Finance and Administration Officer - Upper Wye Restoration Project

Natural Resources Wales is looking for a Finance and Administration officer to join the Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Team and play a vital part in protecting one of Wales' most important river systems. This team was established to deliver meaningful improvements across the Upper Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC), tackling the pressures that threaten its health and resilience.

Working closely with farmers and landowners, the project funds and supports practical action to restore and enhance habitats in the river, along its banks, and across the wider catchment; reduce sediment and pollutants entering the waterways; strengthen the river's resilience against extreme weather and rising temperatures linked to climate change.

As a key member of the team, you will report to the Team Leader and collaborate with colleagues to ensure project objectives are met and milestones achieved. You will do this by managing the financial and administrative aspects of the project, including compiling and monitoring budgets, tracking spend, and forecasting. You will also procure contractors and services in line with NRW's procurement and financial policies; and be responsible for coordinating project meetings, preparing agendas, and recording minutes to keep delivery on track.

This is a role where your organisational skills will directly contribute to environmental outcomes. While primarily office or home-based, you'll attend monthly team meetings in Powys and occasional site visits—giving you the chance to see first-hand the positive impact of your work. 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. This is a part-time role and the hours are 22.20 on a weekly basis; this is equivalent to 3 days per week or the hours can be worked over 4 or 5 days.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Susie Tudge at susie.tudge@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk. Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams from the 3rd to the 5th of March 2026. 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.

The Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Team is part of Strategic Projects, within the Operations Directorate. This team works across the river Wye covering the two operation environment teams, North and South Powys. The team works collaboratively both within NRW and with external stakeholders to deliver improvements to restore the condition of the upper Wye SAC. The team ensures that we understand the challenges and pressures within the area which may impact the environment and our communities. The work is funded through Welsh Government's Nature and Climate Emergency Fund, under the Water Quality Programme.

What You Will Do

• Working under the direction of the Team Leader, take responsibility for compiling and monitoring the project budget and reporting on project spend and forecasted spend.
• Process the procurement needs of the team by working with the project team and adhering to NRW's procurement procedures to set up contracts with external suppliers, process requisitions, contracts, contract extensions and all payments including liaising with the Team Leader to ensure accuracy and propriety.
• Take responsibility for administration for the project, including coordination and administration of Project Team, Steering Group, Project Board meetings and any other meetings as required.
• Be responsible for the maintenance of contractual, commercially sensitive and potentially legally binding correspondence in all formats in relation to our project programme.
• Capture information and correspondence accurately and timely in the corporate Document Management System (DMS) in such a way as to facilitate speedy retrieval in a format suitable for responding to business transactions.
• Support the development and mentoring of team members, including financial and procurement processes within remit.
• 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.

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:

• A sound financial background with knowledge of accounting systems and standards and evidence of being fully conversant with the functions of Microsoft Excel (experience of using formulas, pivot tables etc).
• Experience of procurement of goods and services and contract administration.
• Demonstrable administrative experience with an understanding of the importance of accuracy and robust record keeping.
• Good interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills, allied to the ability to work in a team environment with colleagues and partners.
• The ability to negotiate and liaise with internal and external staff and customers.
• Effective self-management and organisational skills, including the ability to work within a project framework, plus the ability to demonstrate initiative and commitment.

Welsh Language level requirements

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.

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.

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 a 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.