Senior Specialist Advisor, Data Strategy

Team / Directorate: Knowledge and Information Management / Finance & Corporate Services

Starting salary:  £52,268 rising to £57,726 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: 203529

The role

Natural Resources Wales is an evidence-based and data rich organisation.  Data drives everything we do and NRW’s broad remit means we are responsible for a complex and diverse range of environmental data and information.

This post is NRW’s expert strategic and professional lead for enterprise data management.  The post reports directly to our Manager for Knowledge and Information Management.

The post plays a critical role in steering our ambition to be a data driven organisation, providing integrated data services, and responding to the growing volume and complexity of data assets, services, and user needs.  It operates at the exciting interface between technology, digital and the business, enabling our data to benefit both stakeholder needs and corporate/environmental outcomes.

The post works with colleagues across NRW functions to ensure that we offer open data services in a way that enables NRW to achieve the integrated data requirements and opportunities set out in the Environment (Wales) Act, the Wellbeing of Future Generations

Act and the challenges of the nature, climate, and pollution crises.  It is also the NRW professional lead for engagement with data professions and external partners.

We are looking for someone who is visionary and outward looking, identifying developments that may be a benefit or threat to continued successful data management in NRW.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home 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 contact Mark Diggle at mark.diggle@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.

About us

The roles sits within the newly formed Digital, Data and Technology department within Finance and Corporate Services.

What you will do

• Providing the highest level of strategic, professional, and specialist expertise for data in NRW to define, lead and promote NRW’s enterprise data strategy. Influencing staff at all levels in NRW and externally and contributing to NRW corporate and business plans.
• Define and lead a corporate change programme for enterprise data.  This includes autonomy to identify priorities, to direct project managers and business leads through matrix management and to prepare business cases for financial investment.
• Lead our professional engagement and knowledge exchange with data partners such as Welsh Government, Data Cymru, Government DDaT Profession, UK DAMA, and ONS, and contribute to Wales/UK/EU cross sector or cross agency technical/strategic groups. 
• Act as NRW’s lead technical authority and advisor for enterprise data and the technical point of escalation for enterprise data issues.  Chair and lead NRW Data Strategy Steering Group, maintain oversight of data activities and user needs, identify, and manage risks and advise and mentor data specialists across NRW.
• Provide the business steer on all data management issues, influencing our ICT and digital strategies; working closely with ICT, Digital and the Senior Specialist Advisor for Geospatial to co-deliver NRW’s commitments across the digital, data and technology profession.
• Direct and oversee the specification and development of complex, technical, innovative and user led, corporate solutions for data architecture, analytics, integration, visualisation, insights, and lifecycle management
• Direct and oversee corporate data governance, setting corporate standards, policies, and best practice. 
• Remain technically competent.  Liaise with government and external experts and interpret UK/Wales legislation, policy, and technology developments to ensure that current expert knowledge informs the strategic direction for data management in NRW.
• 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. Proven ability to develop and deliver corporate strategy or improvements.  Strong analytic, visualisation and communication skills with the ability to translate business requirements using analysis methods and requirements gathering.
2. Experience of programme or project management with a proven ability to deliver complex, organisation wide, improvements; preferably in a distributed organisation using matrix management.
3. Demonstrable experience of working in partnership and co-delivery, using influencing skills and effective communication to work with internal and external partners.
4. Technical specialist skills and knowledge in enterprise data management e.g., enterprise data management, lifecycle management, data modelling, data architecture, data analytics, data science, data transformation, infographics, visualisation, warehousing, integrity management, master data management and metadata.
5. Knowledge of relevant EU and domestic, information and data management legislation and policy areas affecting the application of data management in NRW (e.g., open data, linked data, open source, crowd sourcing).
6.      Professional qualification and membership of a relevant environmental, IT or data management profession (or commitment to obtain this).  Degree or equivalent, or able to demonstrate comparable technical know-how, in a relevant subject. 

Welsh language level requirements

• Essential:  A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh) previous Level 1
• Desirable:  A1 - Entry level (able to use and understand simple, basic phrases and greetings, no conversational Welsh) previous Level 1

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%
• 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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