Lyndhurst, South East England, SO43 7NH
Job Summary
What you'll do…
We are seeking a motivated and capable early-career
Civil Engineer
to join our district civil engineering team. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent graduate to gain practical experience in the planning, delivery, and supervision of civil engineering construction and maintenance projects. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the inspection and upkeep of vital infrastructure assets, including forest roads, car parks, reservoirs, cycle trails, and bridges. Working alongside experienced professionals, you will contribute to the delivery of our maintenance programme while promoting a strong health and safety culture, in line with our core value of
"look out and look after."
This role offers a solid foundation for a career in civil engineering, with opportunities to develop technical skills and gain valuable experience in asset management and contract delivery.
Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.
Where you'll work…
We are Forestry England. We are the country's largest land manager, caring for the nation's forests for people, nature and the economy. The foundation of our organisation is our world-class sustainable management of the nation's forests.
Our South England Forest District team is made up of around 170 people with a diverse range of roles - from foresters and wildlife rangers to civil engineers, and ecologists to marketing professionals. We all contribute towards the management of 46,000 hectares of public forest estate that stretch from Sussex to Dorset, and from Berkshire to the Isle of Wight. Nearly all of our forests are within either a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Much of this forest is of high national importance for nature conservation and wildlife, and of international importance for biodiversity. South England Forest District is therefore responsible for land that includes Special Areas of Conservation (for habitats), Special Protection Areas (for birds) and Ramsar sites (for wetlands). We also provide public access and recreation in our forests, with nearly 50 million visits every year to South England Forest District.
If the post you are applying for is PB5 or above, you will be asked to join the District duty roster, after a suitable period of time.
Job Description
Project Development and Delivery
* lead the preparation of project work packages by producing detailed work orders, contract maps, and pre-commencement documentation in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
* review contractor health and safety documentation and supervise on-site activities to ensure safe and successful project delivery
* for larger projects, support the development of robust work packages, including mini-tenders, procured through the Civil Engineering Construction Framework
* support the team in the planning and delivery of a programme of Civil Engineering works across the district
* support the civil engineering team by undertaking pre-commencement meetings for projects with external contractors, in line with established procedures
Champion Safety, Quality, and Engineering Excellence
* support the engineering team in fulfilling the Client role under CDM 2015, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements
* act as a NEC4 Site Supervisor, monitoring adherence to specifications, overseeing quality of works, and upholding the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental management
* take on the NEC4 Project Manager role by managing compensation events, processing early warnings, and applying appropriate contract mechanisms to ensure successful outcomes
Stakeholder Engagement
* work collaboratively with internal teams such as Ecology and Recreation to ensure clear communication and alignment of project objectives
* engage proactively with external stakeholders, including contractors and local authorities, to support the successful delivery of a wide range of civil engineering projects
*Additional Requirements*
* the role involves regular travel across the district, with occasional overnight stays required to maximise efficiency and meet early site appointments.
* champion a safe working environment by role modelling high standards of health and safety through the effective management of Forestry England staff and contractors undertaking work on Forestry England land
* regular monitoring and recording of contractor health and safety and environmental performance; pro- active management of H&S and environmental issues; prompt reporting of accidents and near misses and ensuring that lessons learned are shared and implemented
* undertake supervisory checks and review risk assessments, method statements and other health and safety documentation for low-risk projects, to ensure compliance with specification, environmental and health & safety standards
* use Forester Web to produce contract maps and update civil engineering asset data
And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
Project Development and Delivery
* lead the preparation of project work packages by producing detailed work orders, contract maps, and pre-commencement documentation in collaboration with relevant stakeholders
* review contractor health and safety documentation and supervise on-site activities to ensure safe and successful project delivery
* for larger projects, support the development of robust work packages, including mini-tenders, procured through the Civil Engineering Construction Framework
* support the team in the planning and delivery of a programme of Civil Engineering works across the district
* support the civil engineering team by undertaking pre-commencement meetings for projects with external contractors, in line with established procedures
Champion Safety, Quality, and Engineering Excellence
* support the engineering team in fulfilling the Client role under CDM 2015, ensuring full compliance with regulatory requirements
* act as a NEC4 Site Supervisor, monitoring adherence to specifications, overseeing quality of works, and upholding the highest standards of health, safety, and environmental management
* take on the NEC4 Project Manager role by managing compensation events, processing early warnings, and applying appropriate contract mechanisms to ensure successful outcomes
Stakeholder Engagement
* work collaboratively with internal teams such as Ecology and Recreation to ensure clear communication and alignment of project objectives
* engage proactively with external stakeholders, including contractors and local authorities, to support the successful delivery of a wide range of civil engineering projects
*Additional Requirements*
* the role involves regular travel across the district, with occasional overnight stays required to maximise efficiency and meet early site appointments.
* champion a safe working environment by role modelling high standards of health and safety through the effective management of Forestry England staff and contractors undertaking work on Forestry England land
* regular monitoring and recording of contractor health and safety and environmental performance; pro- active management of H&S and environmental issues; prompt reporting of accidents and near misses and ensuring that lessons learned are shared and implemented
* undertake supervisory checks and review risk assessments, method statements and other health and safety documentation for low-risk projects, to ensure compliance with specification, environmental and health & safety standards
* use Forester Web to produce contract maps and update civil engineering asset data
And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
Person specification
*Essential Professional And Technical Experience*
* good awareness and understanding of civil engineering
* experience supervising / monitoring contractors, preferably in the construction industry
* good overall awareness of health and safety management in civil engineering, including experience in the preparation of risk assessments and method statements
* clear and effective verbal and written communication skills
* previous experience and competence with MS Office suite of applications
*Desirable Professional And Technical Experience*
* experience of working in a forestry or rural environment
* experience using GIS software or other mapping systems
*Qualifications
Essential*
* 3 A levels
* a full, clean UK driving license
Desirable
* HNC in Civil Engineering
* CITB Site Supervisors Safety Training Scheme or IOSH Managing Safely
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Communicating and Influencing
* Delivering at Pace
* Making Effective Decisions
Alongside your salary of £29,171, Forestry Commission contributes £8,450 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
*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.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
*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 against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Managing a Quality Service
* Communicating and Influencing
* Delivering at Pace
* Making Effective Decisions
Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.
If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email
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.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.
Nationality requirements
This Job Is Broadly Open To The Following Groups:
* UK nationals
* nationals of the Republic of Ireland
* nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
* nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
* individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
* Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact :
* Name : FC Recruitment Team
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
Our recruitment process is underpinned by the principle of appointment on the basis of fair and open competition and appointment on merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles.If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact FCE by email: If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.