Westonbirt Woodland Manager

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Westonbirt Woodland Manager

Salary- £33,854

Contract type – Fixed Term Appointment for 2 years (with the possibility of extension but no guarantee) 

Hours – 37

Vacancy closes - 23:58 5th May 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…

The Westonbirt Woodland Management Project strengthens the management of ancient woodland in Silk Wood while creating opportunities for community groups to take part in hands-on woodland management. The project will include activities to support the establishment of recently planted trees, strengthen the resilience of Westonbirt’s coppicing programme and further develop woodland management in line with existing plans and legislation. It will also support community engagement opportunities in practical woodland management, monitor habitat quality and raise awareness of the importance of ancient woodlands. The Westonbirt Woodland Manager will lead these activities with delivery supported by an Engagement Officer to enable access to community groups. The project will build on a strong foundation for woodland management in Silk Wood with scope to expand the project and activities as additional funding becomes available.

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

Where you’ll work…

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Tetbury, Gloucestershire, GL8 8QS

We have an exciting opportunity for a Woodland Manager to join the team at Westonbirt Arboretum. The arboretum is one of the largest pay-to-enter visitor attractions in the Southwest, welcoming over 550,000 visitors per year. The onsite businesses generate a turnover of more than £14m in which events contributes a large part.

Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is one of the most beautiful and important plant collections in the world. First laid out in the 1800s following Picturesque landscape principles, the collection contains more than 15,000 specimens representing 2,500 taxa from all over the temperate world. The arboretum plays an important role in research and conservation, and the collection currently includes more than 100 species of global conservation concern.  

Along with one of the most complete examples of a picturesque landscape, Westonbirt's Silk Wood is designated ancient woodland and areas of managed coppice here are among the finest examples of this practice in the country. Silk Wood is also home to one of Westonbirt’s most significant trees and an internationally important ancient woodland feature.  

The Arboretum hosts a wide range of established and well-loved events and we have ambitious plans to expand and diversify the programme in the coming years. The arboretum is headed by Andrew Smith, as director, and has 45 Forestry England staff and 300 volunteers.

The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (FoWA) charity was formed in 1985. Based on site at Westonbirt, FoWA works in close partnership with Forestry England, seeking to support and develop the arboretum through providing consistent and reliable financial support.

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 experience, technical skills and behaviours 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.