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Senior Water Quality Permitting Officer

Closing Date: 16 February 2023 | Salary: £37,308 - £40,806 (Grade 6) | Location: Flexible

Contract Type: Fixed Term Appointment until 24 November 2023.

Work Pattern: Full Time, 37 hours per week, Monday to Friday

Post Number: 201595

As an organisation we support flexible working. This role allows hybrid working (a mix of home and office working) and a working pattern suitable for you can be discussed on appointment if you are successful.

You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home, of which you will be required to attend for regular meetings, training and for one-to-one meetings with your manager. These will be planned in advance.

Job Description

To provide specialist lead/support on the assessment and determination of complex water quality permit applications in accordance with NRW Policy, processes, guidance and procedures.

To provide specialist expertise to cover the Water Quality Permitting regimes relevant legislation.

To be accountable for non-routine strategic permitting work needed to ensure NRW are issuing effective permits in line with changing legislation and regulatory requirements.

To work closely with Water Quality team members and across the Permitting Service, to share both routine and non-routine work to maximise efficiency and utilise individual strengths.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities include:

Lead on complex permit determination and decision under water quality permitting legislation by carrying out appropriate technical assessment in accordance with NRW policies and procedures where available, and issue, refuse or vary permits within timescales.
Lead on influencing and implementing mentoring and coaching frameworks to aid technical development of other permitting officers within water quality permitting and where applicable throughout the permitting service, ensuring consistency in approach.
Extensive experience of permitting decision making using a range of technical guidance and technical software and modelling programmes as required by the water quality regime.
Lead on supporting operational teams by providing specialist expertise in pre-application discussions and post permit work for a range of application types within the field of water quality.
Identify and deliver opportunities for process and procedural changes.
Deliver an efficient and effective service by co-ordinating change that leads to improved internal and external stakeholder experience of the Permitting Service.
Co-ordinate and lead in preparing defence in relation to legal challenges against permit decisions for your assigned area of work.
Represent the Permitting Service on relevant internal technical groups and relevant external stakeholder events.

Qualifications, Experience & Knowledge

Knowledge and experience of the following:

Education to degree level or equivalent in a relevant scientific discipline.
An in-depth understanding of the relevant legislation and how it relates to the water quality permitting process.
Extensive experience of assessing complex water quality permit applications.
Proven coaching and mentoring skills.
Strong customer focussed approach to delivery.
Track record of delivering timely optimal solutions by effective information analysis and risk-based decisions.
Effective planning and organisation skills.

Welsh Language Requirements:

Essential Level 1 – able to pronounce Welsh and use basic phrases

Please note if you do not meet the level 1 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.

Competencies

Please note - Applications to this role will be assessed based on the following competencies, both at shortlisting and interview. Please give examples of how you demonstrate these competencies when completing your application form.

Essential Knowledge and Skills	Expertise gained in a defined area or function, enabling the post holder to provide advice and guidance to others. Demonstrates a sound understanding and appreciation of the work of the wider function. Has good literacy, numeracy and communication skills including well developed customer facing skills. Experience of supervising others is desirable.
Evaluation of Information	Demonstrates the ability to understand information, procedure manuals, statutory codes and legislation and interpret and apply the requirements to undertake their role. Able to analyse and process non-routine technical information, containing a degree of complexity.
Decision Making and Autonomy Requirements	Ability to decide how best to achieve results, requiring some degree of judgment and creativity and the need to alter priorities where there are conflicting demands. Able to solve problems and make decisions of a technical nature; primarily around their own area of work but will also cross over with the work of others. Problems and decisions may contain a degree of complexity and require the need to apply different techniques or methods. Ability to undertake research to determine how best to resolve issues. Able to provide guidance to less experienced members, to resolve problems.
Impact	The work undertaken is generally within a discrete area, so will primarily affect the direct environment, but may also extend across other subject and work areas. Aspects of the work may also have the potential, if carried out incorrectly, to impact on third parties and a wider area.
Communication and Relationships with Others	Demonstrates the ability to interact and communicate with people around their area of expertise, across a range of functions within NRW and external parties, adapting their approach and style appropriately. Well established inter-personal and communication skills with the ability to develop and sustain good working relationships, which may involve a degree of influencing.
Responsibility for People	No line management responsibility; but will supervise others in specific activities or pieces of work.

Benefits of Working for us

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

Agile and Flexible working (role dependent)
Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 26.6% to 30.3%
28 days Annual Leave, rising to 33 days
Generous Leave Entitlements for all your life needs
Health and Wellbeing Benefits and Support
Weekly Well-being Hour to use at your choice

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

How to Apply

Please send a completed Application form to Applications@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk using the post number as the email reference

Before completing your application, please read our Guidance on completing a job application form

Application closing date 16 February 2023

Interviews will take place on 2 & 3 March 2023 through Microsoft Teams.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact Terry Gulliford at terry.gulliford@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Natural Resources Wales embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunity. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition.

We welcome and encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented, including women, black and ethnic minority groups and people with a disability. We have a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.

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