loan officer Surrey
Job description
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Environment and Sustainability
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Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
Forest Services as part of Forestry Commission are the Government’s forestry experts. We advise nationally and locally on how to unlock the full potential of woodlands and support the forestry sector to protect, improve and expand England’s valuable woodland assets, ensuring that they continue to provide benefits to people, the environment and the economy.
The South-East and London Area stretches from Kent in the east to Hampshire in the west, as far north as Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, and the greater London area. This post will be based in the Bucks Horn Oak Office in Alice Holt Forest, Surrey.
The Area Team is led by Jane Hull (Area Director) and comprises 54 staff. The team support delivery of the Government’s ambition to increase tree and woodland canopy cover from 14.5% to 16.5% by 2050 alongside protecting our existing woodland and bringing more of of it under positive management.
Job description
The purpose of the job for the Area Administrative Officer is to provide effective administrative support to the Area Team and to proactively ensure that appropriate procedures are followed and that relevant Forestry Commission England standards are met.
Some travel may be required with very occasional overnight stays
Key work areas
Financial support including:
- Finance tasks such as payments, monitoring and liaising with the Finance team
- Booking travel and accommodation
- Collation and scrutiny of claims
- Monitoring of budgets
- Exploring office cost savings where appropriate
Admin support to Area team including:
- Health and Safety responsibilities as required by Area Director:
- Support the Area Business Manager:
- Maintaining robust and effective file storage on Sharepoint area, including being Office 365 Champion.
- Training Co-ordinator for the area team
Office management including:
- Receptionist duties and dealing with area team post,
- Monitoring and coordinating office maintenance procedures and contracts, including
- biomass boiler,
- cleaning contract,
- printers,
- kitchen,
- other equipment,
- buildings maintenance in liaison with Forestry England (Bucks Horn Oak only),
- weekly and monthly fire checks in liaison with Forestry England and admin hub’
- Fire Marshal - one of a team of Fire Marshals for the Bucks Horn Oak building.
Communications and partnership support to Area team including:
- Preparing a weekly update,
- Providing secretariat for the Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committees,
- Maintaining contacts,
- Circulating: e-alerts, invitations to events, etc,
- Maintain library, publications stocks and exhibition materials,
- Maintain filing and review as required.
- Planning applications impacting trees and woodland: monitor and triage planning application consultations that come into the dedicated mail box.
Personal Development - Undertake training and development in line with your Individual Learning Plan to develop competencies required for the post.
Person specification
ESSENTIAL
- Proficient in use of the MS Office suite of applications (including Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint and Teams)
- A minimum of 5 GCSEs/Standard Grades or equivalent (A-C passes) including English Language and Maths is required.
- Good organisational skills, including prioritising workloads and multitasking projects.
- Good communication skills
DESIRABLE
- A general interest in woodland management
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Delivering at Pace
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, with 1 additional day for each years’ service up to 5 years (pro rata), plus 10.5 bank
- holidays/privilege days (pro rata).
- Ability to buy or sell 5 days annual leave.
- 3 days volunteering per year (pro rata).
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process, you will complete the following:
1. A tailored CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements, of no more than two pages. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A personal statement – in no more than 750 words please provide details of how you meet the criteria of the person specification.
3. You will also be asked to provide two 250-word statements relating to the Behaviours on the application form.
Applications will be sifted week commencing 14th August 2023. This date is subject to change.
Interviews will be held on Friday 25th August 2023. This date is subject to change.
Interviews are to be held in person at our Bucks Horn Oak office, Surrey, GU10 4LS. Please keep this in mind when applying.
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential experience person specification requirements shown above within the application responses. Failure to fully complete both sections (CV and Personal Statement) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. The panel will look for applications that demonstrate the best fit for the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the job description and responsibilities.
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.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Forestry Commission from an other 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 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.
The duties of this post require the applicant to have a full current driving licence that enables them to drive in the UK. However, the Forestry Commission is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means.
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 via [email protected] 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
Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- 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)
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
Working for the Civil Service
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).
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