Environment Advisor (flexible for Aberfoyle or West Calder)

We’re a flexible employer and encourage applicants who wish to work a flexible working pattern to apply - all requests will be considered.

Nationality Requirements

It’s essential you have the right to work in the UK before applying to work with us, as we’re currently unable to offer sponsorship.

You’ll also need to meet the requirements of the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Disability Confident Scheme

If you apply under the Disability Confident Scheme, you’ll be invited for interview/assessment, so long as you meet any elements of ‘Experience’ or ‘Technical’ marked as essential and can demonstrate the relevant Behaviours set out in the Success Profile.

Further Information

If you have any questions about this post, please email carol.mcginnes@forestryandland.gov.scot

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, or require any adjustments, please email resourcing@forestryandland.gov.scot

About the team

Forestry and Land Scotland is a Scottish Government agency that looks after Scotland’s national forests and land (NFL). While a large proportion of our work involves timber production, we reinvest income into management of the NFL for the benefit of Scotland’s economy, environment and society.

This post of Environment Advisor is based in Central Region, which is an extremely diverse area stretching from the Atlantic oak woodlands on Cowal, in the West, across Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, to the recreational pinewoods of Fife, and includes lowland raised bogs and former coal sites of the southern central belt.

Our Environment Advisor is a key part of the planning and environment team in the region. Working alongside regional colleagues, they are responsible for inputting to land management plans, programming future works on the National Forests and Land, and advising on environmental matters, including the survey work necessary to help with this advice and input. It’s interesting and challenging work which focuses on achieving a balance between planning works, habitat restoration, and advising other teams how we can positively contribute to the climate change/biodiversity crisis and manage the forests and land for maximum environmental benefit.

The Central Region balances traditional timber production with maintenance of world class visitor hotspots.  In recent years, we have faced plant disease and invasive non-native species, the control of which is a large part of our work. This is mixed with opportunities to create new woodland and habitats on vacant and derelict land, and rainforest and bog restoration. The Region looks after Scheduled Monuments, has extensive areas of open ground in the south and east, and manages a number of European Designated sites. Other significant activities include new native woodland creation, peatland restoration, restoration of Plantation on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS), management of key species including red squirrel, great crested newt, pine marten, black grouse and a range of raptor species, and renewables developments.

The successful candidate will be based in either the West Calder or Aberfoyle office, as the role will cover the region with travel around the region required at times.

You will be provided with training opportunities and mentoring and will be working alongside experienced senior team members to help you settle into the role.

What you will do

The Environment Advisor (EA) leads the region’s environment team and ensures it integrates effectively with other teams, developing strategic environmental directions, programmes, and priorities (particularly in relation to priority habitat and species programmes and land management plans).

This role should focus on the strategic approach to environmental preservation and management, and seek to ensure consistency, continuity, and compliance. The EA will act as a link between National Environment Advisors and the Regional Planning Teams to help to prioritise and deliver national policies and objectives in a regionally relevant and pragmatic way. The EA will also represent FLS in liaison with national, regional, and local stakeholders.

You’ll play an integral role in driving forward improvements to environmental programming. Much of this work forms part of substantial projects supporting Scottish Government key objectives on climate change, such as peatland restoration, expanding native woodland and improving the biodiversity value of a wide range of woodland and open habitats – you’ll take the lead on managing and supporting these projects, working with the national team to draw up plans to ensure benefits are delivered and recorded and helping to manage the peatland team.

Main Duties

• Line manage and mentor the small environment team in the region.
• Work with other regional and national teams to help them understand key environment and biodiversity drivers and set up sustainable work processes to encourage practical advice, communication and workflows.
• Oversee the coordination of surveys and site visits to allow programmes of environment work, such as rhododendron control, native woodland restoration, habitat enhancement, to be drawn up. Work with others to seek funding from outside sources and draw up the details of the projects that would be funded this way.
• Advise on, and support your team when they advise on, operational work to ensure protected habitats and species are taken account of and that operations deliver the maximum environmental benefits.
• Help ensure health and safety aspects of work you manage remains a priority.
• Build and develop environment projects to readiness (e.g., rainforest areas) to help seek additional funding opportunity.
• Act as a key contributor to land management plans to ensure they engage fully with biodiversity gain, habitat protection and enhancement.
• Mentor, develop and encourage your team to understand the work of other teams and the organisation and motivate them to contribute to this in a constructive and positive way.
• As part of the regional leadership team, take responsibility for business sustainability and contribute to discussions and debate bringing environmental knowledge to this process.

