Volunteer Coordinator

Forestry England; Grizedale; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension

Holiday entitlement

Learning & development

Free parking

Job summary

Forestry England in Grizedale is seeking a Volunteer Coordinator to deliver and grow our volunteering programme across the North District. You will work with recreation, land management and business support teams to plan, recruit and manage volunteering opportunities, contributing over 50,000 volunteer hours annually.

The role combines desk work with on-site supervision, requires coordinating volunteers, ensuring activities are delivered safely and in line with Forestry England standards, and

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating volunteering programmes.
• Ability to recruit and manage volunteers across multiple sites.
• Familiarity with safety standards for volunteering activities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and grow the volunteering programme across the North District.
• Plan, recruit and manage a wide range of volunteering opportunities.
• Support volunteer supervisors and ensure activities are delivered safely and to Forestry England standards.

Skills

Volunteer coordination

Program management

On-site supervision

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Grizedale

Job Reference forestryengland/TP/7583/735

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Fixed Term Appointment

Working Hours:

37

Location:

Grizedale

Closing Date:

30/08/2026

Job Category:

Land Management

Region:

North

Business Unit:

National Operations

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Volunteer Coordinator

Salary- £30,105 per annum

Contract type – Fixed term appointment until end of March 2029, with the possibility of extension or permanency

Vacancy closes - 30th August,23:58

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…

We are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to help deliver and grow our volunteering programme across our North District which covers Northumberland, Cumbria, County Durham and North Lancashire. Volunteering plays a key role in how we connect people with our forests, and this post will support over 50,000 volunteer hours delivered each year. You will work with teams across recreation, land management and business support to help plan, recruit and manage a wide range of volunteering opportunities. This is a varied, operational role combining coordination, monitoring and hands‑on support. You will spend time both working at a desk and out on site, supporting volunteer supervisors and helping ensure activities are delivered safely, effectively and in line with Forestry England standards.

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

Where you’ll work…

The post is full time and based at our Grizedale office, Cumbria, with blended working opportunities.

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.

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.

You will be assessed on experience and strength based questions during your interview.

“If candidates pass the interview but are not the leading candidate they can be placed on a reserve list. We may offer candidates on the reserve list for this role the opportunity to be considered for other roles at the same or lower pay bands.”

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] .

This role is funded by DEFRA rather than through Forestry England generated revenue, and is therefore subject to government spending reviews. While DEFRA has indicated long term support for the Biodiversity Programme and we expect funding to continue, it is possible that funding levels may change at the end of any financial year depending on DEFRA’s budget allocations. In the event of funding changes, we would prioritise retaining staff posts wherever possible. This approach is consistent for roles within publicly funded organisations. We are committed to keeping staff informed and supported through any changes.