The role
Natural Resources Wales has a unique opportunity as a Senior Environment Officer, to take a leading role in restoring river ecosystems across North West Wales. You’ll help deliver ambitious catchment-scale restoration schemes that support the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) — the guiding purpose of everything we do at Natural Resources Wales.
You’ll focus on priority Water Framework Directive catchments, tackling complex environmental challenges such as degraded fish spawning habitats and elevated phosphate levels in the Afon Gwyrfai Special Area of Conservation. Your work will directly contribute to NRW’s mission of building ecosystem resilience and supporting wider wellbeing in Wales.
Working within the Conwy Environment Team, you’ll lead on complex casework and provide specialist advice across Environment Management, Protected Sites, Fisheries, and Biodiversity; design and deliver river restoration projects that align with SMNR principles and statutory obligations; support the Team Leader in coordinating delivery across the Environment Team remit, ensuring strategic alignment with NRW’s objectives; build and maintain partnerships to drive collaborative action and stakeholder engagement; and integrate your work into local operations, working closely with colleagues to ensure joined-up delivery.
As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the NRW office at the above location 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 Charlotte Williams at charlotte.williams@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will be face to face (details of time and location will be shared in advance)
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
The Sustainable Management of Natural Resources (SMNR) is at the heart of NRW's remit and requires taking a partnership approach. Ecosystems resilience is a keystone of SMNR and fundamental to NRW's wellbeing objectives which are addressing the climate emergency and the nature emergency and minimising pollution.
What you will do
- Represent NRW in discussions with partner organisations.
- Act as technical mentor and advisor to team members.
- Closely assist Team Leader in the planning and delivery of compliance programme and enforcement.
- Take appropriate actions to collect evidence for enforcement purposes, in accordance with defined procedures.
- Where non-compliance is identified, determine and implement the most appropriate intervention option.
- Co-ordinate the technical development of team members.
- Play a key role in identifying opportunities for new Management Agreements and Partnership Projects to deliver NRW priorities at place.
- Play a senior role in supporting a resilient and competent NRW Incident Management Service that follows NRW process.
- 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.
- Experience of project development and management.
- Overall understanding of the sustainable management of natural resources, with focused expertise in a distinct area of the Environment Team remit.
- Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders and the public, explaining issues and gaining support by influencing.
- Good knowledge and experience of regulatory and enforcement processes.
- Hold a current full UK valid licence to drive NRW fleet vehicles. (cars and vans)
Welsh Language level requirements
- Essential: Level B2 - Upper intermediate 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.
