W H Timber Limited
Job Description
Deputy Sawmill Manager
Woodland Heritage Timber is a specialist sawmill which focusses on the processing and sale of an array of Hardwood timbers produced from UK woodlands. The business continues to grow and develop. The job of Assistant sawmill manager is a new role to strengthen the team at its site in Whitney on Wye and assist the current manager, to manage the operations of the business and help guide and facilitate its further growth and development.
Job Description
Overseeing all operations, including maintaining the fabric of the buildings and equipment and being responsible for the Health and Safety of eight members of staff.
Understanding and working alongside each of the departments at the mill; sawmilling, order fulfilment, purchasing, sales and marketing and working flexibly with each member of the team.
Requiring all employees on-site to report to you for judgements and advice on problems that they cannot easily manage themselves.
Within delegated powers and working with the Sawmill manager and board of directors, deciding on all expenditures, priorities of replacing/repairing kit, site work, assisting with buying round timber (including travel within and potentially occasionally away from the UK to source supplies) and all other stock,
Continue to develop sales pricing and structures.
Working within delegated powers and working with the Sawmill manager, assisting with and following through all decisions about what the Mill undertakes.
Planning the development of the business and making recommendations to the Directors via a business plan and/or necessary revisions.
Reporting quarterly to the Directors on performance (physical, financial, Health & Safety and risk), attending their meetings as required and providing adequate information to them to enable them to understand progress against agreed plans.
Understanding cash flow management (including debtors and creditors) and regular assessment of the overall business’ performance.
Working in a small team, the successful candidate will, subject to training, also be expected from time to time to work alongside others in the team to assist them with their duties to cover for temporary absences or to meet order deadlines.
Line Management
The Assistant Sawmill Manager will report daily to the Sawmill manager. The Sawmill manager in turn reports to the Chief Executive of the parent owning charity Woodland Heritage.
Personal Specification
The successful applicant will have a proven interest, qualifications and/or experience in one or more of the following areas: sawmilling, forestry or timber trades, business, sales and marketing, or environmental sector.
The candidate must be able to demonstrate:
An appreciation of the issues and challenges facing the British sawmilling, timber and forestry sectors, including their local and regional businesses, as well as UK and European contexts.
A track record of running a successful business, ideally in the sawmilling, timber or forestry sectors.
An aptitude for making connections with potential buyers and suppliers in order to boost revenues and surpluses.
An interest in delivering training and skills enhancement both within a business and to the wider timber and forestry sectors.
Ability to be flexible, with an aptitude to work with different staff with different skills.
Experience of fostering innovation and growing businesses.
An ability to understand and deliver the Health & Safety needs of a sawmilling business.
Essential Criteria
• Experience of successful working in a business environment
• An understanding of the opportunities and issues that face timber and forest-based businesses.
• Personal integrity and energy
• A “can do”, proactive and problem-solving attitude.
• A clear thinker who can work independently, but is also a team player.
• High calibre communication, presentation and inter-personal skills
• A valid driving licence.
Desirable Criteria
• Computer literate
• Experience of working with a Board of Directors
• Experience of working ‘on the ground’ in the sawmilling and/or timber industries.
Salary
• £30-43,000pa, paid monthly in arrears.
• Discretionary Performance-related bonus, qualifying for after the probationary period.
• Pension contribution into an auto-enrolled qualifying pension scheme.
• Reasonable expenses
Location
The position is based at Whitney Sawmills, Whitney-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Regular travel with occasional nights away from home will be a requirement.
Duration:
The post is a permanent one with an annual performance appraisal. The post is full-time (40 hours per week) with 25 days’ annual leave, plus eight days of Public Holiday.
To apply
Send your CV to office@whitneysawmills.co.uk or to Whitney Sawmills, Old Station Yard, Whitney-on-Wye, HR3 6EZ, or phone 01497-831656 and ask for Dermot.
Background Information
W H Timber Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Woodland Heritage, the latter being an active, action-oriented, not-for-profit, registered charity (no. 1041611). www.woodlandheritage.org
Woodland Heritage’s aims are to:
Raise awareness and appreciation of well-managed woodlands and timber
Forge links in the British wood supply chain
Influence the choices of growers and consumers
Enable people to grow better quality trees and better quality timber
Woodland Heritage produces an annual Journal, runs successful “Woodland to Workshop” educational courses, offers grants, travel and study bursaries, pump primes the work of complementary organisations, holds an annual field weekend and highlights excellence through our annual Awards. For the last seven years, Woodland Heritage has been active in researching the causes of Acute Oak Decline (AOD), working in partnership with Forest Research and several universities located across England and Wales.
We will consider ourselves successful when:
There are increased social and environmental benefits from woodlands.
Successful, thriving woodland businesses are created.
There is a visible improvement in the amount of quality timber.
Current needs in the market are satisfied and new markets are created.
W H Timber Limited was incorporated in May 2016 in order to take over the running of Whitney Sawmills and to allow Woodland Heritage to demonstrate its commitment to an economically, socially and environmentally viable wood supply chain.
Whitney Sawmills and Timber Merchants was founded by furniture maker Will Bullough some 25 years ago. At the time he found it difficult to source the fine quality of timber that he required from existing timber suppliers. Since those days the sawmill has grown and grown to become one of the leading timber merchants.
As a charity and together with the sawmill WHT seeks to maintain high standards in all we do to ensure the sustainability of the UK’s woodlands.