GIS Technician

Job summary

As the GIS Technician, you will help Forestry England achieve its objectives by providing an accurate inventory of the district's assets, from which to base future operational planning, and provide technical support on GIS and data matters to the wider forest district to enable them to fulfil their roles within the Forest District.

The GIS Technician works closely with Forestry England colleagues across the Forest District to ensure data is collected and recorded correctly and integrity in datasets is maintained.

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

Job description

Key responsibilities & accountabilities

Surveys, Inventory and Data -

• Update the sub-compartment and other core ForesterWeb datasets of the GIS, in accordance with the Survey Handbook, and with particular attention to end of year

• Complete data integrity checks and updates as required

• Input survey data to help maintain and improve the ForesterWeb datasets

• Create new digitised layers that will hold and present forest data, from scratch or through georeferencing existing data

• Provide advice and technical support to the forest management team on the use of GIS, including Forester Web, ArcPro and ESRI Field Maps.

Tactical Planning -

• Review and update the Thinning Coupe layer and update sub-compartments following thinning with Beat staff

• Query, analyse and present spatial data for use in the management decision processes, using tools such as spreadsheets, pivot tables and charts, and spatial analysis tools in GIS software, for example producing heatmaps, clipping, merging and buffering data

• Produce presentation maps and data as required.

Person specification

Skills, knowledge & experience

Essential professional and technical experience

• Good team worker with the ability to work alone and use own initiative as necessary

• Excellent written communication skills

• Excellent verbal communication skills with an ability to bring people together and gain consensus

• A good understanding of Health & Safety in the workplace

• Knowledge and understanding of industry standards and best practice

• Competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications.

• Proven track record of working with geographic information systems, preferably ESRI ArcGIS/ArcPro, ArcGIS Online or Forester Web

• Ability to work with complex data accurately and precisely.

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Demonstrable experience of managing complex datasets and forest inventory.

Qualifications

Desirable professional and technical experience

• Relevant GIS degree or diploma (or equivalent).

Benefits

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 (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This is a Temporary Appointment until 31/03/2029, with the possibility of extension of permanency but no guarantee.

How to apply…

We cannot accept applications via email. Please follow the steps outlined below. Any CVs and/or personal statements sent outside the system will not be considered for shortlisting.

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.

The Behaviours being assessed at interview are –

• Seeing the big picture
• Delivering at pace
• Working together
• Making effective decisions

You will also be assessed on technical skill. This will involve a short practical exercise loading and interrogating data, using both the in-house Forestry England GIS and ArcGIS Pro - help will be provided from our current GIS technician. Candidates will not need to prepare anything specific in advance for this exercise.

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 removed].

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.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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