Operations Manager

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Operations Manager

Salary – £33,854 

Contract type – Fixed Term until 30 July 2027 with the possibility of extension or permanency but no guarantee

Hours – 37 per week, working a 7 day rota including weekends and public holidays

Vacancy closes - 23:58 Friday 19th June 2026

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…

This role is based within the East England Forest District, which manages more than 35,000 hectares of woodland stretching from Norfolk to Buckinghamshire and across Kent to East Sussex.

Wendover Woods is one of Forestry England’s flagship destinations: a 300‑hectare ancient woodland site set within the stunning Chilterns National Landscape.

Each year, over 400,000 visitors come to Wendover Woods to enjoy its landscape, far‑reaching views and the sense of escape it provides. The site offers miles of dedicated trails, a range of children’s play areas, the popular Wendover Woods Café, Go Ape and a busy calendar of events that draw visitors from across the region.

As Operations Manager, you will be responsible for the safe, compliant and efficient management of visitor facilities and services at Wendover Woods and at our smaller sites across the Chilterns National Landscape. You will lead and manage staff and volunteers, oversee Health and Safety compliance, take ownership of planned and reactive facilities management, manage budgets and contracts, and ensure the effective maintenance and long-term performance of site assets. Working closely with internal and external stakeholders, you will play a key role in driving operational improvements, enhancing the visitor experience, and contributing to the commercial and environmental success of the wider business.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

Wendover Woods, HP22 5NQ 

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 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.