park ranger Brandon, East of England, England
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About the job
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Location
About the job
Job summary
Trainee Wildlife Ranger East England Forest District
An exciting opportunity to join the East England Wildlife Ranger team.
The successful applicant will train in professional deer and wildlife management activities, learning new skills and working within a team to support the District’s wider objectives such as restocking, biodiversity and long term forest resilience. In doing so you will gain the knowledge and experience required to become a professional wildlife manager.
Job description
The District
This post is based in East England Forest District at the District Office in Santon Downham near Brandon, Suffolk. The District, with over 150 directly employed staff, covers an area of 35,000 ha from North Norfolk to Brighton; including Thetford Forest and the outlying beats of Sandlings, Kent, East Sussex, Chilterns and Thames Chase Community Forest.
The District has a varied landholding including the large pine forest at Thetford, community woodland on the outskirts of London and a range of mixed woodland, many of which are on sites of Ancient Woodland. There are numerous sites of conservation interest designated across the district, including SPA, SAC, SSSI, AONB, ASNW, CWS and Scheduled Monuments. The District offers outdoor recreation activities to hundreds of thousands of people each year at its recreation centres and the whole freehold estate is dedicated for public access on foot, with numerous small carparks and informal access points
East England Forest District Wildlife Team
Training in the management of wildlife, crop protection and conservation. The delivery of operational support in addition to liaising with the general public, tenants, neighbours and outside organisations.
In the beginning of the two year placement the successful applicant will work closely with the Thetford wildlife ranger team to gain the skills and confidence to allow them to take the responsibility for wildlife management, and operational support to the wider district team on their own beat, mentored and monitored by the wildlife team and wildlife ranger manager. There will be opportunities throughout the placement to visit and work in other areas across the district to gain experience in working in differing woodlands and environments and with different species.
The successful applicant will have a designated mentor from within the wildlife team and will report to the Wildlife Ranger Manager
The successful applicant will work out of the district office at Santon Downham and ideally need to be based within a 25 minute drive. The majority of day to day work will be within Thetford forest. The successful applicant will also be expected to travel to other areas of the district across the East of England, and occasionally attend events elsewhere in the country.
Responsibilities
We are looking for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to undertake a period of training with our wildlife management team. To gain the knowledge and experience required to become a safe and effective Wildlife Ranger, managing populations of wild deer in accordance with Best Practice and Forestry England guidance.
The Trainee Wildlife Ranger will support the Wildlife Rangers in Thetford Forest and the surrounding woodlands to meet deer cull targets in line with district objectives. Additionally, there will be opportunities to support the team with conservation and operational roles. Full training and mentoring will be given to reach the standards required.
You will complete an established training programme to:
- Represent Forestry England professionally and positively, acquiring a working knowledge of all of the operations it undertakes.
- Identify tree, and common plant and animal species.
- Undertake safe use and maintenance of firearms in accordance with current legislation, best practice, and Forestry England operational guidance, policy and procedures.
- Safely and humanely cull deer and present carcasses at the required high standard, using the Wildlife Management System to record all deer cull data.
- Safely and humanely cull other species such as rabbits and hares in line with district policies and following Forestry England operational guidance
- Recognise tree damage and produce survey reports.
- Advise and support Forest District staff in restock design, appropriate protection methods (including deer fencing) and tree species choice to aid prevention and reduction of deer damage.
- Inspect fences and prepare reports on their condition and possible repairs.
- Support the wider district team with conservation work.
- Undertake a range of ecological surveys.
- Liaise with game shoots and deer control licences operating on Forestry England Land.
- Build knowledge and confidence to work within a team supporting other colleagues as necessary and contribute to forest district wildlife and design plans.
- Meet appropriate standards of health and safety, operational efficiency, and quality of output.
- Latterly, as skills develop and you become an independent wildlife ranger there will be a significant increase in lone working.
- Dawn and dusk working is required therefore split working days are expected and some night time operations.
The post is operational. Regular out of hours work should be expected.
Person specification
The candidate should be able to demonstrate experience of successful working to their own initiative and without day-by-day supervision, as well as experience of working in a team. They should display an enthusiasm for and experience of working in the countryside and a knowledge of it’s management.
Experience
Essential
An interest in wildlife and nature- Experience of working alone, outdoors in a range of weather conditions and during unsociable hours
Desirable
- An understanding of woodlands, their management and ecology
- Experience of firearms use, and
- Experience deer management and carcass preparation.
- Experience of working in a woodland environment
Professional and Technical Expertise
Essential
- Full current driving licence
- A valid police firearms certificate
Desirable
- Deer Stalking Certificate (DSC) 1
- A qualification in wildlife or conservation land management
- Competent user of IT including Microsoft Office applications
Licences
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Working Together
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Firearms handling and safety - candidates will be asked to complete a stills test as part of the interview process.
- Basic deer and wildlife identification and knowledge - candidates will be asked to complete a skills test as part of the interview process.
Benefits
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing by one day per year to 30 days plus public holidays
Things you need to know
Selection process details
The FTA position is a trainee Fixed Term Appointment for up to 2 years with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee.
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
- A Personal Statement (no longer than two pages and 750 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience are suitable for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.
Failure to 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.
A panel will look for applications that demonstrate the best fit with the role by considering the evidence you have provided against the criteria set out in the Job Description and Responsibilities. Failure to address any or all of these criteria may affect your application.
Expected Timeline (subject to change)
- Sift w/c 24th August 2023
- Interviews w/c 6th-7th September 2023
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.
Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed using behaviour based questioning where we will be asking for evidence from previous roles and experiences. They may also be asked to complete a site based exercise and practical skills test
Applicants will only be invited for interview if they achieve a “pass” for each section of their application form. If we receive more applications that meet the criteria than interview slots available we will invite applicants on the basis of the highest score in the Experience section.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to FC from another 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.
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.
Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.
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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