Ips typographus Project Officer: Field Surveillance & Outbreak Lead

Government Recruitment Service; Worthing; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Forest Services is seeking two Ips typographus Project Officers to detect, contain and eradicate outbreaks across south-east England. You will coordinate surveillance, field work and response activities, working with landowners, contractors and partner agencies.

As part of the Plant Health Forestry Team, you will help protect England’s treescape by implementing pest management strategies, vaccine-free detection methods and regulatory processes to support eradication and biosecurity efforts.

Responsibilities

• Support the Ips typographus Programme Manager and line manage Ips typographus Support Officer/s to deliver England’s eradication response to Ips typographus.
• Maintain our risk-based surveillance programme for vulnerable spruce stands, with intensified field-work activities during spring and summer seasons.
• Lead the mobilisation of survey teams, prioritise sites according to risk and coordinate resource allocation.
• Collaborate with Forest Research on the management of pheromone trapping detection networks and rapidly respond to trap catches with targeted ground-inspection.
• Oversee inspection requests for spruce felling, movement and processing authorisations, issuing authority letters and maintaining audit-ready records.
• Coordinate the delivery of Statutory Plant Health Notices (SPHNs), ensuring landowners, agents and contractors understand legal requirements, operational timescales and biosecurity obligations.
• Lead and coordinate activities to ensure statutory plant health requirements are implemented effectively and consistently.
• Procure, brief and manage contractors delivering surveillance, sanitation and control measures. Monitor performance against objectives, support budget monitoring and ensure efficient use of resources in the field.
• Drive the proactive spruce removal policy objective in high-risk areas, engaging local landowners and the wider forestry sector. Promote best practice approaches at stakeholder workshops and site visits.
• Lead the gathering, validation and analysis of field data on surveillance, pest distributions, outbreak status and eradication outcomes. Produce clear, timely reports to the Ips typographus Programme Manager that inform tactical decisions and programme review.
• Design and deliver best-practice training sessions for forestry workers, contractors and partner agencies. Assist with the preparation of guidance materials to keep local landowners, the forestry sector and government bodies informed and engaged.
• Support FC and government partnerships on R&D initiatives including remote sensing, debarking-equipment trials and canine detection studies.

Job description

Forest Services is seeking two Ips typographus Project Officers to detect, contain and eradicate outbreaks across south-east England. You will coordinate surveillance, field work and response activities, working with landowners, contractors and partner agencies.

As part of the Plant Health Forestry Team, you will help protect England’s treescape by implementing pest management strategies, vaccine-free detection methods and regulatory processes to support eradication and biosecurity efforts.