Programme Development Officer – Coed Cymru
Coed Cymru follows general best practice recruitment principles:
Merit - means the appointment of the best available person: no one should be appointed to a job unless
they are competent to do it and the job must be offered to the person who would do it best.
Fair - means there is no bias in the assessment of candidates. Selection processes must be objective,
impartial and applied consistently.
Open - means that job opportunities must be advertised publicly and potential candidates given
reasonable access to information about the job and its requirements, and about the selection process.
1. Title of Job: Programme Development Officer
2. Position Description:
Coed Cymru began in 1985 as an all Wales initiative working with landowners to protect, use and
enhance the woodland resource in Wales. Three decades on we have delivered over 7,500 woodland
creation and management projects covering over 34,000ha supporting farmers (>60%), community
groups (>15%) and many other woodland owners to improve the management of our natural resources.
We have supported our practical work with research and innovation, pioneering a wide range of projects
to enhance land management practices and to add value to timber.
This is a defining time for our natural resources. The challenges are great, but the opportunities are also
significant. We have the opportunity to develop new post Common Agricultural Policy approaches and
innovative solutions to existing problems, to implement better ways of working to bring more woodlands
into management and create new woodlands that deliver wide benefits within the landscape of Wales.
This role will play a key part in our small central team, learning from evidence and good practice,
influencing and interacting with others to implement our business plan.
Although for 12 months fixed term contract initially, there is scope for this role to be extended through
to 2020 and beyond, if further funding is approved.
3. Primary Objectives of the Role:
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To help us to develop our business models to support woodlands, trees and timber in
Wales and implement post Common Agricultural Policy support mechanisms
Contribute to a strong and supportive legislative, policy and delivery context for
woodlands, trees and timber and deliver against Welsh Government priorities to achieve
the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR), supported by good evidence
and practice

Lead on technical matters as they relate to the organisations business areas and
represent the organisation at a local and national level if required, and to consider the
implications of decisions and policies across the sector and in the longer term
In the first year the job will consist of a number of specific tasks which might include for example:

Assist Coed Cymru and others make funding applications and identify new income opportunities
for groups of landowners

Horizon scanning to anticipate and exploit changes in technology and new ways of doing
business (eg: UBER, Air BnB etc), that we might learn from and apply to help facilitate the
sustainable management of natural resources in Wales

Helping us respond to constraints and opportunities, such as contributing to opportunities
mapping areas for woodland creation
Primary Duties and Responsibilities:
Engage with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that our SMNR strategies and practices are up to
date, relevant and reflect current and future priorities across the woodland, timber, environment and rural
affairs sectors
Build on our professional relationships with a range of organisations across sectors, including local and
national government, academia, farming unions, business and NGO’s.
Help the sector to develop support mechanisms for landowners post CAP, which are relevant and
accessible to woodland owners to facilitate SMNR.
Engage in projects and work across several organisations if required.
Represent us at a local and national level when necessary, and input useful data into external policy such
as Welsh Government rural affairs strategies. Help us to formulate an agreed position to support
woodland owners in Wales and articulate this at a local and national level, considering the implications of
decisions across the sector and in the longer term.
Contribute to papers on constraints and opportunities, advice and guidance for woodland practitioners
Help us maintain the Coed Cymru ‘Partnership’ delivery model, communicate our vision internally and
support our delivery staff.
Input into our monitoring programme to ensure data is relevant to our programmes.
Lead on future funding bids and applications and help others through this process.
4. Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Educated to a degree level in a relevant subject area
Have a good working knowledge of forestry, woodlands, woodland ecology, farming or a closely related
discipline
Forward thinking and demonstrable experience in developing new approaches to solve existing problems
Understand and explain clearly, information from a wide range of sources, including relevant legislation
and the impact of ‘Brexit’ on relevant policy areas
Have excellent written skills and demonstrable experience in producing reports, papers, guidance
documents and similar.
Have excellent interpersonal skills, including experience in influencing external relationships, such as
through meetings and events
5. Reporting Arrangements:
You will report to the Director of Coed Cymru and be part of a small dedicated team of around 15 people
across Wales which has an overall budget of around £1m + per annum, plus project costs.
You will also:
Act as a role model of organisational values and:
a. Show exemplary behaviours of honesty, integrity and ethics.
b. Challenge others when they fail to act as role models.
c. Combine confidence and resilience with humility and a willingness to learn.
6. Job Location:
Our main office is in Mid Wales but we may consider the successful applicant be based at another
location in Wales. A full clean driving licence and use of a vehicle will be essential (travel and
subsistence will be reimbursed, etc).
7. Job Duration:
At present this post is funded under a Welsh Government core funding grant to March 2018 and is fixed
until this date. The position might be extended provided funding is obtained from future programmes.
8. Welsh Language:
Due consideration has been given to the Welsh language requirements for the post and the existing skills
within the team. Taking this into consideration the minimum Welsh language skills required for the post
are:
Basic - The ability to use basic Welsh conversational phrases (eg “bore da” – “good morning”) and to
pronounce Welsh place names correctly.
However, it would be highly advantageous for the successful candidate to be fluent in Welsh or to make a
commitment to become so within a reasonable time.
9. Salary: circa £30k p/a plus pension contributions.
10. To Apply:
Please send:
(i) A letter of interest in the position clearly demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the
requirements of the job, as described above. Please limit this to a maximum of 1,000 words. We will
use this letter to shortlist for interviews so please keep the points concise and provide clear examples and
evidence of your suitability.
(ii) In addition we require a CV, containing the following basic information: Name • Contact details eg,
address, telephone number, mobile number, email address • Qualifications • Present and previous
employment [last 5 years] – please provide the job title and your accountabilities. • Names and addresses
of at least 2 referees should be provided.
Please send your application by e-mail to [email protected] clearly indicating the job title in
the message header.
11. Timescales:
Deadline for applications: Tuesday 31st January 2017, no correspondence can be considered after
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that date. We will shortlist during the week ending 6 February and we may choose to notify only those
applicants successful for interview.
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Interviews will be held on the 8 February in mid-Wales and you will be notified by 6 February.
Appointment to commence asap after that date with due regard to notice periods, etc.
If any further information is required, please contact: [email protected]