Job summary
Never has there been a more important time for trees and forests to help tackle the climate emergency and provide a much-needed sanctuary for people and wildlife. Our government are committed to creating 30,000ha of woodland a year across the UK by the end of this Parliament. This acceleration in current planting rates in England will contribute to meeting the net-zero by 2050 ambitions, and to government�s wider environmental targets.
The Department for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Forestry Commission have set up a joint tree planting programme for England to support the forestry sector, landowners and communities in the delivery of these ambitions. This role will focus on supporting and delivering regional promotion and engagement plans, and coordinating business development activity. You will work closely with the promotion and engagement team and regional teams.
If you are passionate about the role of forestry in creating a better future for England, and want to play a key part that, we want to hear from you! By joining this programme you will become part of a team of passionate, committed colleagues, and you will have the opportunity to build on a wealth of expertise to take this ambitious work forward. You will be able to make your mark by helping the Forestry Commission to revolutionise how we promote woodland creation and reach new audiences.
Our staff engagement levels are consistently well above the Civil Service average and staff turnover is well below. We value our people, we look after them, and we will look after you. We hope you will join us for the challenge.
Job description
The Engagement Officer will provide direct support to the Area Marketing and Communications Manager, Land Use Advisors, and the wider team in relation to any Promotion & Engagement (P&E) activity. This may range from coordinating events, to conducting desk-based targeting research, to triaging customer enquiries. Additionally, they will provide help and support to external stakeholders and customers, working together with the regional P&E and wider Area team, to help us reach the largest number of people amongst our target audiences.
Key Work Areas
Work with Area Marketing and Communications Manager to help deliver Promotion & Engagement regional implementation plan and respond to any arising promotion and engagement opportunities.Coordinate business development activity, working together with Land Use Advisors, for example: research opportunities and manage attendance at networking events, farm clusters or local marts; help arrange farm walks.Manage event organisation and attend events where required, working with Area colleaguesCreate localised content such as case studies or newsletters, working with the national P&E team and Area teamUndertake lead generation activities with new and existing audiences, which will range from researching new leads and proactive targeting of larger landowners, to early stage follow up of leads, to coordinating localised engagement with stakeholders.Help coordinate collaboration with other advisorsMaintain a list of, and coordinate Area engagement with, all localised farmer and landowner forums/networks/groups, working within broader Area stakeholder engagement plan.Support regional stakeholder engagement in line with agreed plans, including maintaining stakeholder mapping databases and taking minutes of meetings.Triage incoming enquiries where required, working together with Area colleagues as per agreed regional enquiry process.Own local usage of Lead Tracker/CRM system, supporting Area colleagues as necessary and ensuring leads are followed up. Ensure any new leads generated at events are logged in the Lead Tracker/CRM system. Run regular reports on system data and identify trends and areas for improvement/opportunityProvide administrative support for P&E colleagues and any staff conducting P&E activity within the Area, for example sending out materials, arranging meetings/events, coordinating private agent engagement, formatting farm audit reports, etc.Some travel will be required, mainly across the South West Area. This may involve occasional weekend work when supporting agricultural shows.
The role will report to the Area Marketing and Communications Manager.
Person specification
Essential:
Prior experience of engaging with external customers and stakeholders through different channels including face to facePrior experience of event managementPrior experience of copy-writingHighly organised and a proactive communicatorTeam player, able to work effectively with colleaguesStrong interpersonal and influencing skillsGood IT skills and able to familiarise self quickly with new systemsEssential Professional and Technical experience
Educated to degree level (any subject) or equivalent experience in relevant rolePlease clearly demonstrate how the above applies to you throughout your application. Failure to do so will mean that your application is automatically sifted out.
Desirable:
Prior experience working within the farming, forestry or land management sectorsExperience in GIS software desirable but not essential, to support customer targeting based on spatial informationExperience of using e-marketing platforms such as MailchimpExperience of lead generation activityBehaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Working TogetherManaging a Quality ServiceDelivering at PaceCommunicating and InfluencingTechnical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Experience of event management.Benefits
Alongside your salary of �27,941, Forestry Commission contributes �7,191 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
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 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. Further information will be available for candidates invited to interview.