Customer Relations Assistant

Job Introduction

We are Forestry England.

We live and breathe forests.

Job title – Customer Relations Assistant

Salary- £26,959 per annum (pro rata)

Contract type – Permanent

Hours – 22.5 hours per week

Vacancy closes - 12th October 2026 23:58

Join us. We're foresters, professionals and experts. We are a passionate team who love to share our enthusiasm and want to make a positive difference for you and the environment.

Together, we’re using our scale and expertise to grow the nation’s forests for everyone. We’re already adapting our landscapes for tomorrow, and getting stuff done today, like creating amazing places and experiences for you to enjoy. We're providing vital homes for wildlife, making our air cleaner to breathe and producing sustainable timber.

What you’ll do…

The Customer Relations Assistant will play an important role within Forestry England's national Customer Relations Team. As Forestry England moves to increase its business efficiency and grow profit margins, putting customers at the heart of what we do is crucial to the success of the future organisation.

The Customer Relations Assistant will be expected to deliver a high level of customer service and professional representation of Forestry England, in relation to event tickets, memberships, advance admission sales and other functions of the Customer Relations Team. Specific duties will include sales, administration and handling of customer enquiries.

This is a part-time role for 22.5 hours per week which will be worked across 3 days from Monday to Sunday each week. The nature of the work includes requirement for regular rota'd weekend, public and privilege holiday and evening working. To accommodate this, a rostered 7-day contract will be issued as standard.

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

Where you’ll work…

The location of this post is within the Customer Relations Team based in Thetford Business Centre, Thetford, Norfolk, with flexibility for some optional blended working. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas. The post responsibilities cover the whole of England and it is expected that the post holder will need to travel occasionally.

Benefits…

Alongside your salary, Forestry England contributes an average of 28.97% towards your pension. You will become a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension Scheme.

• 25 days holiday a year, raising by one day every year’s service, up to 30 days (pro-rated for part time employees) plus additional days off such as bank holidays.
• STaR is our employee benefits scheme offering discounts on everyday supermarket shopping, as well as other things such as hotel stays clothes, mobile phones, other electrical items, medical and car insurance, holidays, gym discounts, household bills, Headspace wellbeing app.
• free parking at Forestry England sites and free entry to our National Arboretums at Westonbirt and Bedgebury.
• a commitment to lifelong learning through career development. Forestry England will support your career development in a variety of ways, including continual professional development, support for individual learning plans and sponsored membership of professional bodies.

Read more about the benefits on the Forestry England website.

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 – 

• Delivering at Pace

• Working together 

• Communicating and influencing 

• Managing a quality service
  

  
  

  You may also be assessed on Experience, Strength based questions, and/or the Technical Success Profile at the interview. The technical element could include a presentation, practical or written task.

Successful candidates will undergo a criminal record check and the government baseline personnel security standard check.

If you require any reasonable adjustments, please email fcrecruitmentteam@forestryengland.uk.

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. 

Nationality requirements…

Read more about nationality requirements here. 

Working for the Civil Service…

Forestry England is part of the Civil Service. The Civil Service has a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). This means candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria during the application process will be guaranteed an interview. We also offer a Redeployment Interview Scheme to current civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the role. This role is also part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Prison Leaver Recruitment initiative. 

Within Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, it is essential that applicants should have the ability to provide conversation in accurate spoken English.

Our recruitment process makes appointments based on fair and open competition and merit, as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in in line with/according to these principles and you wish to make a complaint, please email: englandhr.services@forestryengland.uk. 

We aim to provide a great place to work, whichever location you work from. Blended working forms part of our flexible and inclusive approach to future ways of working. It is an informal arrangement which gives you the option to work some of the week from home, and some of the week from our Forestry Commission workplaces, subject to role requirements, business needs, and regular review. Informal blended working arrangements will be available as agreed with the line manager. Further information will be available for candidates invited to interview.