Specialist Officer (National Peatland Action Programme)

Team / Directorate: Operations

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: Permanent

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

Interview Date: 31/07/2025

Post number: 203787, 203788, 203789, 203777, 203778, 203779 (For office use only: ENV / GGL / GRJ)

The role

Make a difference where it matters most. Join Natural Resources Wales as a Specialist Officer in the National Peatland Action Programme and take the lead in restoring Wales’s vital peatland ecosystems.

We currently have six open positions with flexible locations across Wales. Three of these roles require fluency in both spoken and written Welsh. For the remaining three positions, a basic understanding of Welsh is desirable, though conversational Welsh is not required.

You’ll coordinate and deliver complex restoration projects—working at the intersection of science, land management, and sustainability. From developing technical specifications and supervising contractors on the ground to securing necessary consents and managing project budgets, you’ll drive impactful change at every stage of delivery.

Your day-to-day will involve providing expert guidance to colleagues and partners, liaising with landowners and stakeholders, and ensuring projects meet environmental, legal, and health & safety standards. You’ll also help shape best practice by contributing to monitoring, reporting, and knowledge sharing across the programme.

If you have a strong background in habitat restoration, contract and project management, and thrive on delivering high-quality work in diverse environments, we want to hear from you. This is your chance to play a key role in tackling the climate and nature emergencies—while working with a passionate team, across some of Wales’s most precious landscapes.

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 Jake White at jake.white@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.

What you will do

• Lead and co-ordinate specialist technical advice and guidance from a range of sources; ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice.
• Work with other project team members, other NRW staff and external stakeholders, to plan and develop the detailed programme of site restoration, assessing the technical requirement for a wide range of restoration projects and produce technical specifications to be followed by contractors. 
• Work with the Peatlands Programme Procurement & Grants Officer post to tender and let projects in a timely manner and in full accordance with NRW Policies and Procedures. 
• Undertake field-based supervision of contractors, ensuring liaison with owner/occupiers, other NRW staff and partners’ staff.
• Ensure that all necessary consents for project delivery works are in place, including (where relevant) European Protected Species Consents, SSSI consents, Ordinary Water Course Consents, Flood Risk Approvals and Planning consents. 
• Develop and manage multiple and overlapping contracts covering all aspects of the project, ensuring that project specifications and project delivery are consistent and compliant with NRW Health and Safety and project delivery policy, including adherence to Construction Design and Management regulations where relevant.
• Support other NRW staff in designing, procuring and managing restoration contracts in cases where these staff are leading on project delivery. 
• Maintain detailed records of progress with programme implementation to support reporting.  Present and share results and learning via written reports and other methods.  Contribute to regular progress reports and updates led by the Programme Manager. 
• With the support of other NRW and partner staff, produce a standardised project assessment and monitoring proforma and implement it/promote its use by others to ensure all projects benefit from a standardised baseline assessment.
• Attend and actively contribute to regular meetings of the team and support the Team Leader at Project Board and Steering Group meetings.
• Manage the budget allocated to project elements you are responsible for and maintain relationships with third party suppliers to meet value for money and spend profile requirements.
• Support project delivery by partners engaged through the NRW funding Mechanisms, including the provision of technical and logistical support and scrutiny of proposed approaches to ensure optimal restoration outcomes. 
• Work with Environment and Land Management Team staff, tenants and Landowners to help deliver Management Agreements.
• 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 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. Detailed knowledge of the conservation of peatland ecosystems.
2. Detailed knowledge of relevant Welsh, UK and EU legislation and the consenting requirements associated with working on protected sites.
3. Experience of developing, procuring and field-managing large scale, complex projects involving restoration groundworks projects. 
4. Experience of using GIS systems to plan and record project activities.
5. A degree in a biological, environmental science, geographical or earth science subject or relevant experience in discipline
6. Experience of assessing the condition and restoration requirements of peatland ecosystems.
7. Expertise in work planning, budgeting and contract management.
8. Excellent report writing skills, and knowledge and experience of implementing relevant UK and European legislation.
9. Experience of effective communications with a wide range if partners, ranging from individual land managers/owners and occupiers through to key strategic partners.  
10. Ability to work collaboratively with others and also independently with high standards of governance, demonstrating personal initiative and good organisational skills.
11. Experience of commissioning and managing groundworks projects, including the production of technical specifications, contractor management and the use of relevant health and safety regulations. 
12. The ability to currently and legally drive a car in the UK. 
13. Member of professional body.

Welsh language level requirements

• Essential:   Level C2 - Higher proficiency level (fluent in both spoken and written Welsh) x3
• Desirable:  Level A1 – Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh) x3

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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