Beat Forester

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Beat Forester

Salary - £37,537 - £39,661

Contract type – Permanent

Hours – 44 hours per week

Vacancy closes - January 4th 2026 23:58

Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.

Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.

What you’ll do…

You will manage a specific beat and team in one of our Forestry England districts. You will be responsible for forestry operations meeting industry best practices and health and safety regulations. Implement work programmes meeting the district’s strategic plan for the economy, society, and the environmental collaborating with other beat teams.

This is a full-time operational role, with line management responsibilities for a works supervisor and two craftsmen and will need to work as a team with the wildlife and recreation staff members based at the Tangham operations hub. The hub will be supported by an administration or business support officer.

The role is demanding and is required to fulfil a substantial harvesting, restocking and maintenance programme.  Whilst the major woodlands in the Sandlings beat are in close reach of the Tangham operations hub, the travel time to the further woodlands in the Lavenham beat can take up to two hours.   The operations hub is based one and a half hours drive from the District office at Santon Downham.

The Sandlings Beat (3026ha) is located in East Suffolk, and is dominated by Rendlesham, Tunstall and Dunwich Forests. These are productive woodlands, dominated by conifer stands, with almost the entirety of Rendlesham and Tunstall designated SSSI (SPA) for their support of Woodlark and Nightjar populations. The management of open space and connectivity are an important part of their structure. Dunwich forest is not designated, however much of the land surrounding is, and open ground created is managed through agreement with the RSPB for ground nesting species and heathland restoration.

Where you’ll work…

You will be based in the East of England, working out of the Tangham operations hub in Rendlesham Forest,  The Sandlings Beat (3026ha) is located in East Suffolk, and the Lavenham Beat (790ha) is set across Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

You will be required to travel periodically for training and events across the District, and other areas of England. Periodic overnight stays will be required. 

Benefits…

Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

• 25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.
• STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.
• free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
• a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

How to apply…

You will be asked to write a 200 word statement on your relevant experience and career history, along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words. You will be assessed on both during sifting. More details about how to apply are listed on the application form. 

You will be assessed on experience, a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview. 

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are – 

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

If you're planning to use AI to support your application, please ensure you've read our guidelines here first. 

Read more about our application process and working with us on the Forestry England website. 

Nationality requirements…

Read more about nationality requirements here. 

Working for the Civil Service…

Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative. 

Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.

Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk.