Contract Manager

What you’ll do…

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated Contract Manager to manage a portfolio of contracts and service agreements, ensuring delivery against agreed specifications, service standards, health and safety requirements, and environmental obligations. This is a key role within the Business and Finance team, leading delivery of our statutory responsibilities, commercial reporting, and ensuring that all the biodiversity programme operations meet the districts’ budget.

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

We are Forestry England. We are the country’s largest land manager, caring for the nation’s forests for people, nature and the economy. The foundation of our organisation is our world-class sustainable management of the nation’s forests.

Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 170 people with a diverse range of roles – from foresters and wildlife rangers to civil engineers, and ecologists to marketing professionals. We all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares of public forest estate that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Nearly all of our forests are within either a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Much of this forest is of high national importance for nature conservation and wildlife, and of international importance for biodiversity. South England Forest District is therefore responsible for land that includes Sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation (for habitats), Special Protection Areas (for birds) and Ramsar sites (for wetlands). We also provide public access and recreation in our forests, with nearly 50 million visits every year to South England Forest District.

The role can be based in any district office. Our main offices are in the New Forest, Hampshire and Bucks Horn Oak. There is an option for flexible working including hybrid work. You will be expected to work across the whole South District from Dorset to west Sussex.

A full UK drivers licence is required, automatic licence holders are welcome to apply.

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.

Read more about the benefits on Forestry England website.

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. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form.

You will be assessed on a technical skill, behaviours and strength based questions during your interview and complete a presentation task.

Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecrui

If you’re planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you’ve read our guidelines here first.

Read more about our application process and working with us on Forestry England website.

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