District Ecologist

Position Overview

District Ecologist – Permanent, salary £33,854 per annum, 37 hours per week. Based at the East England offices at Santon Downham, Suffolk, with regular attendance required and the possibility of working at other district locations.

• Provide ecological advice to colleagues within the East District.
• Ensure Forestry England complies with environmental legislation while carrying out forestry, recreation and conservation objectives.
• Line‑manage an Assistant Ecologist.
• Deliver conservation enhancement projects aimed at improving SSSIs and other protected sites and species.

• Relevant experience in ecology or a related environmental discipline.
• Knowledge of environmental legislation and forestry management practices.
• Strong communication, collaboration and leadership skills.
• Commitment to continuous professional development and professional memberships.
• Applicants must be able to provide accurate spoken English.
• Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the Government baseline personnel security standard check.

• Salary of £33,854 per annum.
• 28.97% pension contribution (Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme).
• 25 days holiday per year, increasing by one day per year of service up to 30 days.
• Employee benefits scheme (STaR) offering discounts on supermarket shopping, hotel stays, clothes, mobile phones, electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym, household bills and the Headspace wellbeing app.
• Free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
• Support for career development through continuous professional development, individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.

Forestry England is part of the Civil Service and supports a Disability Confident Scheme, redeployment interview scheme for current civil servants and initiatives for veterans and prison leavers. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply. Applicants must not be discriminated against on the basis of protected characteristics and must meet the basic English language requirement.