JOB DESCRIPTION

• support, coordinate and line manage the two Forest Wardens in their day-to-day work of protecting the forest, fostering a safety-first culture and a strong team working approach
• in liaison with the Area Land Agents, undertake routine permission and licence renewals associated with the Forest of Dean
• undertake site visits as necessary to assist the Forest Wardens in investigating encroachments, potential impact of planning applications or wayleave requests, fly-tipping, unauthorised encampments and/or other anti-social activity, liaising if required with the Forestry and/or Recreation delivery teams
• follow up site visits with suitable paperwork and/or practical solutions to close out issues in a timely and professional manner
• carry out the management of due processes and appropriate liaison for wayleaves, unauthorised encampments
• respond to general estates enquiries and land use related complaints
• attend the Sheep Liaison Group with / or on behalf of the Deputy Surveyor to report on and agree actions to address issues arising from the tradition of free-roaming sheep on the Forest
• provide support to the Forest of Dean delivery teams in the event of emergency situations such as storms, flooding or fire as may be necessary to ensure a safe and professional response to unplanned events
  And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.

ESSENTIAL PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

• a full driving licence
• strong written and oral communication skills are required with a regular need to write accurate site visit notes and letters; as well as the potential for difficult conversations requiring calm, clear communication and the need to develop strong working relationships with users of the forest

DESIRABLE PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE

• previous experience of line management
• previous experience in an Estates/property/legal department
• knowledge of Foresterweb/GIS based mapping systems will be an advantage, although full training will be given

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

WHAT YOU’LL DO

In the Forest of Dean the Estates Team is challenged by a rich historic legacy of embedded cottages, small-holdings and newer builds each with their own boundary, services and access issues and difficulties. This leads to a plethora of both routine and difficult/contentious cases requiring attention by the team to preserve the legal integrity, aesthetic and environmental values of the Forest. Accordingly, the Estates team in the Forest of Dean is supported by two Forest Wardens (PB6a) to patrol the Forest to inspect property boundaries and other Estate features that don’t sit with the Forestry or Recreation delivery teams; to lead on our response to fly-tipping, unauthorised camping/travellers and other estate infringements and to monitor temporary uses of, and works within, the landholding. To coordinate this work and provide support to the Forest Wardens, we are recruiting to the position of Estates Officer (PB5).
Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.