Site Manager - Northern Ireland

Construction; Bangor; Hybrid; GBP 36,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Enhanced Employer Pension

Life Assurance

Flexible and hybrid working options (7

25 Days plus Bank Holidays (pro rata)

Buy and sell holiday scheme

Enhanced parental pay

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

The Woodland Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, seeks a stakeholder-focused woodland operations lead to manage diverse sites and develop long-term plans. You’ll coordinate contractors, volunteers and partners to deliver high-quality conservation programmes while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

Based remotely with regular travel across the UK, you’ll build community relationships, secure funding, and represent the charity at events, driving public engagement and

Qualifications

• Proven experience in forestry, conservation or land management.
• Experience leading complex projects across multiple priorities and workstreams.
• Strong contract and contractor management, including procurement and monitoring.
• Experience with deer management, tree health issues, pests, diseases and invasive species.
• Ability to engage with government bodies to secure grants and approvals.
• Experience carrying out tree safety inspections and managing health and safety risks.

Responsibilities

• Lead sustainable management of woodland sites including ancient woodland and biodiversity habitats.
• Develop and review long-term woodland management plans through assessments and monitoring.
• Plan, procure and manage woodland operations, overseeing contractors and volunteers.
• Ensure safety and compliance through inspections, risk assessments and record keeping.
• Engage communities and partners, delivering training and educational programmes.
• Collaborate with forestry, conservation, communications and fundraising teams on regional projects.
• Manage budgets, grants and funding opportunities to support conservation and public engagement.
• Represent the organisation through events, site visits and storytelling to inspire support.
• This is a homebased role requiring regular travel within the UK, living near responsibilities, with occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays.

Job description

The Role:

• Lead the sustainable management of a diverse portfolio of woodland sites, including ancient woodland, high biodiversity habitats, designated sites and veteran trees.
• Develop, implement and review long-term woodland management plans through site assessments, monitoring and continuous improvement activities.
• Plan, procure and manage woodland operations, overseeing contractors, volunteers and partners to ensure high-quality delivery of work programmes.
• Ensure woodland sites are safe, welcoming and compliant with health and safety requirements through inspections, risk assessments and appropriate record keeping.
• Build strong relationships with local communities, stakeholders and land management partners, promoting positive engagement and collaboration. Including safely delivering activities, training, mentoring and educational programmes for children and vulnerable adults. M
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across forestry, conservation, communications and fundraising teams to deliver regional projects and organisational objectives.
• Manage budgets, grants and funding opportunities to support woodland conservation, enhancement and public engagement initiatives.
• Represent and promote the organisation through events, site visits, volunteer programmes and compelling storytelling that inspires support for our mission.
• This is a homebased role, requiring regular travel to locations within the Northern Ireland, sometimes to remote locations. You would be expected to live within reasonable travelling distance of your area of responsibility. Occasional travel to regional offices and overnight stays will be required.
• A company vehicle will be provided for this role. Please note that our Company Vehicle Policy is under review as part of our Job Families and Contract Review project, so eligibility criteria may change.

The Candidate:

• Proven experience in forestry, conservation or land management, with responsibility for woodlands and sites of high ecological or conservation value.
• Experience leading complex projects, managing budgets and delivering successful outcomes across multiple priorities and workstreams.
• Strong contract and contractor management experience, including procurement, tendering, contract administration and performance monitoring.
• Practical experience working with deer management, tree health issues, pests, diseases and invasive non-native species to support conservation objectives.
• Confidence working with government bodies and regulatory agencies to secure grants, statutory consents and environmental approvals.
• Experience carrying out tree safety inspections and managing health and safety risks across operational and remote site environments.
• Effective people leadership and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build positive relationships and influence a range of audiences.
• Relevant forestry, land management or environmental qualification (or equivalent experience), a full driving licence and willingness to travel across the region.
• The successful candidate will be required to undertake an Enhanced Access NI with Child Barred List, as part of our pre-employment screening.

Benefits and Wellbeing:

Joining our team means you'll be part of our fight for a greener, healthier planet for people and wildlife. We take good care of our staff, offering support and training opportunities. We also offer:

• Enhanced Employer Pension
• Life Assurance
• Flexible and hybrid working options (7am - 7pm)
• Generous annual leave - 25 Days plus Bank Holidays (pro rata for part-time)
• Buy and sell holiday scheme
• Enhanced parental pay
• Employee assistance programme

To support inclusivity and remove barriers for candidates, we publish all salaries upfront and proudly follow the We Show the Salary pledge. The salary listed is the set salary for this role, and we don't ask applicants to state their current pay or expectations. If you choose to apply, we'll take that as confirmation that the advertised salary meets your expectations.

About Us:

The Woodland Trust is the UK's largest woodland conservation charity. We want to see a world where woods and trees thrive for people and nature. The Trust engages and inspires people to make a difference by protecting, restoring and creating woodland and getting more trees in the ground.

Our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion:

To achieve our mission, we need to better reflect society and the communities we work in. People of colour and disabled people are currently under-represented across the environment and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we particularly encourage you to apply.