Flood Risk Operations Engineer in Wales

Join Natural Resources Wales as an Operations Engineer and play a key role in delivering sustainable, safety-first engineering solutions that protect communities and the environment. As part of our North East Integrated Engineering team, you'll take the lead on planning and delivering flood risk maintenance, capital improvement works, and innovative infrastructure projects.

From day one, you'll be at the heart of designing, procuring, and managing civil engineering schemes that make a real impact. As an Operations Engineer, you will manage projects, provide technical advice and be a health & safety leader. You will support in response efforts, mentoring junior team members, and collaborating with contractors and partners to ensure successful project delivery. Your work will directly contribute to improving infrastructure resilience and achieving our sustainable management goals.

We're looking for someone with a solid civil engineering background—with significant experience. A strong understanding of CDM regulations is essential, as you'll help deliver our annual maintenance programme as Principal Designer and support Client duties. Project management skills (Prince2 desirable), a collaborative mindset, and experience managing budgets and technical systems will set you up for success.

This is more than an engineering role—it’s an opportunity to help shape the future of climate adaptation and resilience in Wales. If you're passionate about delivering engineering solutions that support communities and the environment, and want to be part of a forward-thinking design team within a great organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

This role is based in North East Wales and includes reactive, site-based responsibilities that may require attending locations across the region at short notice. For this reason, it’s important that the successful candidate is able to respond locally and meet those operational demands within a reasonable timeframe. As an organisation, we support flexible working and hybrid working is supported where possible; however, due to the nature of the role, there is an expectation of regular on-site attendance and the ability to travel to sites as required.

You will be contracted to the NRW office at the above location/ place base. Interviews will be face to face (details of time and location will be shared in advance). 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.

This role sits within our Operations Directorate in North East Wales, specifically in the Integrated Engineering team. Our team is responsible for the technical planning and delivery of maintenance and improvements to flood defence assets, ensuring they perform effectively when communities need them most. We work closely with incident response teams, asset management staff, contractors, and stakeholders to keep people safe and reduce the risk of flooding.

What you will do:

• Responsible for the production of the annual flood risk asset maintenance programme.
• Lead on the risk management planning for the work.
• Production and review of flood incident response and contingency plans/manuals and planning incident response exercises.
• Develop procedures for the operation of assets during a flood incident.
• Lead on the scoping, justification, costing and delivery of discreet asset improvement projects.
• Have indirect budget responsibility for both revenue and capital projects.
• In partnership with Procurement deliver framework services and product supplies.
• Carry out contractor supervision and management.
• Liaise with stakeholders including local authorities, land owners, environmental groups, delivering a customer focus.
• 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:

• A recognised qualification in civil engineering such as a HND/HNC or degree together with related experience and be willing to work towards Incorporated Engineer status or other appropriate professional designation.
• A broad knowledge of civil engineering design and construction practices, with the ability to develop and apply innovative solutions to problems.
• Knowledge and experience of H&S best practice and its application in a similar role.
• Experience of managing projects, including use of ICT and organisational skills.
• Competent surveying skills including use of supporting software such as AutoCAD and GIS.
• Participation in cross-team working and stakeholder engagement to establish partnerships in the delivery of NRW flood risk objectives is an essential component of the role, including excellent communication skills and ability to make and convey complex matters to stakeholders.
• The ability to undertake the 'Client and Designer Role', to comply with CDM regulations.
• Full UK driving licence.
• Welsh Language level requirements: Essential: 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.