climate, protect designated sites, and support long‑term forest planning.

Based in Pickering with move to Dalby Forest, you will design monitoring programmes, manage projects, build partnerships, and engage the public while developing expertise in ecology and sustainable forestry.

Responsibilities

• Take a leading role in designing, coordinating, and delivering Yorkshire district’s nature recovery work, working with specialists with a range of ecological and operational skills.
• Provide expert ecological advice to inform operational plans, forest plans, and other enquiries, to ensure our statutory duties for the environment are met and that legal/UK Woodland Assurance Standard compliance is maintained.
• Create, implement, and monitor designated site management plans (including SSSI management plans).
• Procure, set-up, and manage contracts and operational delivery projects.
• Manage existing nature recovery projects and provide support as required for new projects. This will include identifying projects in the nation’s forests suitable for funding opportunities.
• Deliver strategic ecological monitoring and analysis, supporting the district’s developing evidenced based and natural capital approach to making decisions.
• Build and maintain good relations with partners in statutory and NGO conservation organisations.
• Build and maintain better links with local academia to support an evidence‑based approach to management of the nation’s forests.
• Provide ecological support to the district colleagues working on planning applications, post‑minerals restoration projects, infrastructure upgrades, renewables projects, development mitigation and biodiversity offsetting opportunities.
• Support and grow volunteering in district by organising ecology/nature recovery volunteering sessions and citizen science programmes.
• Line management of an Assistant Ecologist, and possibly other staff.
• Any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

Job description

Forestry England in Yorkshire seeks a District Ecologist to lead nature recovery across treasured landscapes. You will provide expert ecological advice shaping forest management for wildlife, people and climate, protect designated sites, and support long‑term forest planning.

Based in Pickering with move to Dalby Forest, you will design monitoring programmes, manage projects, build partnerships, and engage the public while developing expertise in ecology and sustainable forestry.