Project Manager

Forestry England; Forest; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension contributions

25 days holiday (pro rata for part‑tim

Free parking at Forestry England sites

Free entry to National Arboreta

Career development support

Job summary

Forestry England is seeking a Project Manager to deliver a portfolio of environmental projects across the East England District. You’ll manage projects from concept to completion, coordinating with colleagues, advisers, contractors and external partners to ensure timely delivery within budget and quality standards.

The role covers East England District offices, with potential travel to Santon Downham and Bedgebury.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects from initial idea through to completion with colleagues, advisers, contractors and external partners.
• Deliver projects safely on time, within budget and to required quality standards.
• Develop project plans, manage budgets, monitor risks and report progress.
• Develop business cases and investment proposals to support decision making and value for money.
• Oversee projects such as upgrading facilities, estate and infrastructure improvements, and enhancing visitor facilities.

Skills

Project management

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - East England Forest District

Job Reference forestryengland/TP/2515/845

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent

Working Hours:

37

Location:

East England Forest District

Closing Date:

10/11/2026

Job Category:

Project Management

Region:

East

Business Unit:

East

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Project Manager

Salary – £40,388 to £43,482

Contract type – Permanent

Vacancy closes - 23:58, 10th November

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'll help deliver a wide range of projects that improve our forests, estates and visitor facilities across the East of England.

Working across the East England District, which covers around 35,000 hectares from Norfolk in the north to the Sussex coast in the south, and west to Buckinghamshire, you'll manage a diverse portfolio of environmental projects that support Forestry England's Growing the Future ambitions.

As a Project Manager, you'll lead projects from initial idea through to completion, working with colleagues, specialist advisers, contractors and external partners to deliver successful outcomes. You'll ensure projects are safely delivered on time, within budget and to the required quality standards.

You'll be responsible for developing project plans, managing budgets, monitoring risks and reporting progress. You'll also help develop business cases and investment proposals, providing clear recommendations that support decision making and secure value for money.

The projects you oversee could include:

• Replacing and improving operational facilities, such as game larders that support sustainable deer management.


• Delivering estate and infrastructure improvement projects across the forest estate.


• Enhancing visitor facilities to improve access and customer experience.


• Delivering projects that support Forestry England's Net Zero ambitions, including renewable energy, low carbon infrastructure and initiatives that reduce emissions across the forest estate

Success in this role will depend on your ability to build strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, bringing together different perspectives to deliver practical, lasting improvements across our forests and estates.

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

Where you’ll work…

The role can be based at any Forestry England office within East England District. We particularly welcome applications from candidates who can regularly work from our office at Santon Downham, Suffolk (IP27 0TJ), or our office at Bedgebury, Kent (TN17 2SL).

As the role will work across East England then occasional travel will be required including ad hoc overnight stays.

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.

As part of your application, you'll need to provide your career and education history, and complete:

• A personal statement of no more than 500 words

You may also be assessed on Experience, Strength based questions, and/or the Technical Success Profile at the interview. The technical element could include a presentation, practical or written task.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you’ve read our guidelines here first.

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] .