Head of Planning, Infrastructure & Built Environment

Forest Services (FS) is the part of Forestry Commission England responsible for expanding, protecting, improving and connecting England’s trees, woodlands and forests. Its component teams – Policy & Advice, Strategy & Transformation, Grants & Regulations, Plant Health Forestry and Area Delivery teams – work together to provide all parts of the trees and woodlands sector with the support it needs to achieve this.

Within FS, the multi-disciplinary Policy and Advice Team (PAT) helps the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and other government departments to develop forestry and woodland policy that works. It does so by drawing on Forest Services’ wide-ranging forestry and woodlands experience, expertise, evidence and networks.

This role, reporting to the Head of Policy, will lead a small team to provide policy expertise to embed trees, woodlands and forestry in the planning system, in infrastructure projects and programmes, and in the design and development of the built environment.

The post will operate in an interdisciplinary environment, working directly with colleagues in Defra, Natural England, the Environment Agency, and wider government and non-government stakeholders to develop and deliver policy and programmes across a range of government objectives.

You will take a leading role in contributing to FC’s mission to expand, protect, improve and connect England’s trees, woodlands and forests by:

• maximising opportunities and synergies across multiple projects and policies for embedding forestry’s role in the planning system and successfully delivering the urban trees agenda
• providing specialist expertise and advice within FC, to Ministers, other public bodies and NGOs on the role of trees, woodlands and forestry in providing ecosystem services and the implications of Government policy for this
• leading the development and delivery of national scale projects

 1) FC’s interaction with the Planning System:

• Lead provision of technical advice within FS on how the planning system affects woodlands
• Work with DLUHC and Defra colleagues to understand proposed changes to the planning system (planning system reform and ‘levelling up’), making active decisions on whether and where action is needed from FC
• Develop the evidence base to underpin and communicate the impacts of development on woodlands, including maximising opportunities for woodland creation and management as well as minimising woodland losses
• Ensuring FC’s engagement with the planning system (in its policy, statutory and non-statutory roles) remains efficient and effective in protecting woodlands from development

 2) Infrastructure & the built environment:

• Lead FC’s role in developing and implementing the Biodiversity Net Gain requirement, drawing in technical and specialist expertise where needed
• Lead FC’s urban forestry and Green Infrastructure activity, including delivery of England Tree Action Plan and other related targets to raise the profile for urban trees and woodlands across FC and beyond
• Lead Forest Services relationship with HS2 and other major infrastructure projects where there is an impact on trees and woodlands
• Ensure FC’s interests in delivering at the local level are properly represented via Defra-wide advisory groups 

 3) Providing leadership within Policy Advice Team and Forest Services:

• Support, encourage and inspire the Planning, Infrastructure & the Built Environment team to perform effectively while ensuring a strong focus on wellbeing and work/life balance
• Contribute to PAT team leadership and Forest Services Senior Managers co-ordination

Experience

ESSENTIAL

• Detailed knowledge and ability to communicate how trees, woodlands and forestry provide benefits to wider society (ecosystem services) through a range of policy objectives
• Proven track record of successfully influencing, negotiating and facilitating the inclusion of trees, woodlands and forests to deliver policy outcomes across a range of programmes and projects
• Experience of building and providing evidence-based advice
• A track record of establishing and managing successful working relationships and networks with a range of stakeholders, to influence others and deliver shared outcomes.
• Ability to inspire, motivate and lead multidisciplinary teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong practical project and programme management skills

Professional and Technical expertise

ESSENTIAL

• A degree or significant equivalent experience in a relevant subject such as land use planning or environment land management
• Strong experience of team leadership and project/programme management
• Competent IT user with experience of the MS Office suite of applications

DESIRABLE

• Professional membership, or eligible for professional membership, of a relevant chartered body such as Landscape Institute, IEMA, Chartered Environmentalist

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture

• 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).

We aim to provide a great place to work, whichever location you work from. Blended working forms part of our flexible and inclusive approach to future ways of working. It is an informal arrangement which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from our Forestry Commission workplaces, subject to role requirements, business needs, and regular review. Informal blended working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager. Further information will be available for candidates invited to interview.

Job contact :

• Name : FS Recruitment
• Email : fs.recruitment@forestrycommission.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : fcerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk