Specialist River Restoration Programme Advisor

The role is funded by the Nature and Climate Emergency (NACE) programme and based within NRW's River Restoration Programme. This role leads the delivery of large-scale, complex and sometimes sensitive river restoration projects across Wales. You’ll manage projects from start to finish overseeing budgets, timelines, risks, contractor performance and quality while ensuring clear communication within NRW and with external partners.

A key part of the role includes producing and reviewing technical assessments such as feasibility studies and detailed designs, identifying both the benefits of proposed interventions and any potential impacts on river processes, habitats and species. Collaboration is essential. You will work closely with colleagues across Strategy, Policy & Evidence and Operations, as well as Welsh Government officials, catchment partnerships and sector representatives. You will contribute technical advice and guidance to strategic approaches, policies and other projects across Wales. Your work will ensure NACE funding is used efficiently and aligned with best practice, enabling impactful river restoration projects that support healthier ecosystems 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.

About Us: You’ll be joining the Freshwater Ecosystems and Fisheries Management Team, a dedicated group of technical specialists who play a central role in safeguarding and enhancing the health of our freshwater environments. We provide high‑quality strategic advice and robust evidence across a diverse range of ecosystems, species and fisheries, helping to ensure that decision‑making is grounded in sound science and practical experience. Our team leads on a wide portfolio of work, offering direction on regulatory duties, proactive project development, and policy interpretation. We act as the technical authority for the protection, maintenance and improvement of freshwater habitats and fisheries, working closely with partners to deliver applied advice, influence best practice, and support the sustainable management of activities impacting our waterways.

The Freshwater Team forms part of the Water and Nature Group within the Policy, Strategy and Evidence Directorate, giving us a strong platform to shape national approaches, champion environmental resilience, and contribute to long‑term ecological outcomes.

What You Will Do:

• Commission and manage complex technical projects across a broad range of environmental themes relevant to the sustainable management of rivers, working with specialists and technical staff from across the organisation, and with external contractors and partners.
• Prepare technical river restoration assessments, drawing on a range of complex information and data sources and facilitate delivery of intervention actions such as those prioritised in the Nature and Climate Emergency fund work.
• Review technical assessments produced by contractors such as feasibility and detailed design studies and identify benefits as well as potential impacts on river processes, habitats and species.
• Manage the preparation of material to inform the development of NRW, WG and other partners’ policy, statutory advice and guidance documents.
• Manage the development of procedures, tools and guidance and lead the delivery of new ways of working.
• Advise on river restoration evidence needs and opportunities and project‑manage agreed evidence projects, in line with the agreed evidence priorities.
• Support engagement with sectors, partners, WG, JNCC and other environmental bodies in the UK; and be the lead point of contact for customer queries.
• Maintain knowledge of the technical specialist area, with a particular emphasis on river restoration techniques, identifying the implications of legislative, technology and market changes for Natural Resources Wales and the sector.
• Contribute to task and finish groups, commissioned through NRW's governance framework to prepare defined products as required.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues within your team.
• 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.

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:

• Knowledge of Welsh, UK and EU legislation related to freshwater ecosystems; Welsh, UK Government policy drivers in freshwater ecosystems; and the issues and opportunities for nature‑based interventions in Wales.
• Specialist technical knowledge related to any of the following: hydro‑morphology, freshwater ecology, river restoration or river engineering.
• Experience of river restoration technical assessments; finding solutions to complex challenges; technical analysis and interpretation of a range of complex environmental information and data sources; analysing large data sets.
• Experience of working with/in statutory nature conservation bodies, local authorities, eNGOs, and public bodies.
• Previous experience of leading and managing technical projects with Project Management experience and/or qualifications.
• Good communication skills.
• Well‑developed problem‑solving skills, with the ability to extract key information and present this in a clear and concise manner to a range of audiences and in both written and oral forms.

Welsh Language level requirements: Essential: Level A2 – Elementary.

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.

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 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.