What are the responsibilities and job description for the Specialist Forestry Advisor position at Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru / Natural Resources Wales?
Team / Directorate: Commercial Development /Communication, Customer & Commercial
Starting salary: £41,132
Contract type: Permanent
Work pattern: 37 hours per week
Interview date: 29/05/2025
Post numbers: 203734
The role
The Specialist Forestry Advisor will be responsible for developing and delivering forestry services, with a particular focus on renewable energy projects. The role involves providing expert advice and guidance to Programme Managers, Project Managers, and Developers within the Commercial Development and Commercial Delivery Teams to support the delivery of complex commercial projects on the NRW Managed Estate.
As a technical specialist, the post holder will lead on advising and guiding across various programmes and projects and will also take the lead on selected lower-risk commercial projects. Collaboration will be essential, working closely with Place-based teams, the Operations Directorate, Land Stewardship, the EPP Directorate, and occasionally the Timber Sales & Marketing teams to ensure the successful progression of forestry-related initiatives.
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.
To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact James Laing at james.laing@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.
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.
What you will do
In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method .
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
Please keep reading
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 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.
Starting salary: £41,132
Contract type: Permanent
Work pattern: 37 hours per week
Interview date: 29/05/2025
Post numbers: 203734
The role
The Specialist Forestry Advisor will be responsible for developing and delivering forestry services, with a particular focus on renewable energy projects. The role involves providing expert advice and guidance to Programme Managers, Project Managers, and Developers within the Commercial Development and Commercial Delivery Teams to support the delivery of complex commercial projects on the NRW Managed Estate.
As a technical specialist, the post holder will lead on advising and guiding across various programmes and projects and will also take the lead on selected lower-risk commercial projects. Collaboration will be essential, working closely with Place-based teams, the Operations Directorate, Land Stewardship, the EPP Directorate, and occasionally the Timber Sales & Marketing teams to ensure the successful progression of forestry-related initiatives.
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.
To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact James Laing at james.laing@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk
Interviews will be conducted via Microsoft Teams.
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.
What you will do
- Act as the Technical lead to deliver an effective forestry service.
- Undertake site-based walkovers, assessment, monitoring and supervision of forestry operations (e.g. tree clearance) communicating regularly with Project Managers and Developers and identify risks and issues.
- Review, analyse and interpret complex information and provide timely advice on forestry issues such as valuations.
- Procure forestry contract resource and manage contract resources as necessary.
- Participate in the development of team work plans and deliver any agreed actions to contribute to the facilitation of commercial projects.
- Contribute to NRW technical / strategic groups ensuring that policy and delivery are consistent and appropriate.
- Influence the work of others through representation at team and Developer events and build and maintain relationships and lines of communication.
- 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 .
- Degree in forestry or related subject and / or relevant experience of forest management and working towards professional membership.
- Extensive knowledge and experience of all aspects of forest practise, including forest planning, forest operations, forest inventory, tree crop valuation and UKWAS.
- Good written and spoken communication skills.
- Good interpersonal skills, team working skills and the ability to deal appropriately with people of all levels.
- Ability to communicate effectively with Developers, explaining complex issues and gaining support by influencing.
- Ability to be self-motivated and lone work.
- Full driving license
- Essential: A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh) previous Level 1
Benefits
This role will offer a range of benefits, including:
- agile and flexible working
- 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
Please keep reading
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 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.
Salary : $41,132
