Brandon, East of England, IP27 0PL
Job Summary
What you’ll do…
As Harvesting Machine Operator, you will help deliver the district’s business plan by efficiently using forestry harvesting and extraction machines. You will use purpose-built forestry machines working as part of a dedicated team to plan and carry out tree harvesting. You will operate a forwarder and harvester to mechanically fell trees and extract timber to roadside. You will work closely with the harvesting team and management to plan operations, meet district targets for outputs and specifications and ensure all health and safety issues are addressed.
Contractual hours are 37hrs/week, operators work additional overtime hours meaning early starts each day. The successful candidate will be expected to work the same pattern of hours as the rest of the team.
Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.
Where you’ll work…
Thetford Forest.
Job Description
As Harvesting Machine Operator, you will help deliver the district’s business plan by efficiently using forestry harvesting and extraction machines. You will use purpose-built forestry machines working as part of a dedicated team to plan and carry out tree harvesting.
You will operate a forwarder and harvester to mechanically fell trees and extract timber to roadside. You will work closely with the harvesting team and management to plan operations, meet district targets for outputs and specifications and ensure all health and safety issues are addressed.
As Harvesting Machine Operator, you will help deliver the district’s business plan by efficiently using forestry harvesting and extraction machines. You will use purpose-built forestry machines working as part of a dedicated team to plan and carry out tree harvesting.
You will operate a forwarder and harvester to mechanically fell trees and extract timber to roadside. You will work closely with the harvesting team and management to plan operations, meet district targets for outputs and specifications and ensure all health and safety issues are addressed.
Person specification
- fell and forward trees during clear fell and thinning
- complete your operations in line with health, safety and environmental standards using tools such as site management plans and risk assessments
- maintain machines liaising with the workshop as required
- work with the forester and works supervisor to maintain stock control by measuring roadside and on- site timber
And any other tasks, reasonably requested by your line manager.
Essential Professional And Technical Experience
- you must have previous experience of large-scale mechanised harvesting operations and working in an outdoor environment
- a full UK driving license, however Forestry England is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by any other means
- competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications
- you must be self-motivated and be able to learn and solve problems practically and safely
- you will have a flexible approach to work and be part of a team
Desirable Professional And Technical Experience
- ability to obtain trailer towing certificate within 9-12 months of appointment Qualifications
Essential
- forwarder FMOCS qualified, units 1.5 & 3.2 (Old) or 0020-15 & 0020-16 (New) or 0020-42 (New), new units must have Base Machine Endorsement 4 – Over 2.5 ton wheeled articulated
Desirable
- Harvester FMOCS qualified
- current NPTC or equivalent certification in chainsaw use (Maintenance, cross cutting and felling up to380mm)
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
Alongside your salary of £30,105, Forestry Commission contributes £8,721 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
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 experience, a technical skill and strength based questions during your interview.
The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –
- Seeing the big picture
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Managing a quality service
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.
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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.
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 : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk
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: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
