Senior Agriculture Officer

Team / Directorate: River Wye Restoration / Operations Mid

Starting salary:  £41,132 rising to £44,988 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type:  Fixed Term appointment until 31 March 2026

Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week (Part time, annualised hours, compressed hours or term time working considered - discussions at interview stage welcome)

Interview date: To be confirmed

Post number: 203596

The role

The Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Team was created to deliver improvements that address a range of pressures affecting the Upper Wye Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The project aims to reach agreements with farmers and landowners to carry out fully funded work on their land to:

• restore and improve habitat in the river, on the river banks and in the wider catchment
• reduce sediment and pollutants entering the rivers
• improve the resilience of the river to extreme weather events and warmer temperatures resulting from climate change.

You will report to the Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Team Leader and work alongside two other senior officers in the team, each leading on your own area of expertise – for this role, you will lead on Agriculture.

Your role will include office working and site working in mid Wales. You will plan, deliver and supervise farm advisory visits, seeking to identify areas where works could be carried out to further the project aims. Good communication skills are essential for collaborating with landowners and other organisations to carry out our work on their land. You will provide advice and guidance to team members on Welsh Agricultural Policy and Regulations, and farming Environmental Policy and Regulations in relation to advice given to farmers. Where improvement works are appropriate, you will be responsible for applying for environmental consents, making formal agreements with landowners and procuring and managing NRW framework contractors to deliver the recommended works.

Together with other team members, you will support the Team Leader in ensuring delivery of the project objectives and targets and in reporting progress according to agreed milestones. You will ensure good governance of the project, including strict adherence to NRW’s procurement and wellbeing, health and safety practices. 

As an organisation we support flexible working.  You will be contracted to an NRW office within the place base / 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.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Susie Tudge at susie.tudge@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.

About us

The Upper Wye Catchment Restoration Team is part of Strategic Projects, within the Operations Directorate. This team works across the river Wye covering the two operation environment teams, North and South Powys.  The team works collaboratively both within NRW and with external stakeholders to deliver improvements to restore the condition of the upper Wye SAC. The team ensures that we understand the challenges and pressures within the area which may impact the environment and our communities. The work is funded through Welsh Government’s Nature and Climate Emergency Fund, under the Water Quality Programme.

What you will do

• Lead and co-ordinate specialist technical advice and guidance from a range of sources; ensure that decisions are based on sound technical judgement, in line with current legislation and best practice.
• Work with project team members, other NRW staff, farmers, landowners and other external stakeholders, to plan, develop and deliver a detailed programme of farm improvements, land management improvements and river restoration projects.
• Work closely with farmers, other landowners and project partners to deliver a wide range of projects  to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs into the River Wye.
• Deliver on-site management (such as fencing contracts) and restoration works to exemplary standards through a combination of on-site work and close supervision of specialist contractors.
• Develop and manage multiple and overlapping contracts covering all aspects of the project.
• Maintain detailed records of progress with project implementation to support reporting at key milestones. Collate and provide project monitoring data to the Senior River Restoration Officer (Monitoring) to quantify the effectiveness of project actions. Present and share results and learning via written reports and other methods.  
• Attend and actively contribute to regular meetings of the project team and supporting the Team Leader at Project Board and Steering Group meetings.
• Establish and develop farm cluster groups in the project priority areas, organise and attend events and give talks to these groups to develop their understanding of our project and wider river restoration issues.
• Manage the budget allocated to project elements you are responsible for and maintain relationships with third party suppliers to meet value for money and spend profile requirements.
• With two other Senior Officers in the team, be jointly responsible for the supervision, mentoring and on-the-job training of four River Restoration Officers.
• Liaise with farmers and landowners and lead on agreeing Land Management Agreements with assistance from the Team Leader and NRW Surveyor as required.
• Provide support to all field staff during Team Leaders absence. 
• Work with a wide range of stakeholders using a variety of engagement methods to increase understanding and appreciation of the requirements for and societal benefits resulting from river restoration.  
• Review evidence of new and emerging agricultural and  environmental technologies and their applicability, analysing complex information and benefits for use by the project.
• Provide ongoing technical development to the team, leading and coaching on new and existing procedures and techniques.  
• 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.

1. A degree in an agricultural, biological, environmental science, or geographical subject or relevant experience in discipline.
2. Experience of working in agriculture and working with farmers and a detailed knowledge of agricultural practices.
3. Detailed knowledge of Welsh Agricultural Policy and Regulations, and Environmental Policy and Regulations in relation to farming.
4. Experience of Project Management.
5. Experience of managing contractors
6. Expertise in work planning, budgeting and contract management.
7. Excellent report writing skills, and knowledge and experience of implementing relevant UK and European legislation.
8. Excellent team working and communication skills and the ability to represent the project to a variety of audiences including external land managers.
9. The ability to undertake physically demanding field work in a variety of weather conditions and terrains. Where necessary/appropriate this includes lone working.
10. The ability to drive a car currently and legally in the UK.
11. Experience of supervising, coaching and/or mentoring.
12. Member of professional body (desired).           

Welsh language level requirements

• 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.

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

See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.

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. 

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