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Applicants sought for New Forest Verderer
The Forestry Commission seeks a successor to the Official Verderer of the New Forest, with the term of the current Verderer coming to an end on April 30th, 2008. This is voluntary position which requires a commitment of about seven days a month.
The New Forest is renowned for its internationally important landscape and environment. This is the result of centuries of stewardship and husbandry by the graziers exercising traditional rights of common.
The Verderers of the New Forest oversee commoning and regulate development on the Open Forest and the Official Verderer is responsible for leading their work. They work in conjunction with Natural England, the New Forest National Park Authority and the Forestry Commission, which manages the Forest on behalf of the Crown, as well as with owners of other areas of common land. Any proposed development, which will affect commoning rights or practices, has to be considered and approved by the Verderers before it can go ahead. This can include proposals for new roads, telephone and electricity lines, car parks, exchanges of land, camping sites, recreational facilities, improvement of the grazing, timber inclosures, playing fields and other matters.
Much of the work of the Verderers is connected with ensuring the health and welfare of the commoners' animals. The Verderers have a set of byelaws, which can be enforced, in the local Magistrates' Courts. The byelaws help to ensure that commoners act in a responsible manner in the exercise of their rights.
The Court of Verderers is constituted under the New Forest Act of 1877 and subsequent legislation. The present Court, which has the same status as a Magistrates' Court, consists of ten Verderers. Five are elected by those graziers whose names appear in the Forest's own electoral register. The other five Verderers are appointed one each by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the Forestry Commission, the National Park Authority and the Countryside Agency. The Official Verderer is the Chairman of the Court and is appointed by the Queen. Appointed Verderers serve for periods determined by their appointing authorities.
The term of office of the present Official Verderer will end on 30 April and a successor is now being sought. The position, which is unsalaried (travel and subsistence expenses will be met), requires a time commitment of about seven days a month.
THE ROLE:
Lead the work of the Court of Verderers establishing clear strategic direction and effective collaborative working;
Represent the Court of Verderers and wider commoning community;
Manage the Verderers' finances and staff;
Chair the Court of Verderers and monthly committee meetings.
THE CANDIDATE:
A track record of successful leadership of an organisation
Outstanding knowledge of the countryside and ideally protected landscapes including the New Forest, along with associated awareness of agricultural, animal welfare, environmental and recreation issues;
Familiarity with the lawful practice of common rights, New Forest, National Park and conservation legislation;
Excellent representational, communication and organisational skills, including ability to chair public and other meetings.
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| Person specification : |
EXPERIENCE
The successful candidate will have knowledge and experience of working in the countryside; have led an organisation, including managing and measuring risks, objectives, staff and budgets, and dealing with the needs and expectations of colleagues, customers and stakeholders; and operated in the peer community at a senior level.
Essential
KNOWLEDGE
You will have knowledge of the countryside and it's rural economy and will be familiar with protected landscapes and commoning rights and practices. A basic understanding of the English legal system and the Acts of Parliament which established the Verderers Court, which direct its work, and the National Park is desirable, together with a knowledge of New Forest history and an insight into the challenges that the New Forest and commoning are likely to face in the coming years. Knowledge of the New Forest itself, and the relationship between grazing and the environment would be helpful.
Desirable
PERSONAL IMPACT
You are a confident, articulate individual who is used to operating at a senior level and influencing your peers on environmental issues. You have the personality and style to establish credibility at the highest levels and have the ability to constructively challenge others where necessary. You have a well developed political awareness.
Focussed on outcomes, you can demonstrate how you help to resolve problems rather than police them, taking a pragmatic approach. You are able to easily build constructive relationships with people across the commoning community and wider New Forest, establishing successful partnerships. You are dynamic, and enjoy the challenge of bringing about change where it is needed.
Essential
STRATEGIC THINKING
You should be able quickly to assess how the Court of Verderers is currently positioned with regard to environmental, social and commoning issues and identify the necessary steps to ensure progress in the development and implementation of the Verderers' objectives in a direction which is aligned with that of other Agencies policy frameworks and activities. You should be capable of developing strategies and influencing the strategies of others.
Essential
COMMUNICATION
You will have the ability to understand, analyse and present complex information effectively and clearly in writing and orally. You must be able to make clear and cogent contributions to meetings, discussions and submissions and, when making recommendations, persuasively represent the Verderers' position, displaying tact as well as handling and resolving conflict. You provide timely communication to people at all levels and act on feedback received. You have the ability to translate policy requirements into clearly understood management action.
Essential
WORKING WITH OTHERS
You will be adaptable and flexible and aware of the impact of own behaviour on others. You will be experienced in working with people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Helpful and supportive towards colleagues, you will share ideas and information openly in order to help them in their work and to obtain feedback. Seeking to resolve difficulties in working relationships you will not allow differences to become entrenched. You will demonstrate the ability to work across multi-agency partnerships as well as within your own organisation to good effect, accepting responsibility for leading a team where circumstances demand.
Essential
PROBLEM SOLVING, ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY
You will be able to demonstrate a high degree of analytical ability as the role often involves working with conflicting agendas and applying common sense, sound judgement and a degree of intuition to produce a viable set of options for any problem. You will be expected to display confidence in your own judgement but respond constructively to alternative ideas and be able to assess options with their advantages, disadvantages, costs and benefits. You will have the ability to take timely decisions and monitor the effects of change, demonstrating a creative and constructive approach to problem solving. You will be able to draw up plans and programmes that are achievable, oversee their delivery and be able to report clearly on what has been achieved in terms of outcome, both quantitative and qualitative.
You will need to show that you can manage a small team of committed staff, and how you can make yourself accessible to them, within the limited time available to you and possibly operating at some distance from their base. You must be able to understand basic budget preparation, bidding and monitoring arrangements, forward business planning and the setting of operational as well as policy objectives and performance indicators.
You will need to make yourself available for meetings during the day or evening and to attend site visits in the Forest which may involve walking some distance.
Essential
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| How to apply : |
For more information, please visit:
http://www.verderers.org.uk/court.html
To obtain an application pack for this position, please contact Ayo Awoyele, c/o Forestry Commission England, Great Eastern House, Tenison Road, Cambridge, CB1 2DU. Tel: 01223 346 018 or email: ayo.awoyele@forestry.gsi.gov.uk
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| Telephone : |
01223 346018 |
| Textphone : |
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| Fax : |
01223 365766 |
| E-mail : |
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| Webpage of organisation : |
http://www.verderers.org.uk/court.html |
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