Closing Date: 31/08/2025 | Salary: Grade 3X: £33,995 - £36,372 | Location: Itton Office

 

Natural Resources Wales reserves the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date

Team / Directorate: Wildlife Management / Operations

Starting salary:  £33,995 rising to - £36,372 per annum through annual increments being paid each year (pro rata for part time applicants)

Contract type: Fixed Term Appointment until 19/10/2027

Work pattern:  44 hours. There will be a requirement to work outside of normal working hours, both on a daily and seasonal basis, including some night shifts.

Interview Date: 23 & 25/09/2025

Post number: 204056, 204057 (For office use only: ENV / TTJ)

The role

Are you passionate about wildlife management, forestry and the natural environment? Join our Wildlife Management team and take on a vital role to support sustainable wildlife and woodland management in Wales.

This is an exciting traineeship opportunity for individuals who already hold a qualification in wildlife management, such as a BTEC National Diploma, a BTEC HND or a Level 3 Extended Diploma Land & Wildlife Management.

As a Trainee Technical Support you will work as part of the pan Wales wildlife management team. You will learn the role of wildlife management  through mentoring  and a role specific training program that will enable you to develop your skillset and ability to the required standard of a Wildlife Management Technical Support role.

You will be trained in the use of firearms, and support with the control of deer and other mammals to protect woodland regeneration, forest restocking and biodiversity across the Welsh Government Woodland Estate. 

You will initially be based at the NRW Itton  Office near Chepstow NP16 6BZ. As part of your learning program you will spend a period of time working with each team member at each larder location across Wales. There will be an element of travel and working away from home associated with this role.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Adrian Thomas adrian.thomas@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk 

Interviews will be held in person at the Natural Resources Wales office in Monmouth NP25 3NQ. 

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.

About us

As an all Wales team we are responsible for the sustainable management of wildlife to minimise the damage caused by wild mammals to the Welsh Government Woodland Estate. We support multifunctional woodland management, the delivery of sustainable timber production within NRW’s objectives of Nature, Climate and Pollution.

As a key member of the Wildlife Management team, you will work alongside the Technical Supports, Officers and Team Leader to contribute to the sustainable management of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate.


As a team we work alongside and provide specialist wildlife and conservation support to the forest operations, land management and engineering teams across Wales. The team are based at various locations across Wales and work to the 4 deer larders currently based at Resolven, Itton, Bleddfa and Maesgwm. 

 

What you will do

  • Under the direction of the line manager you will support the delivery of the wildlife management programmes, including deer culling, assisting with the creation and maintenance of the infrastructure within the forest, glades and rides to enable safe and efficient deer management.
  • You will undertake industry relevant specialist wildlife management and task specific training  whilst meeting the required standards.
  • You will be required to deliver all work in compliance with NRW Welfare, Health and Safety Policies and Procedures.
  • As a competent firearms operator you will ensure full compliance with Police firearms licensing, all relevant Firearms Legislation, both internal and external.
  • Maintain accurate mammal cull data within the NRW Deer Larder Record System and that it is recorded promptly on the DMS.
  • You will support through CPD and training wildlife management operations and always maintain the standards required to meet ISO14001, BQWV and UKWAS compliance
  • Maintain full compliance with Food Hygiene (Wales) regulations and Food Information (Wales) regulations specifically in relation to the primary production of deer carcasses.
  • Attend wildlife management team meetings. You will train and be supported towards safe working practices for the use of any equipment under direction from an experienced colleague.
  • You will be required to ensure equipment within your responsibility such as firearms are secured when not in use. That firearms are fully maintained and operated in compliance with all relevant guidance, regulation & legislation.
  • You will be required to communicate effectively with third parties which will include members of the public and landowners.
  • You will work with colleagues to implement a planned programme of habitat management and site safety inspections on the WGWE and land we manage including helping to maintain and check relevant infrastructure. 
  • 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. Police Firearms Certificate (essential).
  2. Must hold a wildlife management qualification, such as a BTEC National Diploma, BTEC HND or a Level 3 Land & Wildlife (essential).
  3. Good digital literacy skills, including MS Office and data recording systems (essential).
  4. Full UK driving licence (essential).

Welsh language level requirements

  • Desirable: Level A1 – Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh)

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

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 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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