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Senior Geotechnical Engineer

Location: Flexible | Salary: G7, £39,700-£44,522 | Closing date: 25 July 2022

Contract type: Permanent

Work pattern: Full time, 37 hours

Post number: 201479

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

As a Senior Geotechnical Engineer you’ll be expected to:

Provide technical advice on planning applications for new developments, including assessment of site investigation reports, risk assessments, remediation statements and remediation verification reports
Assess permit applications which pose a risk to land and water
Assess stability risk assessments for landfills, ensuring sites comply with their permits
Advise our environment management teams on instances of pollution to land and groundwater and support enforcement action where required
Develop and manage projects to improve our understanding of groundwater, land contamination and geotechnical issues in Wales
Develop and provide advice on policy and guidance for compliance with EU Directives & domestic legislation.
Advise the Welsh Government on developing legislation and guidance and provide support to relevant EU, UK and Wales Working Groups.

Responsibilities

Your responsibilities include:

Lead and project manage specific and complex issues that require development of NRW policies, strategies, plans, programmes including support on casework that is novel, contentious or of high public interest.
Provide advice to WG and other bodies in Wales and the UK as appropriate, and in-turn review and advise on the produced policy, plans and strategies.
Retain ownership and oversight of Geoscience policy area to ensure integrity of NRW approaches with Welsh Government, Central Government and EU Policy intent.
Advise on evidence needs and opportunities, commission evidence & project manage evidence projects, in line with the agreed evidence programme.
Maintain a detailed working knowledge of the assigned sector(s) identifying the implications of legislative, technology and market changes for Natural Resources Wales and the sector(s).
Contribute to task and finish groups, commissioned through the Business Boards, to prepare defined products as required.
Steer the overview and ownership of engagement with Welsh Government on the specific policy areas related to Geoscience.
Collaborate with the Team Leader to develop and deliver an agreed Personal Development Plan.

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

Knowledge and experience of the following:

Knowledge of: Welsh, UK and EU legislation related to Geotechnical issues, Hydrogeology, Water Resources, Water Quality, Planning, & Waste; Welsh & UK Governments & EU policy drivers in Geotechnical issues, Hydrogeology, Water Resources, Water Quality and Planning & Waste; and the issues and opportunities in Wales.
Knowledge and practical understanding of the range of partners and stakeholders and industries involved with Geo Technical issues in Wales.
Experience of: In-depth understanding of the Hydrogeological Geotechnical discipline/ topic and the complex range of drivers and barriers to delivery.
Working in a programme and project management environment with Project Management experience and/or qualifications.
You will be a member of a relevant professional institution and have achieved Corporate Membership of a Professional body (e.g. Geological Society, MICE, MCIHT, MCIWEM or MRICS) at Chartered status (e.g. CGeol) or working towards chartership.
Representing the organisation in high profile and contentious issues in the public arena.
Share your knowledge and expertise to help solve problems, supporting all Heads of Business in EPP as required.

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	Able to undertake complex practical or technical tasks or work, requiring advanced specialist knowledge in the relevant subject matter. Able to provide objective advice to others on related issues based on their knowledge and experience, keeping up to date with advances and changes within their specialist field. Demonstrates relevant substantial experience. Able to demonstrate a high level of knowledge, and personal and professional credibility, for example, able to act as an expert witness in a public enquiry. Able to demonstrate good mentoring, knowledge sharing and supervisory skills as well as the ability to set strategic direction for themselves, their area and others.
Evaluation of Information	Able to interpret relevant delivery plans and understand their context in the wider national and NRW policy and strategy. Able to analyse and interpret a wide range of information, which may be of a technical nature, extracting key points and communicate them to individuals at all levels.
Decision Making and Autonomy Requirements	Ability to decide how best to achieve results, with the need for some judgment or creativity to alter priorities due to conflicting demands. Responsible for making independent decisions based on input from line management and peers; an understanding of NRW policy; the range of options available; and their potential implications for the business. Able to lead and project manage specific, complex and often challenging issues, that typically carry a high degree of reputational risk. An appreciation that decisions (which may relate to national policy) may be made, leading to changes in established procedures/practices within the post-holder’s area of work. Demonstrates an appreciation of the consequences of making wrong decisions and the adverse effect they may have on the organisation in relation to its external stakeholders, such as partner organisations, lenders, service users etc.
Impact	Demonstrates an awareness of how their decisions may encompass a broad range of matters and that the outcomes may not always be immediately clear or apparent. An appreciation that the impact of decisions made by the post holder are likely to be wider than the immediate function or department, and likely to be medium term and from an external perspective, may be at a national level.
Communication and Relationships with Others	The post holder will have considerable external stakeholder connections and may be expected to represent the organisation externally, conveying specialist knowledge. Able to interact and foster good working relationships with senior leaders internally and externally, at a national and UK level. Able to discuss policy issues with others, which may be highly technical, specialist or detailed in nature, tailoring the method, style and level of communication appropriately to the audience. The work will involve written and verbal communications; and leading key projects with a high degree of complexity, requiring excellent communication and persuasive skills. Able to facilitate and/or present at internal or external meetings, providing advice on complex technical or specialist issues, including legislative changes and steering the direction of discussion or activities. Able to foster and maintain good relationships and networks. Ability to produce moderately complex documents, reports, accounts, contracts etc., containing advice, guidance or opinion which the recipient will act upon or use, and would have detrimental consequences if incorrect or poorly drafted. Ability to source data and content from multiple locations requiring external research and professional judgment in how such research should be interpreted. The impact of such documentation is likely to be generally longer term in nature.
Responsibility for People	Post holders will have no direct line management responsibility but will have responsibility for leading specialist/ technical staff, through complex and/ or highly technical/ specialist programmes through a ‘matrix management’ structure. Post holders will also mentor less experienced colleagues.
Responsibility for Resources	Post holders may have a delegated budget and/or will have responsibility for checking the validity of forms and documents as part of a process and/ or the procurement of goods and services. Post holders will be responsible for the safe and legal use and operation of equipment and data that they use to fulfil the requirements of their role.

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

Application form

Guidance on completing a job application form

Send completed applications forms to Applications@naturalresourceswales.gov.uk

Application closing date 25 July 2022

Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams.

If you have any queries about the role, please contact Trystan James at Trystan.James@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk or 03000 654327

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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