Team Leader - Woodland and Estate - Wigan

About the job

Grade 2* listed Haigh Hall and its woodland park is a much-loved local Wigan attraction with over half a million visitors annually. The 300-acre estate is undergoing major renovation, transforming it into a cultural, gastronomic, and horticultural attraction of regional and national importance. The project has received significant council capital investment as well as funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund and the Government’s Levelling Up fund. Haigh is grounded in the local community and their participation is integral to the process and success of this endeavour. Haigh not only has enormous potential as a northwest horticultural destination but also as an inspiration for sustainable and inclusive heritage regeneration.

The W&E Team Leader will play a central role in bringing this vision to life. Working with the Head of Horticulture, the TL will establish and manage a team of arborists, volunteers and apprentices whilst also overseeing the conservation, improvement, and future management of the woodland and wider Haigh Hall estate.

Preferred Skills

In the next 12 months, you will:

·       Work in close collaboration with the Head of Horticulture, Creative Directors and Wigan Council on the rejuvenation of the Haigh estate

·       Together with the Head of Horticulture, help create and implement a woodland management plan for the estate as part of the wider Haigh masterplan

·       Work with a ‘light touch’ to improve habitats and increase biodiversity as part of the woodland management plan

·       Implement essential ecosystem services, including carbon, nutrient and water cycling as well as flood and erosion control

·       Be able to undertake tree inspections and surveys and implement appropriate remedial action

·       Help establish and lead a motivated and highly skilled team of staff, volunteers and apprentices

On an ongoing basis, you will:

·       Advise and plan the expansion of the tree collection and arboreta as part of a broader planting programme across the estate

·       Proactive in identifying areas that can be improved/redesigned or where maintenance practices can be streamlined

·       Facilitate the management of invasive species across the estate

·       Ensure that all work in the woodland is carried out safely and complies with H&S legislation

·       Help develop and implement a future arboricultural training programme at Haigh in collaboration with local and regional further education providers

·       Be committed to inclusive, collaborative and ecologically conscious arboriculture and woodland management

·       Benefit the local community through the creation and management of spaces for recreation and wellbeing

·       Ensure you operate within GDPR guidelines by regularly reviewing data held and destroying information in line with retention schedules

You must be able to demonstrate the following essential requirements:

·       A degree/higher diploma in ecology, or environmental science, with a specialism in conservation, woodland management, or significant equivalent experience  

·       At least five years experience as a woodland manager, preferably on sites that are open to the public

·       Broad practical tree knowledge, including carrying out surveys and inspections

·       Experience working on complex woodland regeneration projects

·       At least two years of experience managing a team

·       Experience in managing woodland invasive species (flora and fauna)

·       Some teaching or mentoring experience

·       An advocate and mentor for careers in woodland and conservation management and a desire to inspire all those who engage with Haigh

·       Machinery and/or chainsaw tickets – e.g., chainsaw maintenance, felling and processing trees, tractor, trailer and front-end loader (or similar)

·       A clean UK driver’s license

·       Computer literacy in Excel, PowerPoint and Word