Senior Industry & Waste Regulation Officer

Team / Directorate: Industry Regulation South East / Operations

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: Permanent

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: 201131 & 201132

The role

This is an exciting opportunity to join our South East Industry Regulation Team on a permanent basis. 

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about our environment and can use their strong communication and influencing skills to make a real difference. If you are inquisitive and like solving problems or are interested in new technology and innovation then this could be a great opportunity. No two days are ever the same in this role, so you will need to be adaptable, be able to manage complex and sometimes flexible workloads and use your initiative to take timely decisions.

As a Senior Officer you will be responsible for the regulation of permitted sites across a wide range of industrial sectors including chemicals, food and drink, metals, power generation, paper and textiles, cement and minerals, landfill, and waste treatment. You may also have the opportunity to be involved in COMAH (Control of Major Accidents and Hazards) delivery, and regulation of activities that use radioactive substances. 

Working alone or with others, you will visit our regulated sites to ensure operators are complying with the requirements of their Environmental Permits. You will develop professional working relationships with our operators, provide them with advice and guidance and undertake proportionate enforcement action if required to improve compliance and achieve environmental outcomes. 

You will also be required to respond to environmental incidents/reports and undertake appropriate investigation work. 

Ideally you will have industrial or regulatory/compliance experience within a relevant sector and have an in-depth knowledge of relevant legislation.

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 contract Wayne Grimstead, wayne.grimstead@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.

What you will do

• Assess compliance at installations, COMAH sites, waste sites and sites handling radioactive substances.
• Liaison with Counter Terrorism Security Advisors.
• Take appropriate actions to collect evidence for enforcement purposes, in accordance with defined procedures.
• Routinely lead our response to large or contentious cases/issues.
• Co-ordinate pre-application discussions with Operators and NRW Permitting Teams to aid timely, efficient and good quality permit variations, applications and surrenders.
• Where non-compliance is identified, determine and implement the most appropriate intervention option to ensure operators return to compliance as quickly as possible, with minimum environmental impact and consideration of the economic impacts.
• Work with Operators to develop medium-term regulatory strategies for the installations, including engagement with senior managers and executives within companies, to deliver multiple benefits.
• Be required to participate in technical/ strategic groups or represent NRW on external forums e.g. UK regulators’ sector groups, as required.
• Contribute to NRW Sector Groups and cross-agency sector groups as required to aid adoption of consistent regulatory approaches and the dissemination of good practices to the benefit of the environment.
• Coaching and mentoring of team members.
• Respond to incidents and complaints.
• Contribute to a positive health, safety and well-being culture.
• 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. Extensive knowledge and experience of either working in a regulated industry or as a regulator.
2. Good understanding of commercial business processes and pressures.
3. Ability to communicate effectively with regulated business and the public, explaining complex issues and gaining support by influencing.

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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