Operations Manager

Job Introduction We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Operations Manager - High Lodge

Salary - £33,854 per annum

Contract type – Permanent

Hours – 37 hours per week

Vacancy closes - 6th September 2026, 23:58

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.

What you’ll do…

High Lodge is one of Forestry England’s flagship outdoor recreation destinations, receiving over 500,000 visitors annually and offering high‑quality facilities, trails, heritage features, play areas, cycling, events, and commercial partnerships.

As the Recreation Operations Manager, you will lead the delivery, management and development of recreation operations across High Lodge and support recreation management across wider beat areas. The role is responsible for day‑to‑day operational excellence, facility and asset management, health and safety leadership, contract oversight, budget management, and developing a positive and inclusive “one‑team” culture.

You will play a central role in ensuring that High Lodge provides an outstanding visitor experience while contributing to the wider East District recreation strategy, commercial growth targets and Forestry England’s values of sustainability, safety, access and wellbeing.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…

High Lodge Thetford Forest, Thetford Road, Brandon IP27 0AF

Occasional national travel with overnight stay may be required.

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.

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 a technical skill during your interview. A 5‑minute presentation will need to be prepared in advance. The subject will be provided to applicants who are invited to interview.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Leadership
• Communicating \& Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Presentation:

Please prepare a 5-minute presentation in advance on: "How I Would Deliver a Toilet Refurbishment Project at High Lodge." Please explain how you would deliver the project and outline any key considerations you would need to take into account.

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email [email protected].

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.

Nationality requirements…

Read more about nationality requirements here.

Working for the Civil Service…

Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative.

Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.

Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: [email protected].