Harvesting Manager (Direct Production)

Forestry Commission; England; On-site; GBP 36,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in forestry seeks a Harvesting Manager to lead their Direct Production Team. The role involves planning and supervising harvesting operations, ensuring safety standards, engaging customers, and managing budgets to deliver quality timber. This position is integral to supporting conservation and supply contracts, with significant responsibilities in both leadership and operational execution.

Benefits

Learning and development tailored to your role

Flexible working options

Pension contribution of 28.97%

Inclusive and diverse culture

Qualifications

• Experience of managing a team and successful team working.
• Experience of planning and supervising forestry operations with a focus on health and safety.
• Experience in budgeting and managing contracts.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Direct Production Team for harvesting operations.
• Plan and implement high-quality harvesting operations to meet standards.
• Engage customers demonstrating professionalism in the timber market.

Skills

Team Leadership

Health and Safety Management

Budget Management

Contract Management

Customer Engagement

Education

Experience in Forestry Operations

Competent IT user with MS Office

Job description

Bucks Horn Oak, South East England, GU10 4LS

Job Summary

The Harvesting Manager (Direct Production) leads our Direct Production Team (made up of this role and two Work Supervisors) to deliver our local harvesting programme.

Working closely with our Land Management and Planning teams, you will develop, plan and manage all direct production harvesting operations across South District. You will support colleagues to deliver against our forest design plans and conservation objectives, whilst fulfilling our supply contracts of around 50,000m3 of timber per year to our sawmill customers.

Working from our offices in Lyndhurst or Micheldever, you will report to the South District Operations Manager (Harvesting & Marketing).

Job Description

• Proactively lead, maintain and foster an effective DP team which works actively, efficiently and safely.
• Prepare and implement plans to deliver high quality harvesting operations that meet the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) and UK Forestry Standard (UKFS).
• Plan, procure, and manage contracts to effectively meet timber harvesting objectives, whilst meeting all relevant guidelines and legislation.
• Engage existing and prospective customers, demonstrating the highest standards of professionalism when representing Forestry England in the timber marketplace.
• Within harvesting sites manage aspects of wildlife, woodland, and heritage conservation, and have awareness of legal and financial implications.
• Champion improvements in Forestry England’s health & safety culture.
• Deliver a positive and inclusive culture, fostering cross-functional collaboration and support.
• Promote learning and development opportunities amongst the team.
• Maintain professional and productive relationships with Foresters and Managers across several beats and work collaboratively with colleagues across the wider district.
• Co-ordinate the production and dispatch of wood for the DP Unit and liaise with customers.
• Make sure work you are responsible for complies with health and safety guidance, and communicate the importance of working safely, to manage risks across operations for staff, contractors, customers, and the environment.
• Help maintain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation.
• Be responsible for the DP harvesting budget.
• Efficiently manage resources so the DP harvesting programme is delivered effectively and efficiently.
• Assist the Harvesting Operations Manager to prepare the annual DP business plan.
• Monitor, re-forecast and report on budgets and key performance indicators throughout the year.
• Act as Duty Officer providing 24 hr. emergency contact cover for a period of one week approximately every 14 weeks i.e. approximately 4 times per year.
• And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
• Proactively lead, maintain and foster an effective DP team which works actively, efficiently and safely.
• Prepare and implement plans to deliver high quality harvesting operations that meet the UK Woodland Assurance Standard (UKWAS) and UK Forestry Standard (UKFS).
• Plan, procure, and manage contracts to effectively meet timber harvesting objectives, whilst meeting all relevant guidelines and legislation.
• Engage existing and prospective customers, demonstrating the highest standards of professionalism when representing Forestry England in the timber marketplace.
• Within harvesting sites manage aspects of wildlife, woodland, and heritage conservation, and have awareness of legal and financial implications.
• Champion improvements in Forestry England’s health & safety culture.
• Deliver a positive and inclusive culture, fostering cross-functional collaboration and support.
• Promote learning and development opportunities amongst the team.
• Maintain professional and productive relationships with Foresters and Managers across several beats and work collaboratively with colleagues across the wider district.
• Co-ordinate the production and dispatch of wood for the DP Unit and liaise with customers.
• Make sure work you are responsible for complies with health and safety guidance, and communicate the importance of working safely, to manage risks across operations for staff, contractors, customers, and the environment.
• Help maintain Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accreditation.
• Be responsible for the DP harvesting budget.
• Efficiently manage resources so the DP harvesting programme is delivered effectively and efficiently.
• Assist the Harvesting Operations Manager to prepare the annual DP business plan.
• Monitor, re-forecast and report on budgets and key performance indicators throughout the year.
• Act as Duty Officer providing 24 hr. emergency contact cover for a period of one week approximately every 14 weeks i.e. approximately 4 times per year.
• And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Professional And Technical Experience

• Experience of managing a team, as well as demonstrating successful team working.
• Experience of planning and supervising forestry operations, and ability to demonstrate a significant understanding of health and safety in forestry.
• Experience of managing a budget, and a sound understanding of and experience of managing contracts.
• Competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications. Desirable professional and technical experience
  
  

Desirable Professional And Technical Experience

• Experience of using (forestry) Geographic Information System.
  
  

Licences

Full Driver's Licence

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
  
  

Alongside your salary of £35,580, Forestry Commission contributes £10,307 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
  
  

Selection process details

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

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 –

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
  
  

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 and Experience.

Security

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

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 : 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.