Environment Officer (Conservation)

Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales; Welshpool; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension scheme

Health and wellbeing benefits

Generous annual leave

Professional development

Job summary

Natural Resources Wales ( NRW ) is seeking a conservation-focused professional to work with landowners across Powys and Mid Wales. The role combines fieldwork, partnership development and environmental delivery to support biodiversity and protected sites.

You will operate from the Welshpool depot with hybrid working; travel across the area is required and a full UK driving licence is essential. Welsh language level requirements apply and DBS checks are standard.

Qualifications

• Strong working knowledge of conservation and biodiversity and experience in the team remit.
• Ability to contribute in a multi-functional team for sustainable natural resource management.
• Excellent self-management, organisation and ICT skills, including GIS or similar IT systems.
• Proven ability to influence, negotiate and work with diverse stakeholders.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development and certification.
• Hold a current full UK driving licence.

Responsibilities

• Work with diverse customers to enable SMNR outcomes.
• Develop partnership projects from concept to implementation.
• Assess compliance with legislation and consent conditions, and support enforcement where needed.
• Draft consents and provide reports to support decisions and public enquiries.
• Provide professional local advice to planning teams and maintain liaison.
• Monitor progress, manage contractors, and ensure delivery of actions.
• Support NRW Incident Management Service and health and safety duties.
• Commit to NRW Equal Opportunities and continue personal development.

Skills

Conservation & biodiversity

Self-management

Organisational & ICT skills

Influence & negotiation

Professional development

Driving licence

GIS

Customised applications

Tools

GIS

Customised applications

Job description

The role

Be part of Wales's mission to help conserve 30% of our land, freshwater and marine environments by 2030. Working within our Environment Teams, you'll play a key role in delivering Natural Resources Wales' support for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), helping farmers make a positive and lasting difference for nature. Drawing on your conservation expertise, you'll work directly with landowners to develop practical management plans for protected sites, identify opportunities to enhance habitats and species, and deliver actions that support biodiversity recovery across Mid Wales. You'll also undertake protected site management work beyond the SFS programme, providing technical advice and contributing to the sustainable management of our most valuable natural places.

This is a varied and rewarding role combining fieldwork, partnership working and conservation delivery. You'll engage with farmers, landowners and a range of partners, using your knowledge and influencing skills to achieve positive environmental outcomes on the ground. Based at our Welshpool Depot and reporting to the North Powys Environment Team Leader, this role primarily covers Powys, supporting both the North and South Powys Environment Teams as required. The post is funded until 31 March 2028, with the potential for the role to become permanent. Driving is essential for this role, as regular travel across the area is required to visit farms and protected sites. You'll undertake site assessments, meet with landowners and occupiers, and carry out monitoring and compliance activities, including checks relating to consents and site management. You must hold a full and current UK driving license. As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the place base / location above and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

What You Will Do

• Work with a wide range of internal and external customers including permit holders, landowners, businesses, public bodies, recreation groups, volunteers and third sector organisations to enable others to achieve SMNR.
• Establish, maintain and advise partners to support the development of partnership projects and plans through from concepts to implementation. These projects will deliver outcomes aligned with place priorities.
• Assess compliance with relevant legislation, permit or consent conditions. Where non-compliance is identified, determine and implement the most appropriate intervention option to ensure a return to compliance as quickly as possible. Take appropriate actions to collect evidence for enforcement purposes, in accordance with defined procedures.
• Draft valid consents and assents for operations affecting protected sites. For all work areas produce required advice, investigations, documentation and reports to agreed quality standards to support operational and management decisions, protected site notification, public enquiries, court cases etc so that information, evidence and NRW interests are accurately and effectively presented.
• Within your area of expertise, provide professional local advice and responses to consultations from planning and permitting teams. Maintain working relationships with these teams through regular liaison.
• Monitor progress of work, which may include interpretation of data, contractor management, project delivery or compliance with management agreements or statutory legal notices. Identify and support any remedial actions to ensure outcome delivery.
• Play a role in a resilient NRW Incident Management Service that follows NRW process to ensure effective, timely and safe response to incidents.
• 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

• A good working knowledge of conservation and biodiversity, with focused experience in these distinct areas of the team remit.
• An understanding of how your role in a multi-functional team can contribute to the sustainable management of natural resources.
• Strong and effective self-management, organisational and ICT skills, including the ability to use specialised IT systems, such as GIS or customised applications.
• The ability to influence, negotiate and gain cooperation of others including experience of dealing successfully with difficult people or situations and proven ability to work well as part of a team.
• Ensure continuing professional and personal development, expertise and competence through formal and informal learning and certification.
• Hold a current full UK valid licence to drive NRW fleet vehicles (cars and vans).

Welsh Language level requirements

Understanding Welsh

• Essential: Level B2 - Upper intermediate level

Speaking Welsh

• Essential: Level B2 - Upper intermediate level

Reading Welsh

• Essential: Level B1 - Intermediate level
• Desirable: Level B2- Upper intermediate level

Writing in Welsh

• Essential: Level B1 - Intermediate level
• Desirable: Level B2- Upper intermediate level

Please note, if you do not meet the Welsh language level requirements for this role your application will not be considered.

Additional Information

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. Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Although we hold a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence, it applies only to specific roles that meet both the eligibility criteria and salary requirements set out by the UK Government under the Skilled Worker visa route.

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.

You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English, and any application submitted will be treated equally. Applications are welcome from individuals who want to work full-time, part-time, or job share.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the closing date to apply.