Species Permitting Officer

As a Permitting Officer, you will join a dynamic team of dedicated professionals, handling a diverse portfolio of species permits that vary in complexity and scale. This team is part of our broader Permitting Service, a vital function at the heart of Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Your role will involve assessing permit applications for a range of UK and European protected species for various purposes, including science and conservation, translocation projects, developments, bird control (including lethal control) and commercial forestry, ensuring they align with NRW's policies, processes and guidance. Your specialist expertise will play a pivotal role in navigating the intricacies of species permitting regimes and applying the relevant legislation to safeguard and manage Wales's natural resources responsibly.

Collaboration is at the core of this role. You will work closely with your colleagues in the Species Permitting team and across the wider Permitting Service, sharing responsibilities and contributing to a culture that values efficiency, teamwork, and the unique strengths of every individual.

This is a customer-facing role dealing with the general public, industry and ecological consultants. If you have an interest in wildlife, have customer relations experience, good analytical and report writing skills and enjoy working as part of a team dealing with complex applications, we would welcome your interest.

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.

Interviews will take place week commencing 9 March 2026 through Microsoft Teams. 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 (NRW) is the principal environmental regulator for Wales, working to protect and improve our natural environment for current and future generations. From tackling climate change to improving water quality, we play a vital role in managing Wales's natural resources sustainably.

This role sits within our Species Permitting Team, which leads on regulating activities which affect protected species.

What you will do:

• Determine the outcome of Environmental licence/permit applications through sound decision making for applications for their assigned regime by carrying out appropriate technical assessment in accordance with NRW policies and procedures where available, and issue, refuse or vary permits to time and budget.
• Support and work collaboratively with the permitting service to ensure process efficiency and consistency of approach.
• Undertake technical screening reports to inform on applications in relation to your subject area.
• Develop and maintain effective customer relationships (internal and external) to ensure good understanding and the efficient delivery of fit for purpose licences and transition into compliance activities.
• Produce appropriate records of decisions, actions and outcomes to justify and demonstrate that all legal and procedural requirements have been met.
• Produce and provide regular accurate information to managers on progress, to adapt and ensure delivery of work to time and cost.
• 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 degree or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline.
• Customer service experience and ability to influence/persuade to achieve desired outcome.
• An understanding of the Environmental Permitting Regulations and how they relate to the permitting process.
• Experience of decision making using technical software and modelling programmes.
• Ability to identify efficiencies and improvements in processes and ways of working.

Welsh Language level requirements:

Essential: Level 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.

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 are 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.

Unless otherwise stated in the 'Role' section of this advert, 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.

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.