Closing Date: 12 November 2023 | Salary: £32,876-£36,229 | Location: Flexible within South Wales
Team / Directorate: Flood Risk & Water Management South / Operations
Starting salary: £32,876 rising to £36,229 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)
Contract type: Fixed Term appointment until 31 March 2024
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: 16 November 2023
Post number: 203142
The role
You’ll provide a comprehensive technical fluvial geomorphology support service, to internal customers and partners. You’ll support delivery of several high-profile river restoration projects across South Wales. Also, you’ll provide advice and guidance on Flood Risk Activity Permits and Water Abstraction Licences, helping us to maintain and enhance ecosystem resilience and improve wellbeing across Wales.
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 Lloyd Jones at Lloyd.jones@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. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.
About us
You’ll be joining the Hydrology, Geomorphology and Water Resources Management Team in South Wales, within our Flood and Water Management Department. We are a large multi-functional team that covers South and Mid Wales. You’ll be working on some of Wales most iconic rivers from the Teifi to the Wye and everything in between. The role will include a mixture of site and office-based work, and you’ll have the opportunity to provide practical solutions that will help us address the Nature and Climate Emergency.
What you will do
- Analyse, interpret and prepare reports on technical scientific data, providing good quality information to the relevant teams, to support their decisions and to help them to protect the environment.
- Investigate and comment on referred permit applications, providing a technical response to NRW permitting centre, authorities, developers, NRM teams in line with current NRW policy, to influence and promote sustainable permitting and development.
- Advise on compliance with the Water Framework Directive (WFD), and other relevant legislation.
- Act as a technical advisor on river restoration, bioengineering and natural flood management (NFM) measures
- Provide technical input into guidance for Flood Risk Management, Permitting, Enforcement, Restoring Sustainable Abstraction, and other appropriate projects.
- Provide technical input to the development of future geomorphological practices, particularly focussing on its role in the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources.
- Provide technical support to NRW colleagues on complex geomorphological issues.
- Contribute to the successful development and implementation of emergency plans including drought and flood incident management.
- Support health & safety best practice by actively promoting awareness and ensuring the provision of safe working practices to comply with Environment Agency policies and standards.
- 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.
- Required to take part in incident response activities
Who you are – qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills required
Applications to this role will be assessed based on the following criteria both at shortlisting and interview. In your job application please demonstrate, using the STAR method, how you meet the requirements outlined below.
- Degree in relevant scientific subject (e.g. physical geography, environment science or civil engineering).
- Graduate member of appropriate professional body (e.g. CIWEM or ICE) working towards becoming chartered.
- Able to demonstrate competency in geomorphological science and have the ability to apply practically and innovatively at an operational level. Experience will have been gained over and number of years using geomorphological methods, techniques and calculations, with some experience of working on site on rivers.
- Good understanding of hydromorphological elements of the Water Framework Directive, as well as the ability to write technical reports on such aspects.
- Ability to convey technical information to non-specialists.
- Ability to undertake fieldwork in sometimes physically demanding environments.
- Full UK driving licence.
Welsh language level requirements
- Essential: Level 1 – able to pronounce Welsh and use basic phrases
Please note if you do not meet the level 1 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.
What you will get: benefits of working for us
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- agile and flexible working
- Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 26.6% to 30.3%
- 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.
How to apply
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 work part time, as part of a job share or who work full time.
Please send a completed Application form to applications@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk
using the post number as the email reference. Before completing your application, please read our Guidance on completing a job application form
