Westonbirt Arboretum - Forestry England
Deputy North England Director
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Deputy North England Director
Deputy North England Director – Job Description
About the Role
We are Forestry England — foresters, professionals, and experts devoted to delivering positive outcomes for people, nature, and the economy.
As Deputy North England Director, you will play a pivotal role in leading Forestry England’s North England Forest District, supporting strategic and operational leadership across forestry, land management, civil engineering, and recreation operations while championing environmental and social impact.
This is a permanent position based in the North England region, with a salary ranging from £60,293 to £66,375 per annum, working 37 hours per week. The vacancy closes 23:58 on 22nd July 2024.
Key Responsibilities
You will:
- Lead day-to-day operations of the North England Forest District, supporting the North England Director, in managing the £68m estate (86,000ha forest and open land across Cumbria, Durham, Gateshead, Lancashire, and Northumberland).
- Oversee forest planning, harvesting, civil engineering projects, recreation investments, and land management, ensuring alignment with Forestry England’s national strategy, Growing the Future.
- Act as deputy executive to the Director, representing Forestry England with stakeholders, coordinating high-level projects, and driving strategic decisions.
- Drive the five-year business planning cycle, working with the Director and Finance Manager to identify future opportunities and manage risks across a complex, £28m operating budget.
- Deliver values-led leadership for 140+ staff, fostering a culture of safety, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) while driving operational and financial excellence.
- Modernise and innovate processes in collaboration with the Finance and Policy teams, leveraging technology and best practices for sustainable outcomes.
- Champion commercial strategies, ensuring sustainable timber production (550,000m³ annually) and economic growth while delivering sales & revenue targets from the estate, split forestry and recreation sectors.
About Where You’ll Work
The North England Forest District, the largest in England, operates across:
- 61,000ha of forest and 25,000ha of open land, providing habitat for red squirrels, ospreys, water voles, and red kites.
- Five Forest Centres (Grizedale, Gisburn, Hamsterley, Kielder & Whinlatter) alongside outlying gems like Ennerdale and Forests of Rothbury, offering over 1 million recreational visits annually with 45 protected SSSI sites.
- Civil engineering projects vital for inward investment, conservation plans, and community benefit programmes.
The District, a leader in sustainable woodlands, offers environments where you can witness visible, immediate impact from working across fast-moving public land programmes.
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Essential Requirements
Building Expertise
- A Chartered Forester (CForst) with experience in:
- Leading a CoE sustainability model for 100,000+ ha forest and 4000ha agricultural non-woodland.
- Innovative land management, procurement, grant management & partnership working.
- Experience of Large Civil Serv projects, from procurement to letting.
- A track record of financial responsibility (managing public money multiple million pounds budget).
Leadership
- Teacher with 20+ years leadership and operations experience in the public sector, including:
- Developing and executing 5-year strategic plans with £5m+ operating budgets.
- Built dependence from business-critical systems delivering 26 projects yearly on average £2.2m spend.
- Managed junior leaders and teams among diverse workforces servicing 6000 users with demonstrable EDI.
- Finished confident, performance-focused conversations with internal/external stakeholders at high levels.
Warf-soft Skills & Motivation
- Strong in people development, capable of inspiring a team of over 140 across a 250-mile radius.
- An intelligent business orientation with strong operational execution skills, consistently achieving behavioural competence across four principles (Lead, Drive, Change, See the Big Picture).
- Eager to join a dynamic, forward-thinking co-worker team to work effortlessly towards delivering multi-faceted, large-scale projects.
Desirable Additional Skills
Absolution delivery of procurement duties for public sector contracts above threshold is required.
Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge
Safety Culture & Technical Expertise
- Demonstrated heal and safety culture.
- Proficiency in supply chain risk management and /-/antechnology system management (ERP, finance, and energy systems).
Technical & Financial Management
- Understanding of Thanks Act, legal framework, procurement, risk management relevant to Government land leasing and assets.
- A BSc/CForst level in forestry with understanding of tree silviculture, regeneration, fuel management, recreation access, biodiversity programming, governance processes.
Related & Equity Diversity & Inclusion Experience
- Proven excellence in diversity and inclusion, particularly but not exclusively with diverse employability groups. Relevant reference essential.
Benefits
- Salary: £60,293 – £66,375 per annum (including London weighting)
- Pension: 28.97% pension contribution to a Defined Benefit Scheme (plus additional 2% contribution for staff over age 22 after five years service).
- Leave: 25 days annual leave rising by one day per year up to 30 days, plus public holidays.
- Employee Scheme (STaR):
- Discounts on shopping, hotel stays, clothing, car/mobile insurance, holidays, gym memberships, and essential services (e.g., utilities).
- Work-Life Balance:
- Free parking at Forestry England sites.
- Free entry to UK National Arboretums (second and third Friday free entry for staff and friends).
- Career Growth & Learning:
- Commitment to continual personal development, career planning, industry courses and sponsorship of professional training.
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The Application Process
Before you start: Read Forestry England’s applicant guidelines here to ensure your application is compliant.
Application Requirements
- A 200-word summary of your relevant experience and career history (focused on achievements).
- A 500-word personal statement outlining why you are a strong fit for this leadership role.
Interview Cutoff Qualities
Your statement will be assessed against the following behavioral criteria:
- Leadership (inspiring others to deliver excellent outcomes)
- Managing Service Quality (knowledge, integrity, customer care)
- Changing & Improving (embracing change, creativity, problem-solving)
- Seeing the Big Picture (anticipating complexities and strategic alignment)
During the interview, you will be required to prepare and deliver a 3-minute presentation on the potential impacts of senior leadership in shaping your organisation’s future.
The interview will take place on Tuesday 11th August, 2026 at our Bellingham office.
Supporting Information
- Forestry England’s Job Description – Deputy Director North England FINAL.pdf available for review.
Additional Details
Criminal Record & Security Clearance: Successful candidates will undergo;
- Basic criminal record check.
- Civil Service Baseline Personnel Security Standard check.
Workplace Adjustments:
Reasonable adjustments will be provided upon request. Email: fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
Applicant Guidelines: Do read our guidelines on AI-generated applications [here].
Nationality Notes
Refer to the link for assistance on UK immigration policy implications.
Civil Service Commitments
Forestry England is part of the Civil Service, and we adhere to:
- Disability Confident Scheme – qualified candidates with disabilities will receive a guaranteed interview.
- Redeployment Interview Scheme – for current civil servants facing redundancy (if eligible).
Are you ready to help shape England’s forest landscape for a sustainable tomorrow?**
Closes: 22nd July 2023 @ 23:58: Apply [here] by following the Civil Service vacancy instructions.
Further Information:
For Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at foresty England visit: [Our EDI webpage].
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