Application pack

Contents

• Section 1 – About the New Forest National Park
• Section 2 – The New Forest National Park Authority
• Section 3 – Working for us
• Section 4 – Guidance notes for competing the application form
• Section 5 – The application process

Additional documents

• Job description and person specification
• Application form
• Equal opportunities in employment form

SECTION 1 – About the New Forest National Park

The New Forest is a member of the exclusive family of the world’s most outstanding landscapes. Globally, there are 6,555 protected areas covering one million square kilometres. The New Forest is one of 15 national parks in the UK. It was designated a National Park in 2005 and took on its full statutory functions a year later.

The New Forest National Park lies mainly in south-west Hampshire – from east of the Avon Valley to Southampton Water and from the Solent coast to the edge of the Wiltshire chalk downs. While it has the smallest area of the UK national parks (57,086 hectares), it has the second largest population living within its boundaries (34,400 people) and it is thought to attract around 15.2 million visitors each year.

The New Forest has long been recognised as a special and important area that needs protection. National Park designation means the strongest possible level of protection for the future which is especially important in the south and south-east where development pressures are intense and on the increase.

Its unique landscape has been shaped over the centuries by grazing ponies, cattle and pigs which roam free. Majestic woodlands, rare heathland and a spectacular coastline provide fabulous opportunities for quiet recreation, enjoyment and discovery.

SECTION 2 – The New Forest National Park Authority

The New Forest National Park Authority is an independent organisation operating in a local government framework and funded by central government. It has 22 members who have overall responsibility for making decisions, for setting policies and priorities and for making sure that resources are used properly.

Purposes

As guardians of a national park the New Forest National Park Authority has two statutory purposes as specified in the Environment Act 1995:

• To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area
• To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the Park by the public

Working in partnership with other organisations it is also the Authority’s duty to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of the local communities with the National Park.

We like to sum this up as: Protect – Enjoy – Prosper

Our people

We are a highly dedicated team of about 85 staff working in a wide variety of professional and technical roles ranging from planning officers and building conservation experts to ecologists and rangers. Our officers are supported by a team of corporate support staff in roles relating to communications, finance, HR, ICT and general administration.

Our values

Our values reflect our commitment – our ‘PACT’ - to do what’s best for the Forest:

• Purpose – we are dedicated to our work
• Achievement – we innovate, inspire and deliver success
• Care – we strive to be sustainable in all we do
• Teamwork – we work together with openness, integrity and respect

SECTION 3 – Working for us

Based in our offices in Lymington, we offer a professional and friendly work environment where innovation and creativity is encouraged.

Equal Opportunities

We aim to promote equality of opportunity and will collect appropriate data during our recruitment and selection processes to monitor our policy’s effectiveness. All practicable steps will be taken to facilitate the employment of disabled people.

Annual leave

The basic holiday entitlement for this post is 24 - 25 days per annum plus all public holidays and an extra statutory day awarded at Christmas. The holiday entitlement increases by five days per annum when five years’ continuous local government service is reached.

Pension scheme

The Authority is a member of the Local Government Pension Scheme administered by the Hampshire Pension Fund.

Training

We encourage learning and development at all levels and support is available for many different opportunities ranging from short refresher courses to further education and professional qualifications.

Travel and business costs

Expenses are met for business travel. Employees must arrange suitable motor insurance cover to include business travel before undertaking any car travel on the NPA’s behalf.

Work-life balance

We believe a healthy work-life balance is important and we provide a wide range of family-friendly policies and initiatives to help our staff achieve this.

SECTION 4 – Guidance notes for completing the application form

The information you provide on your application form is the information we will use when deciding whether to invite you for interview. CVs are not accepted.

This section acts as a guide to help you complete your application form. There are several different sections to the form:

• Education and qualifications

  List all your formal educational qualifications and any relevant informal or job-related training. Please remember to include details of any professional institutions which you belong to and any other further training and achievements you feel necessary.

• Present and previous employment

  Start with your current or last employer, then list all your past employers in chronological date order, giving the job title, your main duties and how long you were there. This is where you should include any volunteering you have undertaken.

• Additional information

  This section is your opportunity to demonstrate to us why you are the most suited applicant. The job description we have provided describes the main duties and responsibilities of the post whilst the person specification outlines the criteria needed to carry out these duties. Do not repeat your career history but try to use different examples of how you meet the criteria and put down only relevant skills and experience, not everything you have done to date.

Write in a clear, concise and positive way, using words such as ‘I planned...’ or ‘I organised...,’ ‘I assisted with…’ or ‘I co-ordinated’ and support your statements with clear and relevant examples.

SECTION 5 – The application process

Returning the application form

The closing date for completed application forms to be received is 2pm on 14 April 2025. Make sure you return your application so it arrives on or before this date, as applications received after the given date will not be considered. Please return completed forms to recruit@newforestnpa.gov.uk

You don’t have to sign your application at this stage but it must be submitted in a compatible format such as Word or a PDF.

Remember to ensure that the post title is stated in the space provided at the top of the application form so that we can identify the post for which you are applying.

Interview details

Interviews will take place on Wednesday 30 April 2025 at our offices in Lymington, Hampshire.

A contribution towards interview expenses is made in accordance with our policy.

Equal opportunities monitoring

Don’t forget to complete the equal opportunities monitoring form and return it with your application. It enables us to make sure that our policies are working and that the best person for the job is appointed.

We will guarantee an interview to people with disabilities who meet the minimum job criteria. If you want to claim a guaranteed interview you will need to ensure that you tick the correct box on the application form.

After you have applied

All applications will be acknowledged. Following this we will only be contacting those applicants who we have selected for interview. Therefore, if you have not received an invite to interview within two weeks of the closing date then your application will not have been successful on this occasion.

For any application queries please email recruit@newforestnpa.gov.uk or telephone 01590 646649/646637. We will respond to queries during normal office hours.