Environment Manager

Working Pattern: This is a full time vacancy of 37 hours per week; how

ever, we are a flexible employer and encourage applicants who wish to other flexible working patterns to apply, as requests will be considered.

Nationality Requirements: We are currently unable to sponsor individuals to work in the UK; therefor it is essential that you ensure that you have the Right to work in the UK before applying to work with us.

You will also be required to meet the nationality requirements to work for the Civil Service.

Disability Confident Scheme: Applicants claiming a guaranteed interview will be invited for further assessment should they meet the minimum essential criteria listed in this document.

Further information about this post is available from Trefor Owen, Head of Land Management: Trefor.Owen@forestryandland.gov.scot

If you have any queries relating the recruitment process or require any adjustments for the application process, please contact HR@forestryandland.gov.scot

About the team

Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) is an executive agency of Scottish Government and manages Scotland’s Forest and Land. We manage more than 9% of Scotland on behalf of Scottish Ministers and serve as part of the Environment and Forestry directorate of the Scottish Government.

In this role you will be based within the national Planning and Environment Team, but you will be influencing our environmental work right across the organisation.

You’ll be provided with training and mentoring and will be working closely with experienced team members to help you settle quickly into the role.

What you will do

This is a fantastic opportunity to play an instrumental role in FLS’s response to the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis; the two pre-eminent challenges of our age.

As Scotland’s largest land manager, FLS is making a major contribution to efforts to capture carbon, adapt to the changing climate and enhance biodiversity though creating new woodlands; balancing timber production and replanting programmes; restoring habitats and landscapes; and improving the condition of peatlands and other degraded soils.

Your role will be to lead our environmental work - developing strong working relationships with Scottish Government colleagues, stakeholders and FLS staff; setting out a clear vision; and inspiring and supporting our national and regional teams to maximise environmental opportunities right across the national forests and land. In doing so you will help ensure that nature is at the heart of all that we do.

Main Duties

• Leading for FLS on environment matters, connecting our work programmes into wider national and international sustainable land management, climate change and biodiversity policies and actions.
• Developing, communicating and sharing a positive environmental vision with Scottish Government colleagues, FLS staff and stakeholders.
• Enabling our regional management teams to plan and manage environmental enhancement and restoration activities to deliver corporate objectives, ensuring staff have the resources they need to deliver the programme and identifying and removing barriers to effective action right across the organisation.
• Overseeing FLS’s environmental work programmes and budget; leading national and regional environment advisors team meetings.
• Acting as line manager for national environment team project managers and technical advisors, ensuring that they provide a quality service to frontline staff and senior leaders.
• Working with staff, customers and stakeholders to secure novel and increased funding from Scottish Government (SG), commercial and other sources for FLS’s environmental enhancement programmes.
• Ensuring corporate performance and environmental standards are monitored and reported in line with requirements. Identify and manage risks to programme delivery.

Success Profile

Below are details of the Success Profile that make up this role. You will be expected to provide evidence to show how you meet the criteria at application and/or interview stage.

Behaviours

Behaviour 1 and Lead Criteria:  Leadership.

Behaviour 2: Communicating and Influencing.

Behaviour 3: Working Together.

Behaviour 4: Developing Self and Others.

Experience

Essential

• Experience and knowledge of environmental aspects of forest management or land management.
• Good facilitation and engagement skills, including the ability to develop strong working relationships with colleagues and a wide range of external stakeholders and regulators.
• Experience in analysing complex information, assessing evidence and producing high quality written work.

Desirable

• Experience in managing environmental programmes of work within a forest management or land management context.
• Experience of environmental project development and securing funding and resourcing.
• Experience of providing Ministerial briefings, responding to Freedom of Information requests and other formal correspondence.

Technical

Essential

• Qualification in forestry, land management or environmental management at HND level or above or significant experience in environmental land management or sustainable forest management.

Desirable

• A good understanding of environmental legislation, standards and policies that are relevant to land management.
• Knowledge of the conservation requirements of the major species and habitats in Scotland.
• A current member or working towards membership of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, the Institute of Chartered Foresters, or another relevant professional body.

Strengths

You will not be assessed against this at application stage. However, this will be assessed if you are successful for interview.

What we offer you

If successful, you will be entitled to a wide range of benefits. This includes:

• A generous annual leave allowance of 25 days, rising to 30 days per year after 5 years’ service. In addition, there are currently 11.5 days of public and privilege holidays, dates of which are set annually.
• A competitive contributory pension scheme.
• Annual pay progression (subject to Scottish Government approval).
• Access to an ASVA card, giving you free access to over 480 visitor attractions and sites across Scotland.
• Employee discount with Forest Holidays.
• Cycle to Work Scheme.
• A generous paid maternity and paternity leave.
• We recognise the importance of enabling employees to achieve a healthy work-life balance by offering flexi-time arrangements in areas of the business where it is appropriate to do so.
• Access to join the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC), which offers a number of discounts, access to leisure activities, gyms and much more.
• Free car parking spaces for staff (dependent on the office location).
• Employee development opportunities - Personal and professional development with a range of in-house courses offered by our Learning and Development team.
• Fully funded professional accreditation fees required for your role, where applicable.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme – available all year round (24 hours, 7 days a week).
• Trade union membership for those interested in joining one.

Additional information

Where a vacancy attracts more than 10 applications, only certain ‘essential’ criteria, known as ‘lead criteria’, will be assessed at sift stage, providing this is specified in the advert. 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.

We strongly believe in an inclusive and supportive work culture. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of background. We are currently under-represented by women therefore we encourage applications from females.

We will require candidates that will be brought to interview to complete psychometric testing via an external company, therefore we will pass over the email address candidates use in their application to the external testing agency.

Concerns about our recruitment

If you believe that the Civil Service Recruitment Principles have been breached, you can submit a complaint to the Head of HR. The Head of HR will assess compliance with the Recruitment Principles but will not review the decision(s) of the selection board.

If you are not satisfied with the response from the Head of HR, you may submit an appeal to the Civil Service Commission, as set out in the complaint outcome letter from the Head of HR. For more information on the Civil Service Commission Complaints Procedure, please click here.

Closing date: 10 January 2022 at 11.55pm.

Apply here.