Forester

Forestry England; Winchester; Hybrid; GBP 34,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental organization in the UK seeks a Forester for woodland creation. The role involves coordinating forest operations and developing plans to expand woodlands across Hampshire and Kent. The ideal candidate should have experience in forest management and a passion for environmental conservation. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits, including a pension scheme and professional development support.

Benefits

Pension scheme contribution of 28.97%

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Employee benefits discounts

Free parking at Forestry England sites

Qualifications

• Experience in woodland creation and forest operations.
• Ability to develop high-quality plans for woodland projects.
• Willingness to travel across England for work.

Responsibilities

• Deliver Forestry England's ambitions for expanding woodland.
• Coordinate delivery of forest operations on new woodland sites.
• Support woodland creation projects as needed.

Skills

Forest management

Landscape adaptation

Team collaboration

Project coordination

Job description

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title

Forester (Woodland Creation)

Salary

£33,854

Contract type

Fixed term to 31st March 2028

Hours

37 per week

Vacancy closes

08th December 2025, 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

As Forester for woodland creation, you will be a part of the South district team, working closely with the national woodland creation team to deliver Forestry England's ambitions for expanding woodland in England. You will help develop high quality plans and coordinate delivery of forest operations on our new woodland creation sites in Hampshire and Kent. Currently, there are 2 new woodland creation sites amounting to 234.31 hectares. There may be a future requirement to support other woodland creation projects which may involve travel and overnight stays across England.

Where you'll work

You will be based in the south of England with work in Hampshire and Kent. There may also be a requirement to travel across England occasionally.

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 your experience and Behaviours at your interview.

Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

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: .