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Project Manager

Employer
National Trust
Location
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk
Salary
31,671 pa
Closing date
21 Jan 2019

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Contract Type
Contract
Hours
Full Time
Sector
Forestry & Woodland

Job Details

Are you an innovative Project Manager with experience in woods, trees or forestry who’s looking for a new unique opportunity to utilise your expansive skill set? If so, this role could be for you.

Based in the East of England, this is a newly created Project Manager post working across two of the key nature conservation organisations; National Trust and the Woodland Trust. This is an amazing opportunity to help deliver more for wildlife and people!

The role will be directly employed by the National Trust and then seconded two days a week to the Woodland Trust to work for the Woodlands Trust, taking forward their Claylands project.

 

What it's like to work here

The National Trust - The East of England region of the National Trust reaches from The Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire across to the woodlands of Blickling Estate near the Norfolk coast and from Wimpole in Cambridgeshire to the coast in Essex. Including of some of the most iconic landscapes in Britain, we care for some of the most incredible woodlands and their associated species.  We are looking to ensure our woods really are amazing habitats that support rich biodiversity as well as connecting the thousands of people who visit them with the amazing natural and cultural heritage our woods and trees can give.  Beyond this we are working hard to give people the spiritual uplift and physical refreshment that time in woods can provide.

The Woodland Trust - The Eastern Claylands, of Essex and Suffolk stretches over 5458km2, it is a largely agricultural landscape with lots of remnants of ancient landscape features such as hedgerows, individual trees, woodland, woodland pasture and parkland with lots of market towns and pretty villages. There are also interesting river valleys, of which the Dedham Vale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) covers one, including Constable Country.

It’s an ancient landscape intersected with river valleys and dominated by agricultural land use, but defined by a complex network of species-rich hedgerows, ancient woods and parklands, it’s this combination of features that make the landscape special and important for people and biodiversity. Traditional irregular field patterns and ancient woodland are still discernible over much of the area, despite extensive erosion during the 20th century.

The Eastern Claylands supports many fine examples of ancient and veteran trees, oak in particular, and has one of the highest concentrations of medieval parks in England. The woodland cover in the Eastern Claylands is 36,000 hectares and a third of this is semi-natural ancient woodland or plantations on ancient woodland sites. More than half of the tree canopy is made up of trees outside woods (TOWS), mainly in hedgerows and fields but also in wood pasture and orchards. The Eastern Claylands has a number of larger towns and a particularly high population density in South Essex, along with smaller market towns and rural villages. It is this historic landscape with picturesque villages that attracts many tourists to the area.

We are looking to work with landowners of ancient and semi-natural woodland in the Claylands to help manage these sites for wildlife and people.

 

What you'll be doing

The role will be predominantly based at the NT regional office in our wonderful Barn conversion at Westley Bottom, near Bury St Edmunds on edge of the Ickworth Estate. Opportunities for flexible working are available. The role is a two year project post.

Key Role Responsibilities;

The National Trust – three days per week;

Working as part of our region-wide Land, Outdoors and Nature team, to deliver take forward our ambitious our national “restoring a healthier more beautiful natural environment” strategy, this post is pivotal to support our operational teams on the ground deliver improvements for wildlife within woodland, as well as helping articulate the bigger picture across the region around nature opportunities in our woods.

The Woodland Trust – Two days per week;

We are looking for someone with woodland restoration skills and experience in project management to join our team and help us develop our woods for people and wildlife, identifying landowners of PAWS and ASNW sites in the Claylands areas of Suffolk and Essex. Making contact with these landowners and visiting these sites to promote good management of the woodlands by initial survey work, either themselves or through 3rd party consultants. The successful candidate will manage the consultants and to be able to audit sites and to feedback on areas surveyed and areas committed to restoration.

 

Who we're looking for

Knowledge of woods, trees and woodland habitat restoration and management will be expected along with experience of contract/contractor management as well as excellent project management skills (see attached Grade 6 NT project manager Role Profile).

This is a real challenge and will require a highly motivated individual who can work effectively and with real impact on a regional scale.

You will need to work closely with our existing teams and harness their deep knowledge; expertise and passion for our woodlands to help you produce a clear and well- reasoned woodland strategic ambition for the region.

You will need to be innovative and engaging with a real passion and skill for engaging people in the love of woods and trees and connecting with key stakeholders.

Further Information –

If you would like to discuss the role further please contact;

National Trust – Chris Soans, Consultancy Manager chris.soans@nationaltrust.org.uk

Woodland Trust - Stuart Holm, Area Manager

StuartHolm@woodlandtrust.org.uk

 

The package

Read about the benefits we offer to support you here (https://www.nationaltrustjobs.org.uk/supporting-you)

They include flexible working wherever possible and free parking at most properties. You’ll be entitled to discounts in high street stores, National Trust shops and NT cafes, and have free entry to NT properties for you, a guest and your children (under 18).

Your health and wellbeing is important to us and is supported through generous annual leave (including the option to buy additional days), a cycle to work scheme, health cash plan and an employee assistance programme.

Further your career with training and development tailored to you and give something back to your community with up to 5 days of paid volunteering per year.

All of this and a 10% of basic salary matched pension contribution scheme!

 

 

 

Company

There's no other organisation like the National Trust. No other organisation that brings such an amazing variety of places and spaces to life.

We are a charity founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, three people who saw the importance of our nation’s heritage and open spaces, and wanted to protect them for everyone to enjoy. More than a century after we were founded, our values are still at the heart of everything we do. And we do a lot more than you might think. 

We welcome some 22.5 million visitors, from all ages and backgrounds, every year. We care for historic houses, gardens, mills, forests, castles, miles of coastline, islands, holiday cottages, pubs and inns, whole villages and even a goldmine. We also run a huge retail chain, a multi-million pound food and beverage business and much, much more. And we do all of this so that everyone can enjoy and make the most of the green spaces and beautiful places that England, Wales and Northern Ireland has to offer. 

The National Trust is described by its employee gardeners as “dynamic, supportive, inquisitive and fun”, where its beautiful places “lift your spirits naturally” and “somewhere you can expand new skills”. The organisation is currently recruiting for a number of gardening roles. 

Read more in our latest articles:

What makes the National Trust a special place to work?

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