Closing date: 11 June 2023 | Salary: £37,308-£40,806 (Grade 6) | Location: Flexible within South-East Wales
Contract type: Fixed Term appointment until 31 March 2025 (with the possibility of extension or being made permanent. The role is part of a 5 year programme, planned until 2028, the budget from 2025 is pending.)
Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours. Part Time, Annualised Hours, Compressed Hours or Term Time Working considered – discussions at interview stage welcome.
Starting salary: £37,308 rising to £40,806 per annum through annual increments being paid each year. (Pro rata for part time applicants).
Post number: 203581
As an organisation we support flexible working. This role allows hybrid working (a mix of home and office working) and a working pattern suitable for you can be discussed on appointment if you are successful.
You will be contracted to a NRW office within the place base, of which you will be required to attend for regular meetings, training and for one-to-one meetings with your manager. These will be planned in advance.
Job description
This is an exciting opportunity to lead and manage our new South-East Rivers Project (Rivers Ebbw, Rhymney and Llwyd) taking an integrated catchment planning and co-production approach to river restoration. The project will involve partners and stakeholders in co-developing collaborative, preventative and long-term sustainable solutions, resilient to future change.
We are looking for someone who can lead and manage all aspects of the delivery of this ambitious Project, embedding catchment management principles, and working collaboratively in partnership, to deliver the South East Rivers 5 Year Strategy.
As the River Restoration Project Manager you will lead and co-ordinate strategic planning and the co-production of prioritised action plans in partnership, delivering river restoration projects that contribute to catchment restoration objectives and overall vision.
This is an exciting opportunity to combine project management skills; river restoration experience; skills in analysis and interpretation of a wide variety of information and data and preparing reports; the ability to deliver projects to milestones and budget, including contract management; managing risk; developing communications and coordinating engagement; and leading on longer term funding strategies and project legacy.
You will be self-motivated, excited by new challenges, a team-player and have the skills, knowledge and experience to bring innovation and enthusiasm to this project management role. You will be a good communicator, influencer, adaptable, and have an ability to integrate strategies and plans to collaboratively deliver catchment restoration and ecosystem resilience.
This role offers the opportunity to make a real difference to the communities and biodiversity of South-East Wales and to shape a more sustainable future for ourselves, our organisation and partners, our communities and future generations.
Responsibilities
Your responsibilities include:
- Lead and co-ordinate specialist technical advice and guidance from a range of sources; ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice.
- Coordinate and steer NRW teams across South East including external stakeholders and partners, to co-design and co-develop a detailed catchment restoration programme of work, including monitoring and evaluation of programme success.
- Working with others to deliver all practical on-site management, restoration and monitoring works to exemplary standards through a combination of river restoration best practice and guidance, stakeholder specialist technical expert opinion and local knowledge.
- Develop, coordinate and manage multiple and overlapping contracts covering all aspects of the priorities and programme of work.
- Manage and coordinate programme delivery using frameworks including Programme Management Office and other related project governance and associated processes. This includes maintaining and reporting detailed records of progress, milestones, products, outcomes and risks. Monitor and evaluate outputs and outcomes, demonstrating effectiveness of actions contributing towards achieving overall programme aims and objectives.. Present and share results and learning via written reports, presentations and other media channels and methods.
- Coordinate and actively contribute to regular collaborative meetings and associated governance groups that deliver the SE Rivers Catchment Restoration Programme, supported by the Team Leader, Project Executive and Senior Responsible Officer where appropriate.
- Attend events and give talks to a wide range of interest groups
- Manage the budget allocated to project and deliver to agreed timescales, managing resources and funding adaptively to mitigate known and unforeseen risk. Maintain relationships with third party suppliers to ensure value for money and spend profile requirements.
- Be responsible for the supervision, mentoring and on-the-job training of local staff and teams supporting the programme.
- Work with the South East Wales People and Places Team to ensure Area Statement priorities and place-based ways of working are integrated within programme planning and delivery. Work with a wide range of stakeholders and partners using a variety of existing ways of working and new collaborative methods to influence involvement and decision making that contributes towards integrated catchment restoration for socio-economic and environmental wellbeing
- Review evidence of new and emerging technologies that support innovative and preventative ways of working, contributing to the priorities of the South East River Catchment Restoration Programme.
- Support partner organisations and stakeholders in decision making and involvement in the programme development and delivery, embedding the principles of nature conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources (SMNR).
