Job Introduction
We are Forestry England.
We live and breathe forests.
Job title – H&M Trainee Machine Operator
Salary - £26,959
Contract type – Permanent
Hours – 37 hours per week
Vacancy closes - 12th April 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…
As H&M Trainee Machine Operator you will help deliver the district’s business plan by efficiently using purpose-built forestry machines and working as part of a dedicated team to plan and carry out the extraction of timber to roadside, whilst minimising the impact on the forest environment.
You will work closely with the North England FE Fleet direct production team and management, to plan operations, ensure that forest machines reach and maintain effective utilisation levels, meet district targets for outputs and specifications, and ensure all health and safety issues are addressed.
The successful candidate would initially be on a 2-year fixed probation period, with promotion to follow if/when we deemed them suitable and up to the task required in accordance with our expectations during regular performance reviews, which will take place throughout the 2 year period. Please note, if the successful candidate is to leave during the 2-year probation period, you would be required to reimburse us fully for the costs incurred during the probation process for training, equipment etc.
Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.
Where you’ll work…
The successful candidate will have Forestry England, North Forest District, Eals Burn, Bellingham, Hexham, Northumberland, NE48 2HP as the reporting office, but will be working remotely anywhere within Kielder Main Block. They will work as part of a team, with no lone working until they have gained the "FMOC Articulated wheeled base over 2.5t with forwarder" ticket.
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 a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.
The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
We will carry out an interview in the Bellingham Office Conference room, followed by a practical assessment out in the field. This will be a simple assessment under supervision by one of our fully trained operators, and will involve using the forwarder machine crane to lift up and move cut timber products.
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.
