Job Introduction
We are Forestry England.
We live and breathe forests.
Job title – Nature Networks Manager
Salary- £40,388 - £43,482
Contract type – Permanent
Hours – 37 hours per week
Vacancy closes 8th January 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…
We’ve not always been known for our conservation work, but Forestry England have bold ambitions to be a leading force for nature recovery. Our progress is real and measurable: FSC certified since 1999, WWF’s 'Gift to the Earth' award in 2001, and commitments to restore all our ancient woodlands in 2007 and 11,000 hectares of nature-rich open habitats in 2013. In 2022 we launched our first Biodiversity Plan with a clear goal to make the nation’s forests the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England.
Explore our work to see how we’re putting nature recovery at the heart of England’s forests:
As Nature Networks Manager, you will lead the spatial planning and delivery of a strategic network of interconnected habitats across the nation’s forests. This initiative aims to create 15,000 hectares of dynamic habitat corridors along rides (forest roads), watercourses, and Priority Ecological Corridors. The aim is to improve ecological connectivity and enable species movement at a landscape scale. You will be responsible for overseeing the distribution of secured funding to delivery teams. Funds can support any action or role contributing to the establishment and management of Nature Networks, including wide rides, watercourse buffer zones, dedicated habitat corridors, grazing infrastructure, building volunteer groups, or developing in-house management teams. Using cutting-edge data tools and collaborative approaches, you will drive biodiversity enhancement by ensuring Nature Networks support species movement, ecological processes, and long-term restoration goals.
Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.
Where you’ll work…
This is a flexible national role.
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 your technical skills and behaviour questions during your interview.
The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –
- Seeing the Big Picture: Understand how your role fits with and supports organisational objectives. Recognise the wider Forestry England and Civil Service priorities and ensure work is in the national interest.
- Communicating and Influencing: Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.
- Making Effective Decisions: Use evidence and knowledge to support accurate, expert decisions and advice. Carefully consider alternative options, implications and risks of decisions.
- Changing and Improving: Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.
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.
This role is funded by Defra rather than through Forestry England generated revenue and is therefore subject to government spending reviews. While Defra has indicated long term support for the Biodiversity Programme and we expect funding to continue, it is possible that funding levels may change at the end of any financial year depending on Defra’s budget allocations. In the event of funding changes, we would prioritise retaining staff posts wherever possible. The position is being offered on a permanent basis, given the indications from Defra regarding funding. This approach is consistent for roles within publicly funded organisations. We are committed to keeping staff informed and supported through any changes.
