Senior Officer - Once in Operations Waste Regulation

The role As a Senior Officer in our Waste Regulation team, you’ll play a vital role in shaping Wales’ journey toward a circular and sustainable economy. Your expertise in International Waste Shipments and non‑site‑based waste regulation will help ensure compliance, protect the environment, and influence policy at a national level. You will lead on International Waste Shipments regulation, ensuring businesses meet legal requirements. You’ll also assess compliance and take proportionate enforcement action to maintain high standards. In this role you will provide expert advice and guidance to businesses, stakeholders, and colleagues; and handle complex queries from internal and external customers with confidence and clarity. Your work will be varied and impactful, ranging from site visits and investigations to data analysis and auditing. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across Evidence, Policy and Permitting, as well as other UK regulators, industry partners and DEFRA, to shape decisions and influence future policy. This is an opportunity to make a real difference protecting our environment while driving innovation and sustainability.

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 Jonathan Young at Jonathan.young@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk. Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams week commencing 16th February 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.

About us Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is Wales’ principal environmental regulator, committed to protecting and enhancing our natural resources for people and wildlife. We enforce waste regulations, including International Waste Shipment Regulations, and support Welsh Government’s Beyond Recycling and Net Zero strategies to drive a circular, sustainable economy. This role is part of our Once in Operations Waste Regulation team, which leads on non‑site‑based activities such as International Waste Shipments, Extended Producer Responsibility, Hazardous Waste, Local Authority Recycling Targets and future regimes under NRW’s “Once for Wales” approach.

What you will do:

• Act as technical mentor and advisor to team members.
• Provide expert guidance in relation to compliance with environmental and regulatory standards.
• Take appropriate actions for enforcement purposes, in accordance with defined procedures.
• Identify and implement new ways of working to improve the efficiency of outcome delivery.
• Identify opportunities for partnership working with both internal and external parties.
• Develop work plans for team members that reflect wider priorities (e.g. Waste Steer).
• Co‑ordinate the technical development of team members.
• 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:

• Knowledge and experience of either working in the waste industry or as a regulator.
• Strong knowledge of International Waste Shipments.
• Good understanding of commercial business processes and pressures.
• Ability to communicate effectively with regulated business and the public, explaining issues and gaining support by influencing.
• Analytical and problem‑solving skills for complex regulatory cases.
• A full and valid UK driving licence.

Welsh Language level requirements:

Essential: Level A1 – Entry level. Welsh language levels 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:

• 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 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.