Success Profile

The Success Profile below set outs the essential and desirable elements that make up the vacant position - you’ll be expected to demonstrate these elements in your application and/or during your interview and/or assessment.

Experience

Essential:

• Strong understanding of priority and protected habitats and species in the UK context, as well as mechanisms for protection and good practice.
• Experience of advising on and managing issues relating to European and UK protected and priority species and habitats.
• Experience of providing successful mitigation advice.
• Demonstrable experience of managing or leading a team.
• Demonstrable experience of engaging with internal clients or differing business/function leads within an organisation, with an ability to develop strong working relationships.

Desirable:

• Experience of coordinating protected species surveys or undertaking monitoring of those species and associated habitats.
• experience of working (facilitation, engagement, and coordination) with external stakeholders to deliver partnership projects.
• Demonstrable understanding of priority and protected habitats and species, and their legislation, policy and protection mechanisms, in the Scottish context.
• Demonstrable experience of managing either large scale budgets or multiple project budgeting.
• Preparation of environmental or land management plans.

Technical

Essential:

• Qualification to degree or equivalent in a relevant environmental or land management-based subject.
• Experience in land management and conservation and providing appropriate advice.
• Membership (Associate or Full) in CIEEM or equivalent professional body, or at least have submitted an application to a body and are awaiting confirmation.
• Demonstrable experience of communicating effectively both in writing and verbally.
• Confident in basic Microsoft Office Packages.
• Competent user of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Desirable:

• Knowledge of native woodland management and conservation, or of open habitat management and conservation (e.g., peatland and meadows).
• Experience in undertaking some specific species or habitat surveys (for example Phase 1 Habitat survey, red squirrel, badger, great crested newt, bats, and/or bird monitoring).
• Knowledge of the scope of current Forestry and Land Scotland guidance for protection of species, habitats and heritage in forests.
• Experience of undertaking ECoW-type responsibility, either advisory or auditing.
• Experience of contributing to Construction Environmental Management Plans (CEMP) or undertaking an ECoW monitoring regime with clear outcomes.
• Confident user of GIS and/or other database software.

Behaviours

On the application form you’ll find four free text boxes to provide your behaviour responses. Please note, you’re only required to provide evidence against the below behaviours on your application. This means that if fewer than four behaviours are noted, you can leave the relevant free text(s) box blank on your application.

Behaviour 1 and Lead Criteria: Communicating and Influencing

Behaviour 2: Making Effective Decisions

Behaviour 3: Seeing the Big Picture

Behaviour 4: Working Together

Driving licence

This role requires you to have a full UK driving licence, however, we are willing to consider any proposals that would allow you to do the job by other means.

Travel

As this role involves working with colleagues across the Central Region, there will be regular travel involved which may include overnight stays away from home.

Travelling at times may also involve visits to remote locations therefore, there is a requirement for you to have a current driving licence that enables you to drive in the UK. However, we are willing to consider any proposals put forward from candidates that would allow you to travel between locations by other means.

What we offer you

If successful, you will be entitled to a wide range of benefits, the detail of which can be found here.

Additional information

We believe it’s important to create an inclusive and supportive work culture, and we welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background.

It’s important you complete the entire application form (where relevant) in sufficient detail – this will give you the best chance of being invited for interview and/or assessment. Where a vacancy attracts a higher number of applications, only ‘Behaviour 1 - lead criteria’ will be assessed at sift stage. However, it is still important that you complete the entire application form in sufficient detail, as there is no way of knowing that a vacancy will have a high number of applications.

Concerns about our recruitment

If you believe the Civil Service Recruitment Principles have been breached, you can submit a complaint to the Head of People and Organisational Development - they will assess compliance with the Principles but will not review the decision(s) of the recruitment panel.

Closing date: 25 September 2022.

Apply here.