Forest Craftsperson - Micheldever

Forestry England; Winchester; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A national forestry organization in the UK is seeking a Forest Craftsperson to join their team. The successful candidate will support the management of forest operations and ensure a culture of health and safety. This role requires practical skills, teamwork, and a commitment to conservation. Benefits include 25 days holiday, pension contributions, and opportunities for professional development. The position is based in Winchester, offering a unique chance to impact national forestry efforts.

Benefits

28.97% pension contribution

25 days holiday

Employee benefits scheme

Free parking

Access to National Arboretums

Career development support

Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to support forest management operations.
• Experience in health and safety practices.
• Strong commitment to conservation and working outdoors.

Responsibilities

• Support the beat forester in managing forest operations.
• Conduct inspections across assigned beats.
• Champion health and safety culture within the team.

Skills

Teamwork

Safety awareness

Practical skills

Job description

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title Forest Craftsperson

Salary- £26,959

Contract type Permanent

Hours 37 hours per week

Vacancy closes - 23:58, 25th January 2026

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 support the beat forester shaping the land we manage doing a range of operations and inspections in the forest, including helping with practical matters that may arise. Be a champion of our health & safety culture demonstrating our value of look out and look after in our work.

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

Where you'll work

Reporting point: Micheldever Forest Office and Operations Yard, London road, Micheldever, Hampshire. SO21 3BP.

The post-holder will work under the direction of Beat Foresters and Beat Work Supervisors on the following on Beats:

• Micheldever Beat
  Comprises of mixed woodland from North and East Hampshire from the Thames Basin Heaths SPA and SSSI in the north through to the Hampshire downs which encompasses significant area of PAWS (Plantation on Ancient Woodland) restoration. Much of these woodlands have significant recreational, heritage and conservation value.
• Solent Beat
  Mixed woodland blocks spread across south central Hampshire and including the Isle of Wight. Forest management includes PAWS restoration, diversifying species and age structure and moving to continuous cover forestry, as well as responding to current tree pests and diseases e.g. Ash dieback. The beat area includes several Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It includes several Leasehold woods where public access is limited as well as locally popular woods with members of the public.

The job-holder will work in a team alongside another Forest Craftsperson and a Tractor driver. The Beats are also supported by a Wildlife Ranger and two Recreation Rangers.

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 of 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

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 experience, a technical skill based questions during your interview. You will be required to complete a practical task as part of the interview process.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are:

• Working together
• Managing a quality service
• Delivering at pace
• Seeing the bigger picture

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

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email .

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: .

LNKD1_UKTJ