The role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, technically minded, fisheries ecologist to join our South East Environmental Assessment and Advice team. You will work with our existing fisheries monitoring staff to develop and maintain our network of fish counters. You will be involved in day to day operation, data processing and reporting from our ARIS and Vaki fish counters. In addition you will assist in lake acoustic fish monitoring.
Data processing is a significant part of the role, for which patience and an eye for detail is required. You will use your technical skills to assist the team in incorporating new techniques in the developing field.
As a key member of our multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to delivering high‑quality environmental monitoring, assessment, and reporting.
You will support the planning and implementation of monitoring and assessment programmes, as well as contribute to wider reporting activities.
You will also support the Team Leader in planning, coordinating, and tracking progress across monitoring programmes. This includes liaising with OMAR teams, place‑based teams to ensure sampling requirements are met.
Driving is essential to this role. You must hold a full and current UK driving license.
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 Peter Clabburn at Peter.Clabburn@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams
About us
South East Environmental Assessment and Advice Team are a multifunctional team undertaking terrestrial and freshwater ecology, water quality and fishery surveys and investigations. Our work provides evidence that enables delivery of environmental outcomes to place whilst meeting statutory and national requirements.
The team is one of the 6 Environmental Assessment and Advice Teams that operate across Wales.
If you’re motivated by meaningful work, enjoy being part of a collaborative team, and want to help shape the future of Wales’ natural environment, you’ll feel right at home with us.
What you will do
- Undertake ad hoc and routine system administration, data quality assurance, analysis and reporting.
- Provide specialist, monitoring technical advice and guidance to internal and external customers, from a range of sources; helping ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice. Produce technical reports analysing and interpreting national and local datasets for operational work, public enquiries, court appeals etc.
- Help ensure that NRW’s monitoring data is collected and stored to the quality standards prescribed by European and UK legislation and by NRW policy.
- Assist Senior EAO and TL in planning, scheduling and tracking the annual survey and monitoring programmes, with regards to sampling activities.
- Advise on specialist non-routine monitoring/survey work and the analysis of data including input on delivery of operational measures.
- Contribute to delivery of survey and monitoring programmes.
- Guide, advise and support internal and external customers, ensuring decisions are made on sound technical data and information.
- Help resolve local issues by providing scientific and technical advice/interpretation of monitoring data.
- Assist in the development, implementation of new monitoring and reporting methods, including collaboration with partner organisations at a local level.
- Respond to requests for information relating to monitoring data, within specified deadlines.
- Maintain and procure specialist sampling equipment.
- 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).
- Required to take part in incident response activities.
- 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 analysing samples, field-based monitoring/surveillance, interpreting and reporting on environmental data and practical knowledge of a wide range of monitoring activities and methodologies.
- Expertise in fisheries
- Excellent report writing skills and knowledge of relevant legislation.
- Experience of monitoring data management systems, as well as practical understanding of technical monitoring solutions and practices.
- Good analytical skills including statistics, and knowledge of data handling including GIS.
- An excellent communicator with good organisational skills.
- Ability to undertake fieldwork in sometimes physically demanding environments.
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.
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.
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.