National Forest Woodland Advisor in Mountain Ash

Join the National Forest team and play a key role in helping to grow and connect the National Forest for Wales. This is an exciting opportunity to work with farmers, landowners, communities, forestry professionals and partners across Wales, supporting the creation, enhancement and sustainable management of woodlands that deliver lasting benefits for people, nature and the economy. The post holder will act as a trusted adviser and first point of contact for stakeholders seeking guidance on woodland creation, woodland management, public access and community engagement. Working across a diverse range of projects, the role will help identify opportunities for new National Forest sites, provide advice on funding and best practice, and support the development of high-quality woodland creation and management plans. This role offers a unique blend of relationship building, project management and problem solving. The post holder will engage with a wide range of stakeholders, helping to navigate complex issues, influence positive outcomes and develop innovative approaches that support the sustainable management of Wales' natural resources. No two days are the same, and the role provides the opportunity to make a visible and lasting contribution to one of Wales' most ambitious environmental programmes. This post is fixed term until 31/03/2027 with the possibility of extension or permanency. A full, current UK driving licence is essential for this role, as regular travel to sites across the South Central area is required. As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office within the location above and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.,

• Engage and enthuse new and existing stakeholders including farmers, communities, and landowners from across Wales on how new woodland can deliver their aspirations while also delivering multifunctional benefits to the environment, society, and the economy.
• Provide advice to comply with the regulatory requirements, source funding streams and promoting best practice for woodland management and creation. Alongside supporting landowners and forestry agents in identifying consultees, sources of information and relevant contacts to facilitate the preparation of high quality UKFS compliant woodland creation design plans and woodland management plans.
• Act as the point of contact for National Forest proposals and queries. The Liaison Officers will proactively deal with complex and contentious issues relating to people and woodland interests, leading to the delivery of project outcomes and development of work areas as necessary.
• Advise on recommendations for additional National Forest sites outside of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate through a mixture of enhancement and new woodland creation.
• Liaise with relevant NRW staff regarding interactions between teams to ensure the timely and effective delivery of project, policy or strategy obligations.
• Support engagement with sectors, partners, Welsh Government, Llais Y Goedwig, Farming Connect and other stakeholders in Wales; and be the lead point of contact for customer queries.
• 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.

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. Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Although we hold a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence, it applies only to specific roles that meet both the eligibility criteria and salary requirements set out by the UK Government under the Skilled Worker visa route.

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

See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive. Please keep reading We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equal 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.