Senior People & Places Officer

Job Summary

Job Title

Senior People & Places Officer

Post Number

200954

Grade

G6, £35,994 rising to £39,369 over 3 years

Location

Flexible, South Wales

Directorate

Operations

Team

People and Places South Wales Central

Reports to

People and Places Team Leader

Direct Reports

None

Welsh Language requirements

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

Desirable: Level 3 – Able to pronounce Welsh in some work situations

Please note if you do not meet the Welsh language requirements Level 1 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.

Contract type

Permanent

Work pattern

37hrs/week with Flexi

Application information

Application closing date

31 May 2022

Interview to take place on and where

Date to be confirmed, via Microsoft Teams

To apply send your completed application form to

Applications@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk 

If you have any queries, contact

andrew.robinson@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk

Competencies

Essential Knowledge and Skills

• Able to undertake practical or technical tasks or work, requiring specialist knowledge/ expertise.
• Expert in a range of subjects relating to their specialism and able to act as the local expert or specialist lead for a small area, in an advisory capacity.
• Demonstrates substantial experience and specialist knowledge in their field, with the ability to manage projects, including the project budget and team.
• Possess analytical, influencing, persuading, supervisory and mentoring skills, together with project management skills. 

Evaluation of Information

• Able to interpret the function’s operational delivery plans and understand their context in the wider NRW strategy. 
• Able to interpret developments in their area of expertise, contributing to business planning and the design and delivery of team-work programmes.
• Demonstrates the ability to analyse and interpret a wide range of complex information, extracting key points and able to communicate them to individuals at all levels and contribute to the development of policy.

Decision Making and Autonomy Requirements

• Ability to lead and project manage specific areas of work, taking responsibility for managing project budgets and teams, and for the success and delivery of the project.
• Able to decide how best to achieve results, with guidance from peers, requiring the need for some degree of judgment and creativity which may lead to changes in established procedures/ practice in the work area.
• Post holders will be delivering often significant programmes of work, which may require the need to alter priorities due to conflicting demands.
• Responsible for making independent decisions at an operational level, with input from line management and peers, together with an understanding of NRW policy and the range of options available and their potential implications for the business.
• Understands the consequences of taking wrong decisions, which would have an adverse effect in relation to external stakeholders, such as partner organisations, lenders, service users etc.  
• Decisions taken may concern a broad range of matters, the outcome of which may not always be immediately clear or apparent; and are likely to be wider than the immediate function or department.
• Problems encountered may also relate to the work of other parts of the organisation and could be variable and diverse.

Impact

• Working as a local expert / sector lead, the post holder’s input and influence will be at an operational level and have an impact both internally and externally.

Communication and Relationships with Others

• Ability to interact and link with other roles across the business, fostering and maintaining good relationships and networks, engaging the organisation in delivering polices and work plans in the most efficient way. 
• Communication with others will be at an operational level both internally and externally and will typically be specialist in nature. 
• Able to act as an advisory or functional specialist, providing advice, which may be technical, specialist or detailed; tailoring the method, style and level of communication appropriately for the audience. 
• Demonstrates effective communication and persuasive skills with the ability to lead projects, which may include facilitating and presenting at internal or external meetings, giving advice and input as required. 
• Able to produce documents, reports, programs, contracts, with some complexity; containing advice, guidance or opinion; which would have detrimental consequences if incorrect or poorly drafted.
• Ability to research and gather information and data from multiple locations or sources and apply professional judgment in how the information should be interpreted.

Role Description

Job Purpose:

The post holder will lead on the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources and Wellbeing in the place by co-producing the Area Statement, integrating functional planning and enabling implementation through outward funding for the place across the functions of NRW. 

Work closely with the Team Leader, Cynefin, Land management and external stakeholders to maximise opportunities for co-delivering Area Statement and PSB objectives.  Monitor progress, identify risks, review and report achievement.

Key Job Accountabilities:

Lead for the place on one or more aspects of the team’s remit: Area Statement, wellbeing, PSB coordination, outward funding, conservation and designated sites planning, recreation & access, fisheries, water, providing technical expertise and advice to the team and Head of Place.

Mentor others in the team to broaden their understanding of your specialism so the team develops a multidisciplinary understanding of environmental issues.

Work with the team to develop innovative solutions to environmental issues, integrating multiple aspects of planning within the place. Identify gaps in the evidence base and work with EPP to prioritise and commission research.

Facilitate join-up of PSB objectives with Area Statements and the place plan, working across boundaries as appropriate.

Work co-productively with teams in the place and external stakeholders providing technical expertise to influence and develop priorities, projects and plans for delivery by others including through outward funding.

Develop and monitor the programme of outward funded projects across all funding opportunities.

Work with teams in the place to develop their skills in partnership working.

Work with stakeholders and partners to influence and develop priorities, objectives, plans and projects within the place that will deliver the Area Statement and PSB objectives such as water company plans, Active Travel Plans, Designated landscape management plans.

Network with other People & Places teams across Wales providing an agreed service level of technical knowledge and input to other teams.

Key Job Qualifications or Knowledge:

Excellent skills in engagement, influencing, developing innovative approaches to complex problems.  

Excellent at building effective working relationship with colleagues and partners. 

Significant knowledge of the requirements of environmental legislation relating to the place remit.

You will have specialist knowledge of one or more technical area of the team’s remit:

• Area Statement development.
• Public Service Boards & Wellbeing planning.
• Outward funding & Partnership working.
• Recreation & Access.
• Fisheries strategic planning.
• Conservation of Protected sites & landscapes, National Nature Reserves planning. 
• Air quality impact assessment.
• Water resource management.
• WFD & catchment planning.
• Flood risk management.

Ability to assess multiple, complex, sources of information and engage others in making good decisions. 

Excellent communication and inter-personal skills with a customer focus.

Experience of negotiating with senior managers.

Experience of influencing at senior level of organisations. 

Excellent at building effective working relationship with colleagues and partners. 

Excellent organisational skills.