Business Development Advisor (Woodland Creation) Ref 225449 x 7 posts
Forestry Commission
Salary: £35,167 - £38,081
Grade: Higher Executive Officer / Pay Band 4
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed Hours
Closing Date: Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 5th September 2022
Locations: East Midlands, East of England, London (region), North East England, North West England, South East England, West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber.
Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas.
Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our Prime Minister and our government are committed to creating 30,000ha of woodland a year across the UK by the end of this Parliament. This 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 in the March 2020 budget of a new Nature for Climate Fund ‘to support natural habitats like woodland and peat’.
The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have set up a joint tree planting programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners and communities in the delivery of these ambitions.
Forestry Commission will lead the delivery of the following parts of the tree planting programme:
Promotion and engagement.
Developing sector capacity.
Woodland creation on public land.
Woodland creation on private land.
As part of the promotion and engagement project, this role will develop a pipeline of woodland proposals through identifying how woodland creation and management can meet land owners’ and managers’ objectives. You will work closely with a broad range of customers and stakeholders, and will have a sound understanding of land management and/or agriculture complemented by an understanding of forestry.
Job description
If you are passionate about the role forestry can play in creating a better future for England, and want to play a part in that, we want to hear from you.
By joining this programme you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and you will have the opportunity to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to revolutionise how we reach new audiences and influence the woodland creation agenda.
Our staff engagement levels are consistently well above the Civil Service average and staff turnover is well below. We value our people, we look after them, and we will look after you. We hope you will join us for the challenge.
The Business Development Advisor will be responsible for identifying opportunities for woodland creation and management that meet land-owners’ and managers’ objectives, to create a pipeline of woodland creation proposals supporting tree planting ambitions.
KEY WORK AREAS
• Plan and prioritise engagement with landowners and managers based on Area plans and priorities, and relevant data available, working closely with Area colleagues.
• Meet landowners and managers to assess their business requirements, conduct whole holding or business audits, and identify woodland creation and management opportunities that meet the landowners’ objectives.
• Develop a local network with the forestry and land management sector, sharing skills and knowledge with advisors and those supporting land-use decisions.
• Approach and engage with local advisors/agents/stakeholder networks offering information on woodland creation.
• Attend events to talk directly to farmers/landowners engaging in proactive lead generation/targeting and to provide advice on woodland creation.
• Assist with the planning and delivery of local networking events and agricultural shows.
• Engage with existing and new customers and stakeholders to strengthen understanding and awareness of the woodland creation offer, building on established relationships with Area teams.
• Manage customer journey from initial engagement through to the point of proceeding with woodland creation project, liaising with the Woodland Creation Officer and Woodland Officer.
• Keep CRM system information up to date, following up on all leads and tracking prospective customers.
• Lead the programme agenda with the sector to facilitate accelerated woodland creation
• Collect and feedback intelligence to inform development or improvement of promotional tools, and to inform improvements to the woodland creation offer.
• Provide content input as subject matter expert.
• Maintain an understanding of current market trends and work with regional and national teams to address market challenges and opportunities.
We are open to part-time working, particularly when combined with farming or other land-based activity.
The role will report to the Regional Promotion Manager.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential Criteria
• Agricultural/environmental degree or equivalent qualification/experience.
• Sound technical understanding of land management and/or agriculture, able to understand estate/farm business objectives and current landscape.
• Business planning skills with experience of advising on and designing land management proposals.
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Experience of successfully building and maintaining relationships and networks.
• Highly organised and a proactive communicator.
• Team player, able to work effectively with colleagues.
• Competent with IT systems and Microsoft Office.
Desirable Criteria
• Working knowledge of forestry.
• FACTS and/or BASIS qualifications advantageous, and/or member of Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
• Existing landowner/stakeholder networks.
• Experience in GIS software desirable, to support customer targeting based on spatial information.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service
Seeing the Big Picture
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Agricultural degree or equivalent qualification/experience
Benefits
• A Civil Service pension.
• A range of family friendly benefits.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
• 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.
• 25 days annual leave plus 10.5 bank holidays/privilege days. (pro rata)
• Ability to buy or sell 2 days annual leave.
• 3 days volunteering per year. (pro rata)
If you have the necessary skills and experience and have the legal right to live and work in the UK, please click on the 'Apply Now' button to be redirected to Civil Service Jobs to make your application.
