Senior Freshwater Environment Planner

Starting salary: £41,132 rising to £44,988 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type: Fixed-term until 31/12/2026 - There may be the potential for this appointment to be extended or become a permanent position at a later date, however this cannot be guaranteed.

Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week (Part time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)

Post number: 203750

The role

As a Senior Planner within the Water Quality Policy Team, you will play a pivotal role in providing expert guidance and innovative water quality models to support the successful delivery of water company investment programmes. Your technical expertise will directly inform the development of key policies, programmes, plans, strategies, and guidance for Natural Resources Wales (NRW). This is an excellent opportunity to influence and shape water quality standards while collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders, including colleagues from across Evidence, Policy & Permitting (EPP) and Operations, officials from the Welsh Government, water companies, and sector representatives.

In this role, you will take a leadership position in identifying water quality modelling priorities and spearheading the delivery of technical assessments. Your work will be integral to informing policy and permitting decisions regarding water company discharges, ensuring that Wales’ natural resources are managed sustainably.

You will be part of the Water Quality Policy Team within the Water & Nature Group, a key unit within Natural Resources Management Policy. Although your team is dispersed across Wales, you will enjoy the flexibility of hybrid working arrangements, balancing the opportunity to collaborate in person with remote working options that suit your lifestyle.

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 Geraint Weber.

geraint.weber@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.

Successful external applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

What you will do

• Prepare technical assessments, drawing on a range of complex information and data sources.
• Manage the preparation of material to inform the development of NRW, WG and other Partners policy, statutory advice and guidance documents; Manage the development of procedures, tools and guidance and lead the delivery of new ways of working.#
• Liaise with external stakeholders such as Welsh Government, sector representatives and partners to ensure the timely and effective delivery of project, policy or strategy obligations.
• Advise on evidence needs and opportunities and project manage agreed evidence projects, in line with the agreed evidence programme.
• Support engagement with sectors, partners, WG, Environment Agency, SEPA and NIEA, and other Environment bodies in the UK; and be the lead point of contact for customer queries.
• Maintain knowledge of the assigned sector(s) identifying the implications of legislative, technology and market changes for Natural Resources Wales and the sector(s).
• Contribute to task and finish groups, commissioned through the Business Boards, to prepare defined products as required.
• Collaborate with the Team Leader to develop and deliver an agreed Personal Development Plan.
• 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 *and that of your staff 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.

1. Knowledge of: Welsh, UK and EU legislation related to WFD; Welsh, UK Government policy drivers in WFD; and the issues and opportunities in Wales.
2. Experience of: technical analysis and interpretation of a range of environmental information and data and analysing large data sets.
3. Working with/in water companies, local authorities, eNGOs, National Parks.
4. Working in a programme and project management environment with Project Management experience and/or qualifications. 
5. You will be a member of a relevant professional institution such as CIWEM and/ or working towards membership.
6. Share your knowledge and expertise to help solve problems, supporting all Heads of Business in EPP as required.

Welsh language level requirements

• Essential: A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh)

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%
• 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

If you think you have what it takes to do this role, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch and we will be happy to discuss the role with you in more detail.

We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, culture, or religion.   We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.

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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