Finance Team Leader

Forestry England; Hexham; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 37,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service pension

25 days holiday

Staff discounts (STaRis)

Free parking

Free entry to arboretums

Career development

Job summary

Forestry England in Hexham is seeking a Finance Team Leader on a 3-year fixed-term appointment, with hybrid working from the Bellingham office, Hexham, NE48 2HP. You will lead the day-to-day finance function, ensuring timely processing and strong financial controls according to policy.

The role reports to the Finance and Business Manager, with a salary of £33,854 per annum and a Civil Service pension. The site offers holiday entitlement and development opportunities.

Qualifications

• Lead day-to-day finance function on behalf of the Finance and Business Manager.
• Ensure financial transactions are processed accurately and on time.
• Maintain compliance with established policies, procedures and service level agreements.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to collate and disseminate information.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day finance function on behalf of the Finance and Business Manager.
• Ensure financial transactions are processed accurately and within agreed timelines.
• Maintain compliance with policies, procedures and SLAs.
• Liaise with internal and external stakeholders to disseminate information as required.

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Bellingham office, Hexham, NE48 2HP

Job Reference forestryengland/TP/30173/828

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Fixed Term Appointment

3 year fixed term appointment until 31/03/29, with the possibility of extension or permanency

Working Hours:

37

Location:

Bellingham office, Hexham, NE48 2HP

Closing Date:

25/10/2026

Job Category:

Finance

Region:

North

Business Unit:

North

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Finance Team Leader

Salary- £33,854 per annum

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

Vacancy closes - 25 th October, 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…

The Business Support team provide a support service to the district’s operations. As a key member of the team, you will play an essential role in leading the day-to-day finance function on behalf of the Finance and Business Manager and in supporting the achievement of our strategic business objectives. You will be responsible for ensuring financial transactions are processed by the team, efficiently, accurately and within agreed timelines, achieving full compliance with established policies, procedures and service level agreements. You will liaise effectively with internal and external stakeholders, collating and dissemination information as required. You will work alongside the Office Manager, the Finance and Business Support Manager, the Business Support team and other colleagues as needed.

Where you’ll work…

Bellingham District Office, Hexham, NE48 2HP. The expectation is that the postholder will spend a minimum of 60% time in the office with the option to work up to 40% remotely.

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.
• STaRis 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.

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.

- You will be assessed on experience and strength based questions during your interview.

“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.”

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: [e-mail] .

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.

“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.”