Wildlife Ranger Manager

We are looking to recruit a Wildlife Ranger Manager to join the FLS East Region Wildlife Management Team. The post will be based working out of our Dunkeld Office covering the Highland Perthshire, Angus, and Fife areas of East Region. Occasional support to elsewhere in the Region may occur.
Forestry and Land Scotland is the Scottish Government agency responsible for managing Scotland’s national forests and land. Key roles are delivering a sustainable resource of timber, improving, and expanding native habitats, mitigating climate change, and providing space for public recreation. Sustainable deer and wildlife management is the foundation to achieving the Scottish Governments resource, native habitat, and climate targets.
East Region extends from Nairn in the Northwest to the forests of north Fife and Perthshire in the south. It includes substantial parts of the Cairngorms National Park and the river catchments of Spey, Deveron, Don, Dee, South Esk and Tay.
The region has an annual harvesting program of approximately 530k m3 per annum and restocking of over 1000ha/ annum along with ambitious woodland creation targets. A programme of peatland restoration is underway, and the Region has significantly scaled windfarm developments in planning.
The Region’s forests play a key role in providing recreation and tourism attracting large numbers of visitors with key sites at Tentsmuir, Faskally and Queen’s View in the south and the peri urban forests in Aberdeen City, the upland walks of Bennachie and the coastal forests of Roseisle and Culbin in the north. There are in addition numerous forests where the primary aim is sustainable timber production.
This is an exciting time for wildlife management within FLS as we work to deliver against the recommendations of the Scottish Government Deer Working Group Report. Through the professional management of deer densities and damage impacts, FLS can protect its planting, natural regeneration and a wide range of habitats, soils, ground flora and understorey. This role will play a key part in achieving these goals and allowing East Region to contribute significantly to the Scottish Government’s Green Recovery, Climate Change, and Biodiversity objectives., Sustainable herbivore management is a key foundation to the successful delivery of a range of Scottish Government targets on carbon capture, improving habitats and timber production.
This position will assist the East Regions Area Wildlife Manager to deliver the annual cull and venison sale of the regions cull target.
Interpretation of cull data, browsing impact reports, deer density assessments and population modelling will be required to manage ongoing and future culls.
Maintaining deer numbers at two to five deer per Km2 across the estate is critical to the successful delivery of these targets and future resource availability.
Within East Region the data and population modelling suggest an annual cull requirement of around 10,000 deer and is made up principally of the following two species: Red and Roe but does also include a smaller number of Fallow (approx. 200) and the odd Sika. Deer are processed through eight deer larders operated by FLS. Culling is achieved through a combination of in-house staff and Contract resource., Compliance - To ensure that wildlife management activities are conducted to the highest standards of Health and Safety, animal welfare and food chain hygiene. This includes exemplary management of FLS firearms and production of venison to the Scottish Quality Wild Venison quality assurance standards.
Communication - You will communicate proactively across regional teams, wildlife staff, contractors, with neighbour’s / communities and with members of the public. Ensuring that wildlife management is an integrated part of the overall delivery of land management activities.
Cull delivery - Cull targets are driven by data collected from various sources including herbivore impact assessment, thermal imaging counts etc. You will organise resources to ensure that the indicated culls are achieved and the management objectives for each part of the estate are enabled. For most unfenced areas, our management objectives will be made possible with low deer densities of between two and five deer per Km2.
Planning input - It is essential that deer management is fully integrated into the other activities taking place in the forest and that opportunities for efficiencies are maximised. You will do this by engaging fully with Land Management Planning, preparation of workplans and programming. Where deer fencing is proposed this must be via a business case jointly prepared by you and the Forest Management team.
Staff management - You will directly line manage a team of Wildlife Rangers ensuring that they are properly informed, motivated, equipped and supported to conduct their role. Effective management of health, safety and wellbeing within this team is critical.
Notes - This is a management role rather than operational and as a result new Pay Band Five (PB5) entrants into the FLS Wildlife Management Team will not be eligible for access to the FLS working dog allowance. Existing FLS wildlife team employees on promotion or transfer will be able to claim an allowance of an existing working dog for up to five years.
The Candidates should expect that an FLS vehicle suitable for the manager’s task will be made available from their agreed start point. The post holder will undertake home to office travel in their own vehicle.
New Wildlife Ranger Managers (PB5) will not have a personal cull target nor a cull area. However, there is an expectation that Wildlife Ranger Managers will have the opportunity to develop and maintain skill sets by agreement with the Area Wildlife Manager.

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Alongside your salary of £34,028, Forestry and Land Scotland contributes £9,857 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.