- Provide ongoing technical development to the programme team, leading and coaching on new and existing procedures and river restoration techniques.
Qualifications, experience and knowledge
Knowledge and experience of the following:
- Detailed knowledge of river restoration techniques, formal fish pass design and construction.
- Experience managing contractors and large scale, complex projects including partner coordination, project management and funding.
- A degree in a biological, environmental science, geographical or earth science subject or relevant experience in discipline.
- High level expertise and demonstrable experience in terrestrial & freshwater ecology, water quality, fisheries and land management, geomorphology and earth science.
- Experience in collaborative partnership ways of working, coordinating partners and effectively managing projects, work planning, budgeting and contract management.
- Excellent report writing skills, and knowledge and experience of implementing relevant domestic and international legislation. Excellent team working and communication skills and the ability to represent the project to a variety of audiences including external stakeholders.
- The ability to undertake physically demanding field work in a variety of weather conditions and terrains. Where necessary/appropriate this includes lone working.
- The ability to drive a car currently and legally in the UK.
- Experience of supervising, coaching and/or mentoring.
- Member of professional body (desired).
Welsh language 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.
Competencies
Please note – Applications to this role will be assessed based on the following competencies, both at shortlisting and interview. Please give examples of how you demonstrate these competencies when completing your application form.
| Essential Knowledge and Skills | Able to undertake practical or technical tasks or work, requiring specialist knowledge/ expertise.Expert in a range of subjects relating to their specialism and able to act as the local expert or specialist lead for a small area, in an advisory capacity.Demonstrates substantial experience and specialist knowledge in their field, with the ability to manage projects, including the project budget and team.Possess analytical, influencing, persuading, supervisory and mentoring skills, together with project management skills. |
| Evaluation of Information | Able to interpret the function’s operational delivery plans and understand their context in the wider NRW strategy. Able to interpret developments in their area of expertise, contributing to business planning and the design and delivery of team-work programmes.Demonstrates the ability to analyse and interpret a wide range of complex information, extracting key points and able to communicate them to individuals at all levels and contribute to the development of policy. |
| Decision Making and Autonomy Requirements | Ability to lead and project manage specific areas of work, taking responsibility for managing project budgets and teams, and for the success and delivery of the project.Able to decide how best to achieve results, with guidance from peers, requiring the need for some degree of judgment and creativity which may lead to changes in established procedures/ practice in the work area.Post holders will be delivering often significant programmes of work, which may require the need to alter priorities due to conflicting demands.Responsible for making independent decisions at an operational level, with input from line management and peers, together with an understanding of NRW policy and the range of options available and their potential implications for the business.Understands the consequences of taking wrong decisions, which would have an adverse effect in relation to external stakeholders, such as partner organisations, lenders, service users etc. Decisions taken may concern a broad range of matters, the outcome of which may not always be immediately clear or apparent; and are likely to be wider than the immediate function or department.Problems encountered may also relate to the work of other parts of the organisation and could be variable and diverse. |
| Impact | Working as a local expert / sector lead, the post holder’s input and influence will be at an operational level and have an impact both internally and externally. |
| Communication and Relationships with Others | Ability to interact and link with other roles across the business, fostering and maintaining good relationships and networks, engaging the organisation in delivering polices and work plans in the most efficient way. Communication with others will be at an operational level both internally and externally and will typically be specialist in nature. Able to act as an advisory or functional specialist, providing advice, which may be technical, specialist or detailed; tailoring the method, style and level of communication appropriately for the audience. Demonstrates effective communication and persuasive skills with the ability to lead projects, which may include facilitating and presenting at internal or external meetings, giving advice and input as required. Able to produce documents, reports, programs, contracts, with some complexity; containing advice, guidance or opinion; which would have detrimental consequences if incorrect or poorly drafted.Ability to research and gather information and data from multiple locations or sources and apply professional judgment in how the information should be interpreted. |
| Responsibility for Resources | Will have a small budget for delivery of a specific project and/or responsibility for checking the validity of forms and documents as part of a process or procurement of goods and services. |
Benefits of working for us
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- agile and flexible working (role dependent)
- 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
- health and wellbeing benefits and support
- weekly well-being hour to use at your choice
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 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
Application closing date: 11 June 2023
Interviews will take place on <date> through Microsoft Teams.
If you have any queries about the role, please contact Juliet Michael at Juliet.Michael@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
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
