Finance and Partner Support Officer

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Hexham, North East England, NE48 2HP

About the job

Job summary

Contract type – Fixed Term Appointment until 31st March 2026

Hours – 22.2 

What you’ll do…

As Finance and Partner Support Officer (FPSO) you will support the Project Manager in the administrative running of the project development period, and in the development of the Blended Finance and Business Plan, and the Project Management and Governance Plan.

You will work with other team members throughout the development process to ensure that the conditions and requirements of the funding sources are acceptable to landowners, and to develop legal agreements which will underpin the future receipt of funds.

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

Where you’ll work…

North England Forest District is the largest in England, covering 86,000ha, made up of 61,000 ha of forest and 25,000ha of open land in Cumbria, Durham, Gateshead, Lancashire and Northumberland. The District is managed by a team of more than 140 staff. The forest area is currently 90% conifer and 10% broadleaf. Annual timber production is in the region of 550,000m3. The District has 45 SSSIs covering over 10,000ha and is a major contributor to nationally significant biodiversity projects which help support red squirrels, water voles, ospreys and red kites. Our built and agricultural non-woodland estate is extensive and we are engaged in a programme of business development and conservation initiatives.

This role will work specifically in relation to the Upper Irthing PRISM Landscape Recovery Project area, a >10,000 Ha area of FE and partner land on the Northumberland / Cumbria border. The work base will be FE’s district office at Bellingham, Northumberland with hybrid working options considered

Job description

• support the project manager and other FE or project partner staff as appropriate in the development of the blended finance model and business plan
• research opportunities for private sector investment, green finance and other grant income
• lead on the preparation and submission of funding applications as identified to be necessary by the developing plan
• support the procurement of financial and legal advice and support services and act as a key contact for external advisors and consultants alongside the project manager
• support project partners to access legal advice in support of project agreements • provide administrative support to the financial activities of the project (this will include supporting other project staff with procurement, raising purchase orders, processing invoices and financial record keeping)
• support the preparation and submission of project financial claims to DEFRA, including working with project partners to coordinate collection of supporting documentation and evidence
• support partnership working and communication by coordinating meetings, reporting on and distributing meeting minutes and outcomes
• provide administrative support to the project team, including contributing to project reporting and financial tracking
• support research, consideration and application of future sources of funding for the project implementation period
• support development of a blended finance plan and business model during the development phase
• support other team members in the development of other aspects of the project plan as required
• participate in stakeholder engagement and publicity efforts, with especial focus on potential for community fundraising or other income streams

The duties of this post require occasional travel including to remote areas, therefore holding a full UK driving licence would be advantageous. However, Forestry England is willing to consider any proposals put forward by applicants that would allow them to do the job by other means.

And any other task reasonably requested by your line manager.

Person specification

Essential professional and technical experience

• experience of working to investigate and evaluate novel funding streams and/or business models
• experience working successfully within the development and/or delivery of complex partnership projects to set up new funding streams and/or business models to deliver longer term objectives
• experience of working closely with partners and stakeholders to develop and deliver a novel project (for example, other landowners and managers, and/or community groups)
• familiarity with the land management sectors of farming, nature conservation and forestry and woodland management
• strong organisational skills, including the ability to manage multiple work streams simultaneously
• ability to work effectively within a small team, supporting team members to achieve their best efforts whilst delivering your own key work areas
• competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications

Desirable professional and technical experience

• familiarity with financial management and reporting software and systems

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £39,135, Forestry Commission contributes £11,337 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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.

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.

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