Details
Reference number
430146
Salary
£29,171
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
Administrative Officer
Pay Band 6a
Contract type
Fixed term
Loan
Secondment
Length of employment
Fixed Term Appointment ending 31st March 2026
Business area
FC - Forest Services - The Forestry Commission are the Government's forestry experts, and our role is to protect, improve, expand and connect England's trees, woodlands and forestry sector.
Type of role
Administration / Corporate Support
Working pattern
Flexible working, Full-time
Number of jobs available
1
Contents
* Location
* About the job
* Benefits
* Things you need to know
* Apply and further information
Location
Forestry Commission – to be based in the York office (Foss House)
Blended but a strong desire for a minimum of 3 out of 5 working days in the Foss house office.
About the job
Job summary
Forest Services are part of the Forestry Commission which is recognised as the Government's forestry experts. We advise nationally and locally on how to unlock the full potential of woodlands and support the forestry sector to protect, improve and expand England's valuable woodland assets, ensuring that they continue to provide benefits to people, the environment and the economy.
Job description
The Area Admin Officer role is a key role which supports the whole of the Yorkshire and North East Area Team. The Area Team operates from the Defra Office (Kings Pool, Foss House) in York with a further office located with the Environment Agency (Tyneside House) in Newcastle. The Area Team is led by Mark Child (Area Director) and currently operates with 51 staff.
The Yorkshire and North East Area contains over 226,000 hectares of woodland ranging from important habitat networks of Ancient Woodlands through to large productive conifer forests. In the North East the predominant woodland type is conifer (64.5%) whereas in Yorkshire broadleaves form the most significant component (41.5%). This diverse range of woodland types extends over 4 National Parks and 4 Areas of Outstanding National Beauty and through the urban woodland resource is also connected to Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle.
The Area team has a number of established and emerging partnerships who we work closely in support of the delivery of the Defra 25 Year Environment Plan and the 2050 net zero ambition through the England Trees Action Plan. This includes working the Community Forests (White Rose Forest / Heywoods / North East), Northern Forest (Woodland Trust) and the Great Northumberland Forest. We also work closely with Natural England through the joint delivery of Countryside Stewardship and with the Environment Agency seeking to improve water quality and flood risk reduction. Our work involves engagement with a wide range of people and organisations, from individual landowners and wood business through to large corporations and other public bodies.
We are seeking a dynamic individual who learns quickly to provide Admin Support to our growing Yorkshire and North East Area Team.
Key Work Areas
Admin Support:
* Monitor incoming communications from email, phone, post and support the delivery of the new Forestry Commission Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system.
* Organise and minute team meetings.
* Act as Secretary to two Forestry and Woodland Advisory Committees (FWAC), booking venues, supporting.
* Assist with stakeholder events, sending invites, booking venues, coordinating booking online systems such as Eventbrite, managing attendee lists for both face to face and virtual events.
* General office management duties, liaising with onsite facility management teams at two offices.
* Manage paper and virtual records and library, as according to policy and guidelines.
Finance:
* Ensure Forestry Commission financial policies and processes are followed across the team.
* Raise purchase orders and approve invoices for payment.
* Manage team purchases ensuring purchases are made via central contracts where required.
* Manage our local asset register.
* Audit team financial purchases and processes.
* Manage electronic filing of local finance records. Liaise with the national finance team as required.
Local Infrastructure Manager (LIM):
* Champion Microsoft M365 products and provide information and/or training to the local team.
* Liaise with project managers nationally on IT projects.
* Manage the onsite server at York and associated equipment.
* Liaise with IT to resolve issues that affect team members.
Health and Safety (H&S):
* Act as H&S representative for the team including attending meetings on behalf of the Area Director.
* Champion H&S and H&S systems across the team and input into the Yorkshire and North East Health, Safety and Welfare Policy Statement.
* Liaise with Health and Safety Technical Training Team (HSTT) to ensure policies and practices are adhered to.
* Manage the local H&S Resumption Diary, either completing or delegating tasks for completion.
* Act as Admin and Triage for the H&S incidents system for the team.
* Act as Admin for other H&S systems such as lone working system.
Learning & Development (L&D):
* Act as training coordinator for the team, ensuring electronic records are kept up to date.
* Arrange local training for the team as required.
* Liaise with HSTT, Human Resources and Forest Services Learning &Development colleagues to coordinate and arrange national L&D events for the team.
* Train as the local Manual Handling Trainer, and deliver these events as required to the local team.
While most of the work is administrative the post offers an opportunity to learn how trees, woods and forestry deliver a range of environmental, social and economic benefits and how Government supports this.
Person specification
Essential:
* Excellent computer skills with experience of MS Office suite- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
* Experience of delivering quality services to a diverse customer base. - Demonstrate previous examples of delivering work in a specific timeframe - Experience as working as part of a team.
* Ability to prioritise and manage a varied workload.
* Good interpersonal and influencing skills demonstrating the ability to build and maintain effectiveworking relationships with internal colleagues and our customers.
Desirable:
* Understanding of forestry and woodland management.
* Evidence of maintaining Continuous Professional Development.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Delivering at Pace
* Working Together
* Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
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.
* A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
* A range of family friendly benefits.
* An environment with flexible working options.
* Learning and development tailored to your role.
* A culture which promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.
* A range of wellbeing benefits including discounted Civil Service Healthcare, access to an Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, Bike to Work Scheme, plus many more.
* 25 days annual leave, with 1 additional day for each years' service up to 5 years (pro rata), plus 10.5 bank holidays/privilege days (pro rata).
* Ability to buy or sell 5 days annual leave.
* 3 days volunteering per year (pro rata).
We aim to provide a great place to work, whichever location you work from. Blended working forms part of our flexible and inclusive approach to future ways of working. It is an informal arrangement which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from our Forestry Commission workplaces, subject to role requirements, business needs, and regular review. Informal blended working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles, and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
This role is a Fixed Term Appointment ending 31st March 2026 with possibility but no guarantee of permanency or extension.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
* A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the past two years.
* A personal statement – in no more than 500 words please provide details of how you meet the Essential relevant experience and criteria as set out in the person Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Interview Stage
For candidates successful for interview, we will be assessing you on Experience, Behaviours and Strengths.
Applications are planned to be sifted for the w/c 6th October 2025 and interviews planned for 16/17th October 2025. Dates subject to change.
We will conduct interviews at Foss House, York, so please keep this in mind when applying.
Successful candidates if using their own private vehicle for business travel will need to comply with the Forestry Commission travel policy on CO2 emissions (115g maximum CO2/km).
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Forestry Commission from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
Where a role has been identified as one which falls under the scope of the Public Sector English Language Requirements, within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English. Applicants will be assessed in the selection process in accordance with the requirements.
Existing Civil Servants (excluding Forestry Commission employees) and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, and will only be considered on a loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant.
Existing Forestry Commission, Forestry England and Forest Research employees are eligible to apply for this Fixed Term Appointment and will only be considered if there is written confirmation from their line manager and HR that their current role will be temporarily backfilled or held open before commencing the application process.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Security
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre- stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the 'Assistance required' section in the 'Additional requirements' page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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.
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)
* 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
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code 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 .
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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans 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 : FS 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.