Regulations Manager

Regulations Manager

Job reference: REQ0630

Location: Flexible (see JD)

Salary: £38,533 - £41,498 (plus 26.5% pension contribution and benefits)

Want to work at the heart of a thriving sector and directly influence the future of forestry in Scotland?

We’re looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Regulations Manager to join our national Operational Delivery team in Scottish Forestry.

We work in a friendly and flexible team environment that provides advice and expertise to our colleagues across Scotland, supporting staff on felling and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations, woodland creation and the UK Forestry Standard.

If you are looking for a fascinating role and developing specialist skills on forestry felling regulations, providing guidance, support and training to staff, we’d love to hear from you. Please see the job description and Success Profile for an overview of the role.

About the team

Our people do an important job to protect, improve and expand Scotland’s forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment. A career with us means your work will have a positive purpose and real tangible impact on Scotland’s future forests.

You’ll be working as part of a small and very friendly team covering Woodland Creation & Forestry Regulations. Our team forms part of the Operational Delivery branch in Scottish Forestry. Operational Delivery is responsible for the creation and ongoing management of procedures and guidance of forestry grants and regulations. We work closely with the five Conservancy teams across Scotland.

Our team works at the heart of many woodland creation projects and complex cases for felling, forest plans and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), providing specialist support and advice to staff across Scotland. The team also manages and monitors these processes and the UKFS Compliance Procedure.

This post will be one of two national leads for forestry regulations; managing the felling regulation procedures and assisting Conservancies, ensuring that procedures and guidance are up-to-date, and training is available. You will be working with many people to help support them with their forestry approvals.

We are a very flexible employer. As this post is a national role and will be providing support and guidance to Conservancy staff around Scotland, we will accept applications from around the country. Some of the role will be related to staff training and complex cases (such as unauthorised felling) handled by Conservancy teams, therefore you will be required to travel some of the time.

What you will do

As Regulations Manager, you will share the lead for all aspects of felling and unauthorised felling as set out in the Forestry and Land Management (Scotland) Act 2018 (and related regulations), which gave us new powers and procedures in relation to felling permission (including long-term forest plans) and unauthorised felling in 2019. You will also be a lead contact for the Forestry (Environmental Impact Assessment)(Scotland) regulations 2017, where they pertain to deforestation, roads, and quarries.

You will be the point of contact for advice, interpretation of legislation, escalated decisions, and to assist with responses, such as to appeals or complaints. You will also help to manage the processes for forest planning and will monitor delivery processes across Conservancies, ensuring that Scottish Forestry are delivering our regulatory responsibilities in a consistent manner and in line with Scotland’s Forest Strategy.

Main Duties

You will be responsible for the management of forestry regulations, specifically felling and EIA, through the provision of technical and process advice, support, and training to Conservancies. You will lead on the creation and management of guidance, procedures, and process for regulations and other delivery mechanisms such as Long-term Forest Plans and UKFS compliance.

• Act as a key point of contact with Conservancies for the delivery of the regulations.
• Advise staff on complex casework, providing interpretation of legislation and seeking legal opinions where required.
• Monitor approvals to ensure a consistency of standards and approach across Scotland.
• Update procedures in line with legislation and new developments.
• Write and amend procedural guidance both internally and externally.
• Plan, develop and deliver training and support materials for forestry regulations, including Forest Plans.
• Assist colleagues with responses to appeals and regulatory decisions.
• Write responses to relevant complaints and ministerial correspondence.
• Manage and support national aspects of regulatory processes, such as compensation and deed registration.
• Work with other teams in Scottish Forestry to develop IT processes to support the delivery of regulations.
• Contribute to the wider work of the Scottish Forestry team to ensure work is linked and reflective of wider objectives across the organisation, such as with the tree health team.

Closing date: 30 July 2023 at 11.55pm.

Apply Here