Marine Ornithologist

Team / Directorate: Renewable Energy Advice Team, Evidence Policy and Permitting

Starting salary: £37,308 rising to £40,806 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: 24 January 2024

Post number: 203638

The role

We are looking for someone to play a key role in advising on the potential impacts of developments in the marine and coastal environment. You will provide technical and specialist advice on marine birds in relation to offshore renewable energy. This advice will shape and inform our decisions, programmes, plans, guidance and strategies.   You will work with colleagues from other teams in NRW, officials from the Welsh Government, other Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and sector representatives. 

You will report to the Renewable Energy Advice Team Leader.

To make an informal enquiry about this role, please contact Kirsten Ramsay at Kirsten.Ramsay@cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk  

Interviews will take place through Microsoft Teams

Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 - 8 weeks of the closing date.

About us

You will join the Renewable Energy Advice team, a team of technical specialists on a range of receptors, such as marine mammal, birds, fish and benthic habitats. This is a new team focussing on renewable energy advice, guidance and evidence. The team will sit alongside and work with our wider marine policy and marine ecosystems teams in the Sustainable Places Land and Sea Group in our strategic Directorate, Evidence, Policy and Permitting.  The team will also work closely with our colleagues in NRW’s Marine Operations Service by providing guidance to support their advice on applications for individual offshore renewable energy developments.

What you will do

• Provide specialist technical advice internally to inform NRW’s responses to renewable energy project and plan consultations (for example, marine licenses).
• Provide specialist technical advice externally to (a) developers and regulators at a local, regional and national level, (b) regional and national stakeholder fora and (c) expert witness role at inquiries as appropriate.
• Advise on assessments of plans and projects, such as Habitats Regulation Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments.
• Provide strategic advice in relation to marine and coastal birds and renewable energy development
• Write guidance for NRW staff and developers on best practice in assessing impacts on marine birds.
• Advise on evidence gaps and project manage agreed evidence projects.
• Liaise with external stakeholders such as sector representatives, the Welsh Government, partners, the Joint Nature Conservation Comittee and other Environment Bodies in the UK.
• Contribute to working groups and report to governance groups to support NRW decision making.

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. Specialist technical knowledge related to marine and coastal ornithology and/or environmental impacts. This could have been gained from previous job experience or from postgraduate studies or research covering impacts on the marine and coastal environment and ornithology.
2. Experience in provision of technical advice on marine and coastal birds, preferably within the UK
3. Knowledge of Welsh and UK legislation and policy drivers that relate to the marine environment
4. Knowledge of marine renewable energy regulation processes and assessment processes such as Habitats Regulation Assessments and Environmental Impact Assessments is desirable.
5. Experience of technical analysis and interpreting a range of environmental information and data
6. Experience of working with, or in, some of the following: Government, statutory nature conservation bodies, eNGOs, public bodies and marine sector representative bodies.
7. Good project management, work planning and prioritisation skills.

Welsh language level 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.

Benefits

What you will get: benefits of working for us

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• agile and flexible working
• 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
• 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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