Environmental Engineer

The post holder will provide a maintenance service and deliver a capital work programme for NRW assets which will include flood risk assets and NRW managed land. This will include activities associated with all aspects of asset maintenance from electronically recording general inspections to grass cutting, chainsaw work, tractor driving, fencing, to small scale construction projects, keeping Natural Resources Wales assets at their present target condition.

Working within a small team in all weather conditions throughout mid Wales, the post holder will provide an appropriate emergency response and will be required to be part of a standby rota and provide out of hours cover. You will be joining a team which is passionate about the work they do, reducing the risk of flooding to properties in Mid Wales. Your work will mainly be concentrated on the maintenance of flood defence assets such as flood defence embankments and structures but will also include work on the Welsh Government Forest estate and on National Nature Reserves. You will be self-motivated, competent in the use of plant and machinery and IT equipment having a positive approach to health, safety and welfare in the workplace.

The role is mainly outdoors in all weathers and can be physically demanding. You will be contracted to the NRW office at the above location 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 be conducted in person. The location will be confirmed at a later date. Successful external applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. We aim to make offers of appointment within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

You may operate machinery which may include HGVs, heavy and specialised plant and equipment of a high value. You will be required to deliver all work in compliance with the Construction Design and Management regulations and in compliance with NRW Welfare, Health and Safety Policies and Procedures. You will have the ability to work from detailed technical drawings and utility plans from service providers. You will advise the Senior Supervisor and Supervisor on the most appropriate plant and equipment for the delivery of work including out of hours and emergency response.

You will be responsible for ensuring safe working practices are followed for the use of plant, machinery and equipment and will be responsible for on-site supervision of team members in their operation of such plant and equipment. You will be required to ensure plant and equipment within your responsibility is maintained and operated in compliance with all relevant regulations, for example O licence, LOLER and PUWER. You will be required to communicate effectively with third parties which will include members of the public and landowners. You may be required to implement a planned programme of habitat management for NNRs including maintaining and checking the infrastructure of NNRs. You will be part of an emergency response team required to operate plant, machinery and equipment during flood incident response to enable the effective operation of flood risk assets.

As a senior team member, you will often take the lead on site and mentor less experienced team members or contractors. 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 and that of your staff through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs). Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method:

• Several years relevant operational experience.
• NVQ L2 Environmental Conservation or equivalent.
• One or more of the following (to include evidence such as log book, completed workbook, specialist plans etc): Intermediate chainsaw operative to include multiple windblown trees (include CS34 etc), winching operations, operator of specialist heavy plant & machinery, CPCS or other recognised licence.
• Conservation Management knowledge and understanding.
• Full UK driving licence ideally to include cat B + E (trailer towing).
• Basic literacy and numeracy skills are required for the role. GCSE grade C (or equivalent) in English and Maths are essential.

Essential: Level A1 – Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh). Desirable: Level B2 – Upper intermediate level (able to discuss work matters). 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.

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97%
• 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

If you think you have what it takes to do this role, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch and we will be happy to discuss the role with you in more detail. We’re passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender expression and gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, culture, or religion. We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.

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.