Senior Environmental Monitoring Officer

Team / Directorate: Environmental Assessment & Advice Team / 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: 19/08/2025 + 20/08/2025

Post number: 200437

The role

Are you passionate about protecting Wales’ incredible geological heritage? As our Senior Environmental Monitoring Officer (Earth Science), you'll be the driving force behind safeguarding some of North Wales’ most important geological sites.

This is your opportunity to take the lead in monitoring and managing Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), ensuring these nationally important sites are protected, well-managed, and effectively connected across the landscape. You'll be the go-to expert on Earth science, providing advice that shapes planning decisions, informs policy, and supports sustainable land management practices.

From working with local geodiversity groups and UNESCO Global Geoparks to contributing to national conservation strategy, this role offers genuine impact. You'll champion geo-conservation across Wales, inspire wider appreciation of geodiversity, and help shape the future of our natural environment through expert advice, site monitoring, fieldwork, and reporting.

You’ll also:

• Lead the notification process for geological SSSIs and contribute to their ongoing protection.
• Provide expert input into high-level plans, policies, and sustainable farming initiatives.
• Guide and collaborate with volunteers, stakeholders, and national partners to promote and preserve Wales’ geodiversity.
• Support the delivery of NRW’s nature recovery goals and Welsh Government’s 2030 ambitions.
• This is more than a job—it’s a chance to use your Earth science expertise to make a lasting difference.

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.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Rob Evans - robert.evans@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk.

Interviews will take place on 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. 

About us

The role will sit within the North East Wales Environmental Assessment and Advice Team which is a multidisciplinary team that provides environmental monitoring, assessment and reporting. The team cover areas such as terrestrial ecology, freshwater ecology, water quality, fisheries and Earth science.

This role will focus on Earth science covering North Wales. You will also work with your fellow Earth scientists virtually across Wales.

The North East Wales Environmental Assessment and Advice Team sits within the operational directorate where we work closely with other teams such as the Environment Teams, Waste, Industry Regulation and Agriculture.

In the Environmental Assessment and Advice Team we strive to collect quality data to provide NRW with an evidence based approach to meet the outcomes within our corporate plan. This evidence helps to guide the work of many areas within our organisation; influencing legislation, guiding outcomes and monitoring the benefit of action. You will be joining a highly skilled, knowledgeable monitoring team with the key aim of protecting and improving the environment that we live in.

What you will do

• Lead and co-ordinate specialist, monitoring and/or Earth science technical advice and guidance to internal and external customers, from a range of sources; ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice. 
• Provide professional / technical monitoring, assessment and reporting and/or Earth science expertise to influence and inform operational priorities and NRW policies. Ensure that NRW’s monitoring data is collected and stored to the quality standards prescribed by European and UK legislation and by NRW policy.
• Provide specialist technical advice on planning casework and the management of protected sites (including SSSI notifications, consents/assents, site management work, enforcement action etc.). 
• Review evidence of new and emerging environmental monitoring technologies and their applicability, analysing complex information and benefits for use by NRW. 
• Identify and produce technical reports analysing and interpreting national and local datasets for operational work, national policy decisions, public enquiries, court appeals etc. 
• Provide evidence and act as expert witness for prosecutions, public enquiries and judicial reviews. 
• Take a lead role for area and Wales-wide monitoring projects including scoping, resourcing, appointing contractors and budget management.
• Take a lead on specialist contribution to delivery of survey and monitoring programmes. 
• Lead on the development, implementation of new monitoring and reporting methods, including collaboration with partner organisations at a local and national level (e.g. EA, SEPA, NatureScot, JNCC, NE, Mining Remediation Authority, utility companies, Welsh Government and JNCC). 
• Provide Earth science technical input into strategic and regional plans such as Area Statements, Local Development Plans, planning guidance etc, and contribute to maintaining the scientific integrity of the designated sites network. 
• Support partner organisations in promoting nature conservation and SMNR. 
• Provide ongoing technical development to the team, leading and coaching on new and existing procedures and techniques.
• 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.

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. A first or second-class degree (or equivalent) in a geographical or Earth science subject, or relevant experience in the discipline. 
2. High level expertise in Earth science. 
3. Expertise in interpreting and reporting on environmental data and undertaking monitoring activities. 
4. Expertise in work planning, budgeting and contract management. 
5. Excellent report writing skills, and knowledge and experience of implementing relevant UK and European legislation coupled with expert interpretation of data against legislative drivers. 
6. Experience of supervising, coaching and mentoring. 
7. High level analytical skills including statistics, and expert knowledge of data handling including GIS. 
8. Member of professional body. (desired) 

Welsh language level requirements

• Desirable: ​Level A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh)​

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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