Senior Forest Operations Officer

Natural Resources Wales; Llandovery; Hybrid; GBP 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental organization in Wales is seeking a Senior Officer to shape and deliver tactical plans for forest operations. Responsibilities include leading technical sectors, collaborating with stakeholders, ensuring compliance with forestry standards, and managing budgets. An ideal candidate will have extensive experience in forest management and sustainable practices, possess strong communication skills, and hold a valid UK Driving Licence. Flexible working will be supported.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension Scheme

28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days

Generous leave entitlements

Commitment to professional development

Health and wellbeing benefits

Weekly wellbeing hour

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience using the STAR method.
• Ability to communicate complex issues effectively.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical lead for specific sectors.
• Participate in business planning and implementation.
• Deliver programmes with compliance to budget.
• Interact with specialists to promote industry practices.
• Undertake health and safety duties.
• Participate in incident response activities.

Skills

Professional membership towards accreditation

Experience in land management disciplines

Knowledge of sustainable forest management

Coaching and mentoring skills

Understanding of commercial processes

Effective communication skills

Knowledge of forest practice

UK Driving Licence

Job description

Overview

As a Senior Officer, you'll play a central role in shaping and delivering tactical plans that drive our annual forest operations. Working closely with colleagues across NRW, as well as suppliers, customers, and stakeholders, you'll ensure programmes are delivered on time, meet high-quality standards, and offer strong value for money. You'll lead the development of five-year tactical plans covering clearfelling, thinning, conversion to Low Impact Silvicultural Systems (LISS), restocking, and ongoing maintenance. Alongside the Team Leader, you'll produce annual budget profiles and report regularly on progress, helping to keep operations aligned with strategic goals. Your expertise will be key in assessing Forest Resource Plans to ensure they meet the UK Forestry Standard and deliver a broad range of environmental and operational objectives. You'll also support the wider team with operational management, take ownership of sub-compartment data, and lead specific projects when needed. Success in this role calls for self-motivation, innovative thinking, and a proactive approach to problem-solving-making a real difference in how Wales' forests are managed and protected. 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.

Responsibilities

• Act as the NRW technical lead for specific sectors or technical issues.
• Participate in the development of team work plans and deliver any agreed actions to contribute to business planning. Where appropriate act as NRW lead for specific technical sectors.
• Be required to participate in NRW technical/strategic groups or represent NRW on external forums.
• Interact with other specialists in NRW to promote consistent industry and specialist subject practices
• Be responsible for direct delivery of delegated programmes and agreed budgetary control, including all relevant compliance and adhering to procurement 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).
• Required to take part in incident response activities
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.

1. Professional membership, or at least working towards such accreditation of their related subject, within an agreed timescale.
2. Experience of working across a wide range of land management disciplines.
3. Knowledge of sustainable forest management, UKWAS and forest certification schemes.
4. Coaching and mentoring skills.
5. Good understanding of commercial business processes and pressures.
6. Ability to communicate effectively with regulated business and the public, explaining complex issues and gaining support by influencing.
7. Extensive knowledge and experience of all aspects of forest practice, including forest planning, forest operations.
8. A full and valid UK Driving Licence

The Forest Operations Team

The Forest Operations Team plays a vital role in sustainably managing the Welsh Government Woodland Estate, ensuring it meets the rigorous standards of the UK Woodland Assurance Scheme and ISO14001, while delivering the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources. Covering over 14,000 hectares across the Mid-South (West) area—from Aberystwyth to Llandovery—our team oversees a rich and varied landscape. This includes upland and lowland forest blocks such as North and Mid Tywi, Cwm Berwyn, Lampeter, Cross Inn, Tarenig, Myherin, and the Ystwyth Valley. It is a dynamic and collaborative environment, where forestry expertise meets environmental stewardship to protect and enhance Wales' woodlands for generations to come.

Benefits

• 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 are 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.