The role
Are you passionate about making data accessible, meaningful, and impactful? Natural Resources Wales is looking for a Specialist Advisor to take the lead in shaping and managing our Welsh Environmental Information Portal—a flagship platform that brings Wales’ environmental data to life through interactive maps, dashboards, and reports.
In this pivotal role, you’ll be both the business owner and technical lead, driving innovation in how data is curated, visualised, and experienced. You’ll ensure the portal remains a trusted, user-friendly gateway for internal teams, external partners, and the public—supporting informed decision-making and the sustainable management of Wales’ natural resources.
You’ll work flexibly across locations, collaborating with experts across NRW and beyond to evolve the portal in line with emerging needs and technologies. From shaping user journeys to enhancing data discoverability, your work will help unlock the full potential of environmental data for Wales.
As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.
To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Georgia Power at Georgia.G.Power@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams
Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.
About us
This exciting role sits within our Master Data Management Team, part of the Digital, Data and Technology directorate—a forward-thinking and collaborative space where data and digital innovation drive everything we do. Here, you'll be surrounded by passionate professionals who are using cutting-edge tools to deliver real impact for nature, people, and policy across Wales.
What you will do
- Be the gatekeeper for content going into our externally facing Information Portal and will define processes to ensure that the quality of the content is appropriate for an external audience.
- Manage, develop and provide technical input to the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) Portal as lead system administrator responsible for ensuring compliance with data and IT standards, and curator of the views and assets accessed by it.
- Lead on the development, implementation and maintenance of associated data layers and views for the SMNR Portal, and for the quality of metadata used for search, discovery and presentation of data assets, maps and dashboards made available through the portal.
- Provide specialist expertise and knowledge for the discovery and inclusion of Data assets and dashboards/reports to the SMNR Portal. Working with key business leads to identify new and emerging sources of data and information.
- Support NRW in realising the benefits of the use of the SMNR Portal for the search and discovery of NRWs data holdings, – including the promotion and user support for the SMNR Portal both internally and externally.
- Lead development of the SMNR Portal to meet the current and future requirements of NRW, taking advantage of changes in technology and developing innovative approaches to improve services, so that benefits are realised, and better ways of working delivered which support user, customer and environmental needs.
- Ensure that system development doesn’t compromise functionality and integrity of the SMNR Portal.
- Support system users by delivering solutions to complex problems and large-scale issues.
- Act as technical expert for the SMNR Portal for the business, IT service delivery and between NRW and the relevant 3rd party suppliers.
- Engage with internal and external partners to ensure their needs are understood, our needs and capacity for delivery are communicated, and that arrangements for exchange of data accessed via the SMNR Portal, are appropriately implemented and managed to ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Provide technical advice, support and guidance as lead expert in the curating of data and dashboards within the SMNR Portal and be the principal provider of advanced specialist training to senior users of the SMNR Portal and associated support tools.
- Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
- Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
- Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
- Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.
Your qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills
In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.
- Relevant degree or equivalent experience. Membership of a relevant professional body is desirable.
- Significant experience of data management, specifically related to environmental data, and a broad range of skills related to data discovery, data presentation and metadata management.
- Skills and experience in creating and presenting information to a range of stakeholders on which they can base decisions, advice or policy development.
- Awareness and ability to evaluate IT and data requirements of business processes that produce and use data.
- Ability to build strong internal and external relationships with a range of partners/stakeholders to influence and gain co-operation of others.
- Be resilient and able to cope with high pressure situations.
- Able to work independently, demonstrating innovation, initiative and an ability to develop, or be receptive to, new ideas and creative solutions.
Welsh Language level requirements
- Essential: Level A1 - Entry level
Welsh language levels
Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
- 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
- generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
- commitment to professional development
- health and wellbeing benefits and support
- weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose
See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.
Please keep reading
We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.
We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.
We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.
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