Forest Engineer

Natural Resources Wales; United States; Hybrid; USD 53,000 - 87,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Civil Service Pension Scheme

28 days annual leave

Professional development

health and wellbeing benefits

Weekly wellbeing hour

Job summary

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is seeking a forestry civil engineer to lead construction, maintenance, and inspection of forest roads and harvesting facilities across Wales. You will manage projects within budget, coordinate with stakeholders, and ensure compliance with health and environmental standards, working within a flexible hybrid pattern.

Join a proactive Integrated Engineering Team focused on delivering forestry infrastructure and flood risk maintenance programs with opportunities for

Qualifications

• Experience with civil engineering contracts and project planning.
• Understanding of NEC3 form of contract.
• Knowledge of CDM2015 and HSE risk management.
• Experience in forest road construction and rural environments.
• Familiarity with CAD packages and project tools.

Responsibilities

• Manage construction, upgrade and maintenance of roads and harvesting facilities within budget.
• Inspect roads/footbridges at intervals and maintain records.
• Inspect quarries and borrow pits per regulations, ensure HSE standards.
• Draft concise written documents outlining issues and options.
• Plan resources to meet time/cost/quality targets.
• Monitor budgets and report variances.
• Perform EDM/level surveys and setting-out as required.
• Produce working contract drawings as needed.
• Liaise with statutory authorities and stakeholders.
• Contribute to health and safety duties and NRW policies.
• Support personal development through PDP (Sgwrs).
• Participate in incident response activities.

Skills

NEC3 contract understanding

CDM2015 knowledge

Forest road construction

Concrete and timber bridge techniques

AutoCAD

MS Project

Project delivery via frameworks

Team/people management

Tender documents/drawings

Education

ICE membership

Tools

AutoCAD

MS Project

Job description

Are you ready to take your engineering career to the next level while helping shape the future of Wales' natural environment? This is a fantastic opportunity to play a vital role in delivering Natural Resources Wales' (NRW) forestry objectives across the country.

Working alongside experienced professionals, you'll help turn forestry policy into action-supervising NRW teams and contractors to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the highest environmental standards.

You'll be involved in the planning of future harvesting operations, working closely with stakeholders to balance operational needs with environmental responsibilities. You'll also monitor civil engineering works across Wales' forest estate, supporting both progress tracking and budget management under the NRW civil engineering framework.

As part of a knowledgeable and supportive team of Engineers, you'll collaborate across departments to deliver the annual forestry engineering programme. Reporting to the Forestry Lead Engineer and the Integrated Engineering Team Leader, you'll be part of a dynamic, purpose-driven organisation where your work directly contributes to the health and sustainability of Wales' landscapes.

Whether you're looking to build on your experience or take on a fresh challenge with real-world impact, this role offers the opportunity to grow your skills and make a meaningful difference.

A full, valid UK driving licence is essential, as regular travel is required to operational sites across Wales, including remote forest locations that are not accessible by public transport.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the place 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.

About us

At Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we work to sustainably manage Wales' natural resources and create a better future for people, nature and communities.

Join our Integrated Engineering Team in South Wales Central and help deliver forestry infrastructure projects and flood risk maintenance programmes that make a real difference across the region. Working alongside skilled and supportive engineering professionals, you'll help tackle complex challenges that protect communities and enhance the environment.

If you're looking for a rewarding career where your work has real impact and helps shape Wales' future, we'd love to hear from you.

What you will do

• Manage the new construction, upgrade & maintenance of network roads and harvesting facilities for the area within the allocated budget.
• Undertake inspection of roads and footbridges, at specific intervals, ensuring data is forwarded for recording and maintaining records.
• Undertake regular inspections of quarries and borrow pits in line with current regulations. Ensure all health & safety and environmental standards are being applied and meet current requirements. Report any breaches.
• Produce concise and persuasive written drafts, identifying the key issues, examining options and proposing a way ahead.
• Plan, prioritise and organise resources to ensure projects are delivered in line with agreed time, cost and quality standards.
• Make informed decisions but know when to refer upwards for advice.
• Monitor budget and advise engineer of any potential under or over spend.
• Undertake Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM) or level survey work and setting-out as required.
• To produce working contract drawings and others as necessary.
• Liaise with statutory authorities and other stakeholders regarding proposed works.
• 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

• Experience in civil engineering contract management & project planning & understanding of NEC3 form of contract.
• Knowledge and understanding of CDM2015 and construction Health, Safety & Environmental risk management.
• Knowledge of forest road construction (wet bound macadam) and of working in a rural/upland environment.
• Knowledge of concrete and timber bridge construction techniques.
• Knowledge of Forest and Water Guidelines (V5) and the European Water Framework Directive.
• Knowledge of the Quarry Regulations (#####) and quarry management procedures.
• Knowledge of CAD packages such as AutoCAD.
• Knowledge of MS Project.
• Knowledge of Project delivery via framework contracts.
• Knowledge and Experience of managing team/individuals.
• Experience of compiling tender documents/drawings.
• Member of professional body, for example, the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Welsh language levels

Essential: Level A1 - Entry level

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.

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

• 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.

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