Protected Sites and Species Programme Manager

Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.

Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.

We’ve not always been known for our conservation work, but Forestry England have bold ambitions to be a leading force for nature recovery. Our progress is real and measurable: FSC certified since 1999, WWF’s 'Gift to the Earth' award in 2001, and commitments to restore all our ancient woodlands in 2007 and 11,000 hectares of nature-rich open habitats in 2013. In 2022 we launched our first Biodiversity Plan with a clear goal to make the nation’s forests the most valuable places for wildlife to thrive and expand in England.

Explore our work to see how we’re putting nature recovery at the heart of England’s forests:

White tailed eagle reintroduction: White-tailed eagles return to England – Eagle Spotting

Nightjar Conservation: Meet the mysterious nightjars of Haldon Forest Park

Creating Wilder Forests: Creating wilder forests | Our new wild areas

What you’ll do…

As Protected Sites and Species Programme Manager, you will provide strategic leadership for Forestry England’s approach to nature conservation across protected sites and species, with wider programme management responsibilities. The role includes overseeing our national processes for Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) screening and Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs). You will shape and direct our conservation strategy for protected sites, including our 68,000 ha of SSSIs and European designated sites, ensuring that our actions are evidence-based, legally compliant, and aligned with national priorities.

You will lead the implementation of operational guidance for protected species, including European Protected Species (EPS) and Schedule 1 birds, ensuring that our operations support species recovery while enabling sustainable land management. You will be responsible for Forestry England’s delivery of Species Conservation Strategies under the Environment Act and will explore innovative approaches to streamlining operations, such as organisational licences, to further our nature recovery ambitions.

You will be willing to challenge established norms in protected site and species management, influencing the regulatory environment, advocating for a more proactive and ambitious approach to nature recovery. Protected sites will be positioned at the heart of wider nature recovery networks, and your leadership will help ensure Forestry England moves beyond passive observation of ecological decline, instead driving bold, evidence-led action to reverse it. You will play a key role in proactively pushing Forestry England to be a leader in protected site and species conservation.