Location
Any FC office (subject to office availability with working pattern/blended working arrangement)
About The Job
Job summary
Our government are committed to creating 75,000 acres of woodland a year across the UK by the end of this Parliament. This seven-fold acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government’s wider environmental targets. This was supported by the announcement at the 11 March 2020 budget of £640m for a new Nature for Climate Fund (NCF) ‘to support natural habitats like woodland and peat’.
Forest Services is the part of Forestry Commission responsible for helping landowners and managers, businesses civil society organisations and local communities (the ‘forestry sector’) to protect, improve and expand England’s woodland resource.
We are looking for two enthusiastic and experienced Project Management professionals to help Forest Services manage and deliver transformation projects across each area of the organisation. You will work closely with the Business Change, Development, Corporate Services and IT teams, working on a variety of projects such as streamlining our front line processes, bringing in new IT systems, and improving our project management capability. We are looking for applications from candidates with experience of managing a broad range of projects and working with a range of stakeholders.
Our staff engagement levels are consistently well above the Civil Service average. We value our people, we look after them, and we will look after you. We hope you will join us for the challenge.
2 x permanent roles
1 x Fixed Term Appointment until 30th September 2025
We are looking for three experienced project management professionals to support the delivery of Forest Services new strategy and associated projects. You will set up project management structures and reporting mechanisms and manage all stages of project delivery.
Key work areas
You will:
- Support the wider team in refining the Forest Services Project Management Toolkit and supporting its promotion across the organisation.
- Contribute to, or manage the production of, other documents as required, including stakeholder engagement and communications plans, ensuring that all relevant documentation is completed to enable delivery of the projects
- Produce and manage project plans for delivering Forest Services strategy or wider change work, using tools and templates from Forestry Commission’s project management toolkit
- Develop a benefits realisation plan for each project
- Track and report progress against agreed milestones
- Provide key reports as required and support effective governance and decision making
- Work with the Business Change Manager to ensure effective change management processes are in place
- Manage the development and agreement of key success measures and associated reporting
- Set up and manage the risks and issues log to support the successful delivery of each project
Person specification
- A recognised project management qualification (e.g. APM practitioner; Prince2 practitioner) or significant equivalent experience.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to see the big picture as well as the detail.
- A positive and enthusiastic project management professional, you will have: Considerable experience of managing large and complex projects.
- Experience of working with a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
- Experience of working in ambiguous environments, with the ability to manage a busy workload and quickly respond to emerging or changing priorities.
Please clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Communicating and Influencing
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Delivering at Pace
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £35,870, Forestry Commission contributes £9,721 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- An environment with flexible working options.
- 25 days annual leave, with 1 additional day for each years’ service up to 5 years (pro rata), plus 10.5 bank holidays/privilege days (pro rata)
- A range of wellbeing benefits including discounted Civil Service Healthcare, access to an Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, Bike to Work Scheme, plus many more.
- A Civil Service pension.
- Ability to buy or sell 5 days annual leave.
- Learning and development tailored to your role.
- 3 days volunteering per year (pro rata).
- A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
- A range of family friendly benefits.
We aim to provide a great place to work, whichever location you work from. Blended working forms part of our flexible and inclusive approach to future ways of working. It is an informal arrangement which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from our Forestry Commission workplaces, subject to role requirements, business needs, and regular review. Informal blended working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager. Further information will be available for candidates invited to interview.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
There are 3 roles for this campaign, 2 x permanent roles and 1 Fixed Term Appointment until 30th September 2025 with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee
As part of the application process, you will complete the following:
- A tailored CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A personal statement – in no more than 750 words please provide details of how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
At interview, you will be assessed against Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
Indicative timeline:
- Shortlisting to take place w/c 4th September 2023.
- Interviews to be carried out w/c 11th September 2023.
Please be aware dates may be subject to change for both sifting and interviews.
The highest scoring candidates will be offered the permanent positions, the third highest scoring will be offered the Fixed Term Appointment.
We will be conducting online interviews with the use of Microsoft Teams or equivalent online communication methods. Candidates would therefore require access to a computer and internet at interview stage.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 m onths from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Forestry Commission from a nother employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing
[email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
Where a role has been identified as one which falls under the scope of the Public Sector English Language Requirements, within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English. Applicants will be assessed in the selection process in accordance with the requirements. 2022).
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Successful candidates if using their own private vehicle for business travel will need to comply with the Forestry Commission travel policy on CO2 emissions (115g maximum CO2/km from April
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service vi a FCERecruitment.grs@c abinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality Requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- UK nationals
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window) .
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window) .
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email:
[email protected]. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
