Visitor Services Officer

Forestry England; Holt; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Free parking

Free arboretum entry

Pension scheme

Staff discounts

Career development

Job summary

Forestry England is looking for a Visitor Services Officer to enhance the visitor experience at Alice Holt Forest. You will join a welcoming team and help run the visitor centre, handle sales, and promote memberships and events while ensuring an inclusive, enjoyable visit for all.

The role is permanent, part-time at 22.2 hours per week (Friday to Sunday) with a pay of £27,903 pro rata and pension contributions. 25 days holiday, free parking and arboretum entry are among the benefits.

Responsibilities

• Deliver an exceptional visitor experience and outstanding service at the visitor centre.
• Work with the wider team to maintain visitor facilities and ensure a smooth, inclusive, enjoyable visit.
• Promote Forestry England's work including events, membership and volunteering.

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Alice Holt Forest

Job Reference forestryengland/TP/1995/862

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent

Working Hours:

22.2

Location:

Closing Date:

20/11/2026

Job Category:

Recreation

Region:

South

Business Unit:

South

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Visitor Services Officer

Salary - £27,903 pro rota

Contract type – Permanent

Hours – 22.2 hours per week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday work pattern)

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 Visitor Services Officer, you will contribute to achieving an exceptional visitor experience, providing outstanding service ensuring that our visitors leave with lasting memories. Working across our visitor centre, you will also work with the wider team to maintain our visitor facilities, making sure our visitors have a smooth, inclusive and enjoyable experience. You will help cultivate a supportive and positive work environment that encourages teamwork, productivity and individual growth. You will take opportunities to promote Forestry England's work including events, membership and volunteering.

As part of our visitor welcome team, you will operate our visitor welcome area, handling credit card sales, and proactively selling Forestry England memberships.

Where you’ll work…

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.

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.