Senior Project Development Officer in Wales

We are seeking two Senior Project Development Officers to play a pivotal role in the development phase of the Teifi Fyw project. As key members of the team, you will help shape and deliver a strong National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) Delivery Phase application for an ambitious five-year programme. Teifi Fyw is a collaborative, place-based partnership bringing together nine core organisations to restore ecological resilience and reconnect people with the natural and cultural heritage of the River Teifi catchment. With communities at its heart, the project combines local knowledge and scientific evidence to deliver meaningful, long-term change.

Each postholder will lead the development and coordination of two of the project's four workstreams, working closely with partners, communities and stakeholders:

• Voices of the Teifi - supporting community-led decision-making and co-production, ensuring delivery plans reflect both local insight and robust evidence
• Connecting Nature Teifi - working with communities to shape plans that restore ecological connectivity and natural river processes
• Guardians of the Teifi - developing community-informed approaches to land management that support heritage, biodiversity, water and soil health, and climate resilience
• Investment Ready Teifi - creating a sustainable, locally governed framework for long-term investment in the catchment

During the development phase, you will co-design and refine delivery plans, test approaches, and build the evidence base required for a successful NLHF application. You will work collaboratively to ensure proposals are ambitious, deliverable, and grounded in partnership and community priorities. You will manage commissioned work, coordinate stakeholder engagement, and oversee the timely delivery of outputs, ensuring all activity aligns with project objectives and NLHF requirements. Your work will contribute to a compelling, high-quality Delivery Phase submission.

Working closely with Natural Resources Wales colleagues, project partners, and local communities, you will help embed a co-productive, partnership-led approach. This will lay the foundations for a Delivery Phase that is community-informed, evidence-led, and delivers lasting benefits for people, place, and heritage across the Teifi catchment. As an organisation, we support flexible working. You will be contracted to an NRW office with South West or Mid Wales, with a hybrid working pattern agreed on appointment. Any regular face-to-face meetings or training will be planned in advance; regular travel is required to and within the Teifi catchment area.

What you will do:

• Lead and coordinate delivery of two assigned workstreams.
• Support additional workstreams and work collaboratively with project partners, NRW colleagues, communities and stakeholders to develop a coherent and deliverable NLHF Delivery Phase application.
• Support the Programme Manager (Team Leader) in the overall coordination, planning and delivery of the Teifi Fyw development phase.
• Work collaboratively with partners, communities and stakeholders to co-design delivery-phase proposals, embedding co-production and ensuring community voice informs decision-making.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with partners, stakeholders and funding bodies to support delivery.
• Act as a point of contact for assigned workstreams, coordinating activity and responding to stakeholder enquiries.
• Manage commissioned work, including procurement, contract management and delivery of outputs to time and quality.
• Mentor and support colleagues and contribute to improved ways of working across the team and partnership.
• Lead or support monitoring and/or evaluation activity, ensuring robust approaches are in place and that learning, reflection and insight are used to continuously improve delivery and inform the Delivery Phase application.
• Translate evidence, community insight and engagement outputs into clear, delivery-ready plans and priorities.
• 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 recognised qualification or degree in a relevant subject or the equivalent experience.
• Experience of working with or within Welsh Government, funding bodies, local authorities, eNGOs, National Parks or similar organisations, and understanding how to navigate partnership environments.
• Experience of working in a programme or project environment, including project planning, delivery and coordination (with project management experience and/or qualifications desirable).
• Knowledge of Welsh, UK and EU Government policy drivers relevant to any or all of the following areas: environmental strategic funding and investment; agriculture; water quality; river restoration and biodiversity; including knowledge of funding mechanisms and opportunities in Wales.
• Ability to collate, interpret and summarise complex information, producing clear, accurate outputs to deadlines and applying knowledge and insight to solve problems and the ability to communicate complex information clearly.
• Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly within a multi-partner environment, building trust and shared ownership and working across organisational boundaries and supporting colleagues and partners.
• Specialist knowledge of and proven experience working in multiple technical areas of the team's remit:
• Engagement strategies, community knowledge forums or community co-production
• Catchment management approaches, such as river restoration, ecological connectivity, nature-based solutions, or river catchment monitoring
• Agriculture and sustainable land management approaches
• Long-term local investment frameworks or green finance approaches (applicants are not expected to have experience across all areas; we are seeking complementary expertise across the team)

Welsh Language level requirements:

• Essential: Level B1 - Intermediate level
• Desirable: Level C1 - Proficiency level

Please note: If you do not meet the Welsh language level requirements for this role your application will not be shortlisted.

Additional Information:

• 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 meets the criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route. Natural Resources Wales welcomes applications from non-UK citizens who are eligible to apply under this route, subject to confirmation by the Home Office.
• Please note that while we may be able to support the Certificate of Sponsorship required for a visa application, the organisation does not cover the cost of the visa itself, including any associated fees for dependants.
• The applicant must still meet the UK Skilled Worker Visa Eligibility and Requirement.

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'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.