THE ROLE

Reporting to the Operations Manager and supporting the Operations Director to achieve the Charities Business Plan Objectives, Foresters are key members of the Operations Team.

As part of a multi-disciplinary team, the Forester role focuses on (but is not exclusive to) the delivery of woodland management and planting projects with a particular focus on delivering social and environmental benefits. 

The Foresters work with our Development Officers and Landscape Architects during the development phase of our projects. The Foresters are responsible for undertaking the design of new woodlands, management planning of existing woodlands, project contract management, production of tender documents, tendering the project, and contractor oversight. The Forester will maintain tight cost and quality control working with contractors in the project delivery phase. 

Travel to project sites is an essential component of the job; a clean driving licence and access to a vehicle is a requirement of the role. This role requires regular unsupported time to be spent on accessing sites which can be relatively remote and have challenging ground conditions.

 
 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
General
1. In conjunction with the Operations Manager safely and securely manage the day to day project management functions of the Trust.
2. In conjunction with the Leadership Team, promote the good name of the Trust to all existing and potential stakeholders, partners, customers, clients, sponsors and suppliers.
3. Foster effective internal relationships with colleagues to enable two-way information/intelligence sharing that improves business performance.
4. Foster and maintain positive working relationships with external organisations in the private, public, and third sectors.
5. Adhere to all the Trusts policies and procedures.

Role Specific
6.          Undertake woodland creation and woodland management planning, including constraints checking, site surveying, design, mapping, report writing and stakeholder consultation.

7.          Lead on securing grants and permissions from Scottish Forestry for woodland projects. 

8.          Assist the Development Officers in undertaking stakeholder consultation including the production of suitable materials. 

9.          Produce contract drawings, specifications, cost estimates, bills of quantities, measurements and risk assessments.

10.          Ensure that the Green Action Trust guidelines on tendering and procurement activities are followed.  

11.          Manage the construction stage of projects in accordance with CDM regulations and the construction programme. Resolve any design queries from site as they arise. 

12.          Form effective and productive working relationships with other staff (particularly development officers), funding partners, clients, landowners, contractors and other organisations and individuals during the development and implementation of physical projects. 

13.          Manage project budgets positively and timeously,  reporting on any variance between forecast and actual budgets and take appropriate action where necessary.

14.          Provide technical and project management support, in matters relating woodlands and forests to Trust staff, clients and partner organisations.

15.     Develop briefs for consultancy  and specialist services, overseeing consultancy work as required.

16.     Where appropriate, delegate work activities to trainee staff, providing support and direction, where appropriate, to assist with their knowledge and skills development.  

17.     Where necessary, support the Operations Director in the management, maintenance and development of the Trust’s property and land holdings.

18.     Undertake such work as may be determined by the Operations Director from time to time, up to or on a level with the main responsibilities of the post.

 
 PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential

 
 Desirable

The Green Action Trust is a modern, flexible and progressive employer. When considering recruitment, we want to assist candidates by making the application process as easy as possible, so in the first instance, we don’t need you to complete a range of application forms that may take hours to complete. To keep it simple, what we do need you to do is set out some standard information and a little bit about how you fit the profile of the role. 

So, candidates are asked to submit: 

 a covering letter setting out (a) their reason for being interested in the role and (b) their suitability set against the person specification. This should be no longer than 2 sides of an A4 Word Document with a font size no smaller than 12. 
 your most up to date CV that should be no more than 2 sides of A4 Word.

We will use the information you send us to assess your suitability so please do think about the statement that you draft. The key thing for us is that we get enough information from you so we can invite you along for interview. We don’t need your life history, just enough to get us interested. 

Candidates are encouraged to contact us in advance of submitting an application so we can tell you a little more about our expectations and answer any questions candidates may have. This is not compulsory and will not be considered as part of the scoring process if you choose not to take up this invitation.